Thank you for the views and reviews!

I am loving to plan and write this story and I am very happy to know that there ARE people actually reading it! Yay!

There are many things prepared, lots of drama and complicated stuff and twists to happen in the chapters to come and I hope you all like it :D

Chapter 5

Pride

A detachment of approximately two thousand men according to Jaken, including mounted samurai, mounted priestesses and demon hunters filled the horizon, reflected in his serene and golden gaze. The wind blew cold and softly, carrying his long bright hair and a familiar, sweet scent welcome to his nostrils.

The smell of fear. No single human in that troop came for him without knowing who he was, what he was capable of, the feelings that were absent in his demonic heart. They were fully armored to their teeth - as if simple metal would save them for his poisoned claws - and fully armed with bows, swords or lances - as if simple blades would allow them to harm his skin. The priestesses could be troublesome should they manage to combine their spiritual powers and hit him at once, but they would eventually find out difficult it would be for them to aim at him. An entire army against one single demon, and only one side was clearly afraid of not returning home.

That included their lord, the distinct woman in bronze armor and regal tabard mounted on a strong black stallion, heavily surrounded by demon hunters and shield bearers whose sole purpose was to not let harm meet her. The sun was ascending in the sky right behind her and her troops as if the Kitami's very nature was greeting and blessing the path of its rightful ruler, and Sesshomaru's mind revisited for a brief moment old memories from a very distant past, when that same sigil and colors would march obediently behind his Father instead of against him. The absence of love from those people mattered nothing at all to the firstborn of the Great Dog Demon. But their presence between him and Meidenkai was, indeed, an annoyance - especially when killing humans and proving their insignificance wasn't nearly as satisfying as it used to be.

He glanced at his own hand, seeing for the first time the first and discreet signals of the long period without food. The claws he was so proud of were starting to peel and his skin seemed sallow. And even the promise of a bloody battle ahead of him was not enough to arouse any hunger in him.

In a matter of fact, it only deepened his desire for solitude.

At least, in the possibly most foolish decision of her life, the daimyo did shorten the time he first offered to wait. And now he would get the information he wanted, one way or another.

"Jaken, retreat and keep yourself hidden and out of trouble. You must not stand in my way while I deal with them," he commanded knowing that any weak spots that those desperate humans could identify and use against him would be immediately exploited. And that a single arrow from one of those mounted priestesses would be more than enough to purify the small imp.

"Y-yes, milord. Best of luck, milord!" Jaken complied faithfully and ran back to the forest.

Meanwhile, Sakuya stared attentively at the demon standing stolid at the center of the field. They didn't even need to actually search for him in the wilds - Sesshomaru was the one who did the finding, simply appearing before the troops when they were about a mile away from the castle. Lofty, elegant, undisturbed, showing absolutely no fear or concern of any kind. It was like her entire army was just another stone in his path, or a strange color in the landscape that he approached to behold.

If he hadn't killed Hiko, things would have been easier. She would try to negotiate and, if he could agree to simply leave Kitami in good terms and peacefully wait for news regarding Meidenkai without touching, approaching or disturbing the civilians in any fashion, then she and the army would return home without any action. But he killed her servant. He tortured and burned an innocent, humble and defenseless family. Hence, he needed to be vanquished. For Hiko's soul, and for her own pride and duty as feudal lord of Kitami province.

But her fighting spirit was silent. Faint as a candle flame in the wind.

She was a strong follower of her own intuition, the very same that paved her arduous path to feudal lordship. And right now, somehow, this reliable force was pointing her to the exact opposite direction. It all seemed just... wrong. Out of place. But why? What so obvious detail around her was she failing to see?

Takashi gazed at her, noticing her seriousness and distance. She was clearly unwilling to fight the beast, even when he barely convinced her that he was the murderer, the destroyer of lives that needed to be hated and cast out. But for the counselor, peace was not an option. He needed that battle, he needed that enmity between daimyo and daiyokai, he needed her death. He couldn't let the seed he so carefully sowed to wither now.

"Milady, your permission to speak with the demon privately."

