135 years later...
"Lady Nishi!"
The young woman being called looked up and smiled. "Hello, children!"
"We're ready for our lessons!"
Nishi chuckled. "Good. Tomako, would you like to begin the exercises?"
Tomako, a young kitsune hanyo of the village of Ranshiri in the south eastern lands, nodded enthusiastically.
Nishi stood by her cabin and watched the young kit leading the stretching exercises they did each morning. She loved to give the children turns, feeling their excitement as they eagerly readied for her training lessons. Since coming to Ranshiri Village, Nishi had started herself a new life as she did every few years, and had been training the people of the village to fight. After losing everything important to her, she wanted to make sure that no one else would have to go through the same fate she did.
"Lady Nishi, we're ready to begin now!" Tomako said, beaming up at their teacher.
Nishi smiled and passed out their practice weapons. "Very well, then, let's see what you've all learned. Pair up and begin."
An hour or so went by and the children finished their lessons for the day.
"Good work today, children. Go home and wash up for dinner."
The children ran off for their homes and Nishi began cleaning up. She loved this village, its people, and found that perhaps she could stay a bit longer than she normally did, but then memories resurfaced from her past and she knew she couldn't allow herself to become attached. Putting everything away, she went into her cabin and sat by the fire pit inside. Taking her tools, she finished the final engravings into the small stone she held then set the tools aside. Unlocking her youki, she poured a small portion into the stone before she closed the door on her power. Looking down at the glowing stone, she smiled when she watched her youki settle into the engravings, turning them into icy blue and teal swirls upon the black stone.
"There, all finished."
"That was quite the trick."
Grasping the stone in one hand and grabbing her spear with the other, Nishi looked at the small imp that had intruded upon her cabin. A low growl escaped from her throat as she asked, "Who are you, imp, and what do you want? Why have you intruded upon my cabin?"
The imp was startled, holding his two headed staff in front of him protectively. "P-Please, forgive me. I-I am Jaken and I came to make an inquiry to you."
Nishi relaxed, but remained on guard. "Speak quickly, Jaken the Imp, lest I snap off your head in my jaws."
Jaken knew she was a powerful demoness, what kind he wasn't sure, and knew the stories that followed her. "L-Lady Nishi, i-if I may, I c-come seeking y-your assistance in an i-important matter."
"Oh?" Nishi asked, looking at the imp with cautious curiosity. "What matter?"
"M-My master seeks to offer you a challenge, a duel." Jaken explained, not revealing too much. "H-He heard word of your exploits and s-sent me to assess your abilities."
"Why? Does my reputation proceed me so to warrant a challenge?"
"Y-Yes, Lady Nishi."
Nishi stood and looked down at the imp, considering his proposal. "Very well. But, I have a business to finish here in this village before I move on." She set her spear aside and regarded the small imp. "Is that agreeable?"
"O-Of course, Lady Nishi! When shall I inform milord of your visit?"
"There is a small field just to the north of this village. Meet me there at midday tomorrow."
"V-Very well, milady. I will inform m-milord at once!"
Nishi watched the imp hurry out of her cabin, then stepped outside to watch as he disappeared into the trees. A subtle but familiar scent caught her attention, one she hadn't smelled for a century. Looking around, she saw no signs of who it belonged to and went inside, grabbing her cloak and spear just in case this imp's master would be fool enough to attack. Heading into the village, she went straight to the main house where she was greeted warmly by the people of Ranshiri.
As the night progressed and their meal was nearly finished, Nishi stood. "Could I have everyone's attention?"
The main house grew silent and everyone looked at her.
"These past few years have been some of the best in my life. I am grateful for everything that you have all done for me and I am grateful that you all took me in as you did. You have healed a part of me that was broken so long ago and I cannot begin to tell you what that means to me. That being said, it is time for me to move on."
Murmurs spread throughout the main house and the children began to ask questions of their teacher all at once.
"I am not leaving because I do not love you all." Nishi said. "As you know, I faced a great tragedy more than a century ago and lost my entire tribe. Since that day, I have not let anyone too close, wandered the lands, and have only stayed in a village for a few years at a time before moving on. I offered to train you to prepare you for the worst that could happen, so that you can at least protect yourselves if something terrible were to happen to you and this village." She reached into her pocket and took out the stone. "This stone is a summoning stone. It is something that I craft for those who have accepted me, for those who have helped me and allowed me to return the favor in any way that I can." She strode over to the Ranshiri Village Elder. "Keep this stone in my absence. It is infused with my youki and I will hear you when you call me." She looked around the room at all of her friends, those who had accepted her without question into their integrated village. She smiled at each of the human, demon, and hanyo faces that stared back at her. "Should you ever have need of me, whatever the reason, think of me or call my name and I will come."
"Lady Nishi, we'll miss you." Tomako said, sniffling.
Nishi knelt before the child and smiled. "I know, kit. You and the others will be fine though. Keep practicing your fox magik, alright?"
Tomako nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
Nishi hugged the child, then beckoned the other children as the inched towards her. Embracing each one of them, she smiled and knew she had done what she had come to do. "I will miss all of you."
"When do you leave?" the Elder asked.
"I leave at first light." Nishi said, looking at the Elder.
"Then let us celebrate while we can before you leave."
Nishi smiled as the room erupted into cheers. It would be a good night.
Having slipped away sometime in the night, Nishi went back to her cabin and prepared her things. Making sure that everything was packed, she lay down to rest for the night. When the sun had risen just above the horizon, she ate a quick breakfast, dressed in her armor and cloak, shouldered her pack and strapped her spear to her back. Stepping out of the door and outside, she was surprised to find the entire village waiting for her.
"You're all here?"
"We wanted to send you off with a warm goodbye." the Elder said, smiling.
Tomako and the other children came up to Nishi and presented her with a pack. "This is for you, Lady Nishi."
Nishi took the pack and smiled when she saw it was filled with bread, fruits, vegetables, dried meats, and a bottle of their spiced cider. "Thank you, kit. Thank you, everyone."
"You best hurry, Lady Nishi." the Elder said. "We will walk with you to the northern road."
Nishi nodded and took Tomako's hand as she gripped the strap of the food pack in her other. Leading the way and singing a few of the local songs as they walked, Nishi stopped with the villagers at the start of the northern road out of Ranshiri Village.
"I will come visit some time, I promise." Nishi said, looking at them. "If you need me before then, use the summoning stone."
The villagers nodded and the children hugged Nishi before she stepped away and waved goodbye, turning and heading down the northern road. Stopping at the top of the hill, she waved one last time before turning away for the final time and breaking into a brisk jog down the road. She still had quite a while before midday, but she had some distance to cover until then.
Nishi lay back in the grass of the northern field, midday swiftly approaching, and stared up at the blue sky. She missed the rain, but since she had locked away her youki save for one moment every few years when she made a summoning stone. She never made a summoning stone unless it was for a village that had wholeheartedly accepted her like Ranshiri Village had. In total, she had only made four over the course of a century. She smiled as she thought of each village she had made one for, the fond memories overshadowing the dark ones of her past.
Midday had arrived and Nishi sat up when she caught the scent of the imp.
"You see, milord? She is here as she instructed!" the imp said.
Curious to see who his master was and whose challenge she had accepted, Nishi stood and turned, but who she saw was not who she expected and she felt her eyes widen, her ears flatten, her heart race, her body burn all at once as memories of the imp's lord came rushing at her.
"Sesshomaru."