"Make it quick and be cautious, counselor, for I need you by my side." She accepted reluctantly. That was a very dangerous move for him, but her clever counselor did manage to persuade enemies to abandon the battle before it even began several times in the past, and maybe he could work his way with Sesshomaru.

Takashi prompted his horse and slowly went down the valley alone, approaching the aloof demon and standing in front of him.

"Pleased to meet you, Lord Sesshomaru," the man greeted him with a hearty smile and a respectful gesture with his head. "I am Nagashima Takashi, and I speak for the lady. We are all curious about your sudden arrival in our lands."

The old man's overconfidence, lack of caution and strange kindness immediately caught Sesshomaru's attention. He stared silently at the counselor, analyzing him.

"Of course, she wanted you to be repelled from Kitami from the very beginning. But I, as your humble admirer and an admirer of peace, convinced her that even in light of the recent events a quick conversation would be the best policy for us all. After all, we owe a great deal to your blood."

Yet no response came from the regal demon, and Takashi frowned a bit. He expected a reaction from the creature, either intense or intrigued, but it was simply motionless and indifferent. He swallowed dry and continued his monologue. The best part of it was the next to come.

"...Surely you must know that Lady Sakuya is currently unable to attend to your request. You see... The precious relic you so desire is not in her possession anymore."

He thought those news would deeply concern the daiyokai. He thought that that would be the last wind he needed to blow in order for his plans to take flight. However, once again, no movement, no word, no reaction whatsoever came from the silver haired man, which would simply stare at him aloofly. Takashi scowled. He didn't like that feeling of embarrassment at all.

"You don't seem surprised, milord." The counselor's voice was finally somber.

"You are no lord or commander," Sesshomaru finally responded, plain indifference dripping from his words. "I have nothing to discuss with you."

"Not even a possible shortcut to your goals?" He managed to fake a subservience attitude even when a profound anger secretly flowed through his veins. "I am a man of influence and I could offer-"

"Move."

He gritted his teeth at the demon's solid command. How could that fiend not be interested at all in his friendship and what he had to say? Was he already aware of Meidenkai's fate? The counselor took a moment to recollect himself and to be able to react, which the demon almost interpreted as a refusal to his order.

"You will be wanting to keep an eye on your back, milord." The counselor finally revealed his true colors. He turned his horse away, while gazing gloomily and scornfully at the demon. "Humans are far more dangerous and cunning than you think. We may be mortals and physically weak, but we have our means to achieve our goals. We are the true race that runs this world, our mark and legacy are spread everywhere, and all of it belongs to us. It is only a matter of time until demons are nothing but a strange and inconvenient shadow past in history."

As much as Sesshomaru didn't like to heed humans, especially those who actually did think that they had any importance at all, he noticed that there was something awfully intriguing about that man. He frowned at his daring and absolutely reckless words, and he even thought about sending his pieces back to Sakuya, but something about that man's confidence was telling the demon that being attacked was what he actually wanted after his charm failed. First he tried to buy him, and then to provoke him. Why?

"I tried to convince him into leaving our lands peacefully, but he is adamant. I am deeply sorry milady, I failed you." Takashi said after returning to his lord's side, bowing respectfully and humbly to her.

"Thank you for your hard work." Despite her growing worry, she nodded and answered with great kindness and admiration for his attempt to handle things peacefully. "Now, stand back and find shelter. I cannot guarantee your safety from this point on."

"As you command, milady."

...

Sesshomaru could clearly see the army spreading across the field, trying to gain as much space as they could in order to face him. They probably thought that this formation would maximize his physical effort, since he would supposedly have to move more in order to reach and hit each target, while minimizing any area damage he could inflict. The archers and mikos were clustered together and under another general's command, but they were also nearby Sakuya and protected below that powerful barrier of spiritual energy that the woman erected with the aid of her inherited sword - the very same barrier that prevented him from breaching the castle by simply jumping over the walls. He could not approach nor touch them as long as that barrier lasted.

There was absolutely no point in wasting his time with those pawns, so he went for the heart of the army. He only needed to separate her from that sword, and that would be a more than easy encounter.

That was relatively simple to arrange. When the first wave charged downhill towards him, the dog demon locked on his temporary prey: the big and muscular man leading the wing, a long haired and mature samurai whose black armor and tabard denounced his high rank within the troops. One of Sakuya's generals. He was commanding the mounted samurai division, roaring furiously with his sword raised as he charged against the demon, eager to bring his head to his lady, to honor his province and to end that threat.

Sakuya frowned, watching from the high ground her cavalry surround the silver haired demon and his elegant silhouette disappear amidst snorting horses and furious men.

Then, one after another, they started to fly. She widened her eyes in profound astonishment.

Sesshomaru trampled the division. He simply let it approach and his claws and whip did the rest of the work, leaving a trail of beaten and unconscious men covering the ground in his wake. By granting Sohma's wish, no man lost his life by his hand that day, but a deep pain would certainly follow their muscles and torn members long enough to teach them not to ever disturb him again. Then he went for the general, the only one left standing.

"Disgusting fiend! You are not worthy of laying your feet on Kitami!"

Yamato roared and charged against the demon, one sword in each hand. He was actually remarkably strong and durable for a human, capable of resisting several of the blows received from the demon that would easily knock out any soldier, and managing to partially shatter Sesshomaru's breastplate with a powerful slash. But eventually he too fell to the dog demon, losing his both swords and then finally his consciousness when one well aimed punch hit and sank in his upper abdomen, rendering him breathless. The army gasped in clear shock. Sesshomaru grabbed his body by the back of its neck before it hit the floor, and then lifted him easily in the air, showing the feudal lord her defeated general.

"Lower the barrier, sheathe your sword and step forward, or he dies."

He commanded and the daimyo scowled with clear contempt, but after a few seconds of thinking, she decided to comply.

She said something to her nearby men, which stepped fairly back when she undid the barrier and sheathed her sacred sword, leaving the core of the army exposed. Among fierce protests of proud and worried warriors, she left her privileged position to approach the demon as he wished, stopping in front of him.

They faced and analyzed each other in silence and emotionlessly for brief seconds. Judging that she was willing to behave and cooperate, Sesshomaru kept his part of the arrangement and released the general, throwing him fair distantly to the side, to safety. However, as soon as the groaning body hit the floor, a strong blaze of energy emerged from the feudal lord's body and she quickly moved her arm towards the sword's hilt. He acted swiftly, sending his whip against her horse, maiming the animal and piercing his heart. The nimble woman managed to leap and land on her feet as her dying mount fell neighing to the ground, but before she could even properly install her feet in the soil and touch her sword, Sesshomaru simply reappeared behind her, like a shadow blended inside a gust of wind. He grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back in order to immobilize her, pulling out a gasp of surprise and pain from her lips.

"You will answer my questions. Have your soldiers to stand back and stay quiet."

"You cannot frighten me," she hissed.

"This is not a situation you can possibly overcome on your own, woman."

He was surprised by a strong and daring headbutt against his chin when she threw her head backwards, stunning him for a small fraction of second enough for her to pull a hidden dagger from inside her armor with her left arm and quickly sink the blade in his thigh. That strike would have inflicted an unbearable amount of pain and probably a mortal wound by bleeding on any human, but Sesshomaru simply scowled and responded equally low by ripping off her helmet and violently grabbing her soft hair, pulling it down in order to force her torso to bend backwards against him and then further twisting her arm. The sound of shoulder bone cracking could be heard and she swallowed a scream of pain, but she released the dagger's hilt and finally submitted nonetheless.

"...What are you waiting for?" she taunted after a moment of deep silence and inaction in her immobilized state, clearly ready to face her demise. "You have dishonored me enough in front of my men."

"There is no honor in a liar," he stated emotionlessly.

"How dare you?" Despite her collected tone, he could hear her breath intensifying by pain and anger. "You come to my lands and assault my gates. You disrespect me, you wound my most treasured friend and you threaten me into giving you a precious item that was formally entrusted to my family centuries ago. You torture and kill my defenseless servant and his family! I did what I saw fit to protect my people and loved ones, I carry no regrets and I will not be judged by you."

"Is that what you believe so? That I, a being above your meddling race, would lower myself and waste my time with an old and trifling human such as your servant? Fire," he pressed his hand further in her arm and gently scratched her wrist, reminding her of his sharp and deadly claws, "is no method of my preference to eliminate my enemies."

"You were seen holding his body still warm at his house. Should I conclude that you were paying your respects?"

"Where is Arashi?" He cut off that cheap and unfruitful talk and proceeded directly to the point, his sole purpose for appearing before her troops. He could glimpse the surprise in her widened eyes. He wasn't supposed to know that much.

"How could you possibly-" He pulled her arm and hair slightly further, silencing her through a gasp of pain and showing her that giving in and properly answering his questions was the wisest decision at the moment. "...I do not know where he is. He strikes us from different locations and with different methods. We have been trying hard to track him and pinpoint his location, but to no avail"

"Is he human?"

"He is."

"How does he know about Meidenkai?"

"...he was a servant of our family and worked in the palace many years ago."

"What are his pretensions with it?"

"To absorb its power and become a demon himself."

"Why?"

"I do not know."

"Where is the other half?"

"Safe."

"Where?" He patiently repeated the question. When he pressed her further and realized that from that point on she was willing to simply endure the pain, lose her arm and ultimately her life for that specific secret, he frowned with dissatisfaction and a bit of admiration for such determination and opted for a lower, yet effective approach. "Maybe your half breed fosterling will be more cooperative?"

A sudden and strong energy blasted around the feudal lord, as if the last words spoken by the demon were a match that dangerously fell on a pile of powder kegs. A spurt of wrath made her forget everything about her pain and situation, and she used all of her remaining strength to grab her sword's hilt with her left arm, unsheathing the blade while turning around, launching a powerful horizontal slash wrapped in a blazing spiritual energy that would have certainly maimed the silver haired demon if he had stood in place. He jumped backwards in order to avoid it, surprised at the fact that the woman was willing to sacrifice her own arm, shoulder and scalp just to break free from him and strike him - and she would have lost it all indeed if he hadn't released her just in time.

He slipped his golden gaze to the ground, evaluating the damages - a deep trail of destruction left on the floor, and pure anger flaming ardently in the feudal lord's eyes pointed towards him like deadly arrows. He felt a light burning in his face and he didn't need to touch it in order to know what it was. There was a small, almost imperceptible, yet existent cut left on his cheek.

Women. Always so overprotective with their offspring. Even when it wasn't theirs really.

As the wave of wrath slowly faded, the woman started to feel the costs of that sudden movement in her body and eventually needed to support her own weight on her second sword plunged to the ground, while the other, Sojiro's blade, her main and most feared weapon, was pointed to the demon and ready in a combat stance. She was willing to fight to the end, even when the pain and exhaustion wouldn't let her move her right arm and shoulder for some time. Her men immediately came to her aid, surrounding her in a circle of "safety". However, before they could take advantage of the shift in the situation and attempt another foolish assault against him, a loud trumpet sound trembled the air twice. That signal seemed urgent enough to draw the lord and her nearest men's attention to a messenger that was stumbling his way through the troops.

"Milady! It's him!" The horseman was badly injured and deeply terrified to the point that he barely noticed the dog demon's presence. He was bleeding, panting and sweating just like his horse, which was just forced to cross the entire field all the way from the castle at full speed. "The castle is under attack!"

Uproar immediately spread amongst the soldiers and Sesshomaru scowled at that information for more than one reasons. He decided to stay silent and motionless, simply observing and carefully listening.

"Sohma?!" the daimyo inquired in dismay, her fighting spirit completely vanquished by fear and concern.

"Old Hokumaru managed to remove him from the castle. He's hidden and safe!"

"Fall back and defend the castle!" she commanded while turning again to face the silver haired demon, leaving her 'safe' position amidst her men. She seemed willing to personally finish that matter now that she was free and with her sword in hand, or at least to hold him as much as she could, hopefully long enough for the army to fall back safely and reach the castle without Sesshomaru pursuing them. "General Yamato, I entrust the army to your command."

"You expect me to abandon you with this fiend!?" Yamato spat, while most of the troops started to gather the injured men from the battlefield and retreat accordingly to the order received. Indifferent to the man, Sesshomaru looked around discreetly, looking for something more interesting. As expected, he found no trace of the old counselor among the few who initially choose to disobey and stay at the daimyo's side.

"Sohma is your new lord if I don't return. You know what must be done." The general still hesitated and her loud shout snapped him out of it. "Go!"

Yamato growled in fury, but eventually he understood the gravity of the situation and saluted his sacrificing lord with a most respectful reverence. He launched a deadly stare to the daiyokai with a silent promise of revenge contained in it before turning around, jumping on his stallion's back and rushing to catch the retreating army's lead and organize it.

And in just a matter of minutes, the once lively battlefield was now deserted and silent.

When the last man wearing the Sakagama's colors and banners disappeared beyond the grassed horizon, Sesshomaru turned his golden eyes to his opponent again. She was standing in front of him like a wall, at a safe distance, firmly holding her sword in a hybrid stance as much as her injury allowed.

"Arashi?" he asked and she nodded positively, without losing awareness of his movements.

Good. Now his path toward both halves of Meidenkai was properly open.

Now that the most troublesome target to find was exposed, he intended to momentarily abandon his inquisition to the feudal lord and go for the man. However, he paid a close and last look to the woman, noticing her sore arm and dead horse, both by his own doing. Even if he allowed her to go, the woman would probably face a hard time walking all the way back to the castle, now that her troops were far away. Several dangers could circle a recognizable feudal lord crossing the fields alone and unguarded, and for the time being he couldn't afford to risk his second most valuable source of information.

"Come," he stated emotionlessly, turning to the side in a signal of temporary truce. "We fly."

"What do you mean?" She frowned.

"I will settle matters with him while he is exposed. Your insubordination can be dealt with later."

"...and therefore, you decided to offer me a ride?"

"I assumed you wanted a quick return to your castle." He raised an eyebrow at the woman's poor ability to understand such a trivial logic.

She seemed stunned and he concluded that awareness and distrust wouldn't allow her to think rationally and leave her combat stance and join him. Not that he could blame her. The woman probably expected retaliation from him for her lousy deeds, and indeed he felt tempted to it, but his time was more precious than that. He closed his eyes, leaving her be and dressing his usual indifference once again, and turned further around.

"I do not blame you for failing and fearing me. It is your helpless nature." He gave her the charity of an explanation after a few seconds, in a most calm tone, while starting his steps toward the horizon, intending to finally leave her behind. "I blame Father for his naivety and trusting such a complex task to a pitiful human family. I shall now clean the mess you both have made."

However, when he arched his legs and gracefully performed a very long jump, he immediately felt a different and relatively light weight pull him down, and then he knew that, when he took off to the skies, the feudal lord was with him, with her healthy arm firmly tied around his mokomoko. He said nothing nor looked back to confirm her presence, simply making their way through the morning clouds and faint sun rays towards the castle.

The daimyo was slow to assimilate that sudden truce, trying not to give in to confusion more than the situation allowed. At that moment, it was in the endangered people in the castle and in Arashi's attack that her focus needed to be. It was pointless to further defy the demon after all, as he was in a whole different level of power and certainly didn't need to put up low tricks in order to distract and best her. It was her own life that has just been spared.

"...Are you really innocent of killing him?" she asked more calmly after some time in the air, gazing intently at the demon's back, trying to decipher his thoughts and actions.

The dog demon stared coldly back at her with the corner of his eyes, seemingly annoyed and uninterested in repeating himself. And while that confirmation weighed on the woman's conscience and made her realize her misjudgement, it also added another problem to the list.

Sesshomaru didn't kill Hiko, but someone did. Who?

...

Meanwhile…

"...Hmm? What is that?" The small imp raised his face, examining that strange and graceful white form floating in the sky above the forest. He gasped when he finally identified his lord, with an armored woman tied to his mokomoko. "LORD SESSHOMARU! Where are you going?! It's that viper of a woman! Lord Sesshomaru! Don't leave me behind!"

It would be a long and hard run through the forest and fields following his master towards Asagao Castle.