03. Unexpected Alliance I
Momoka and Mei had been travelling through a night and a good day. Mei who has been by Momoka's side for almost a hundred years have never seen Momoka this quiet before. Mei would never consider her lady to be a passive woman, if even, the nine tailed fox Momoka is very vocal with her opinions and spares no sarcasm. So for whatever reason Mei cannot help but notice her lady is definitely a little off. Mei glances at her lady; now dressed in a white Hanfu with red detailing. Her hair pulled into a simple hair arrangement decorated with a white jade Bu-Yao shaped into a cluster of peach blossoms and among others were hairpins of silver detailed with moonstones. Demons are naturally born either the most unsightly or with unimaginable beauty but Mei still cannot figure out how there can be so much perfection on the supple porcelain skinned, delicate featured nine tailed fox demon. Although now Momoka is no longer in her human disguise, her humanoid demon form did not demean the name of "beauty" bestowed on her. The only difference is she now had elfin ears and a red blossom marking in the middle of her forehead.
"Mei…Have you gawked enough at my beauty yet?" Momoka turned her head just to catch Mei's scrutinizing gaze. One corner of her lips tugged in correspondent to a raise of a brow.
"My apologies, zhu-zi." Mei dipped her head.
"Just say what is on your mind, Mei…You know I'm never one for nonsense."
"It really isn't anything, zhu-zi. I just thought you were more quiet than usual—something seems to be on your mind."
Momoka blinks and let a soft 'hmph'.
"That half-breed, Inuyasha…his eyes, they reminded me of someone else's—yet, somehow they were nothing alike."
Mei stares at her lady, the silver of her lady's eyes misted with contemplations, "Is zhu-zi referring to the boy who insists on calling you by the Japanese name Momoka instead of your continental name Tao Hua?"
Momoka watches the quick-witted demon girl's curious form strolling beside her. Why does this little twin-bun headed girl have to be so clever? Did it hurt her to be wrong sometimes? Momoka grimaced at the fact Mei is indeed a psychic demon and through her Yin Yang mirror she can see the future and the past. That Fennec fox demon girl knew practically everything about her even before their meeting—Mei came to her claiming their paths were intertwined and she, herself, is destined to follow Momoka for eternity.
Momoka and Mei halted in their steps, sensing a familiar six close to crossing their paths. The nine tails glances back; amused they were crossing paths again so soon. Whatever reason, the six travellers were moving fast—from a distance the nine tails and vessel can see the shapes of the transformed two-tailed cat demon with two humans and a demon fox on her back and the half-demon with the human girl on his back.
"Look ahead Inuyasha! I think it's that nine tailed fox demon and her little fox demon that follows her!" The human girl shrieks. Momoka silently watches the odd priestess pointing at her till when the six lands right in front the two of them. A gust of wind tousles their clothing and hair, yet they lock their gazes on the six without a blink.
"How rude of that human girl, zhu-zi. She just called you that nine tailed fox demon. Mei will not forgive such ignorance!"
"Mei…leave it. I can careless what an irrelevant human girl thinks." Momoka catches Inuyasha's golden eyes as she makes her intentions clear to her vessel. The half dog demon's pools of gold quivers with continuous suspicion, "who are you calling irrelevant human girl?"
Momoka sneers, "your lover, half-breed."
The moment the word 'lover' left between the lips of the nine tails the human girl and the half demon flushed a sunset red more crimson than the sundown befalling them at the moment. Momoka thought 'irrelevant' would be a more triggering word but apparently 'lover' is.
"W-what lover?" Kagome stutters as she looks away. Yet she doesn't deny.
"Why are you following my lady and I?" Mei suddenly snaps, her round fox eyes glaring at each and every one of them.
"We simply so happen to be travelling in the same direction. Kagome, here, sensed a quantity of shikon jewel shards…" The monk replies with an almost insincere respectable tone, "…my name is Miroku, Momoka-sama…" Momoka watches him, her expression full of indifference.
"…Whether dressed in a kimono or clothing of the continent, I must say my lady is still of such exotic beauty. The scent so mesmerizing of peach blossoms it makes this monk of pure intentions close to the gates of sin…" Momoka can sense the female demon slayer who seems to have feelings for the monk fume in fiery fits of jealous anger. Momoka smirks as she grasps the monks face between her claws causing everyone to gasp.
"Hey! What are you planning to do with Miroku?!" Inuyasha hollers ready to draw his blade.
The nine tails paid no heed as she draws the monk's face closer to hers—his expression stiffening.
"Legend has it that the nine tailed foxes enjoy the tastes of bewitched lecherous mens' hearts…I wonder…" she draws her free hand's index finger along the monk's neck, her claw ever so lightly grazing his fragile skin, "…how the likes of a sinning monk's heart tastes?"
Miroku falls back on his behind in a gasp, with his sudden fall earning a cut from Momoka's claws. She smirks, quite enjoying herself.
"You humans are so stupid. You make such ridiculous rumors and legends and in the end get a scare out of them yourselves. My lady doesn't eat human hearts…she's especially not interested in the heart of a lewd monk's." Mei scowls at Miroku's terrified form sliding back to his companions, who quickly caught on to the situation and shot the monk apathetic looks. He totally deserves that. He needs a scare once in awhile.
Momoka had not thought to rest but Mei had a point, they do need to rejuvenate themselves before infiltrating the next castle. The human disguise is not hard to produce for experienced immortal beings but it still requires energy and concentration, especially when it is used for a long period of time. Hence now a certain six: humans, little demons and a half demon resting across from them. There was only this one small run down shrine in the clearing…they concluded they were cordial enough to share.
"So what's with this stupid jade ball you're looking for?" Inuyasha's rough voice cuts through the awkward silence and the crackling of the small fire Shippo and Kagome had set up. It was only one day ago they had gone around accusing the nine tails of sucking souls of human lords.
Mei gasps. Stupid jade ball?!
Momoka glances up at the half-breed, "this stupid jade ball doesn't concern you."
Kagome meekly smiles, "say Momoka-san, please forgive Inuyasha for the way he speaks. He may be rough around the edges but he is a good guy. We are sorry for accusing you earlier. Please forgive us?"
Momoka stares at the human girl but words do not leave her lips. She isn't exactly used to dealing with these kinds of conversations.
"We all met each other on the way…" Kagome starts, breaking away from the thick awkwardness lingering in the air; "…I had broken the shikon jewel into hundreds of pieces so now we have to look for them. We're also on the hunt for Naraku."
Momoka wasn't really sure why this Kagome is sharing such information with her, but she concludes she is trying to call truce by revealing something about them.
"I don't understand why this shikon jewel is being sought after so much…" Mei said what was on Momoka's mind.
"The jewel of four souls is a jewel that contains immense powers, with it as a whole it can grant anyone's desires whether a demon or a human. Now that it's in pieces humans and demons alike are using these pieces to enhance their powers. However, with what we witnessed…whoever has the shikon jewel in possession never had a happy ending." Miroku explains to Momoka and Mei.
"From what you just said it does seem like this jewel holds great powers…"
Momoka sneers, "…Yet those who seek it lacks something or another, so in other words it caters to those of the weak."
"What do you mean 'caters to those of the weak'? What makes you think you're in anyway superior?!" Inuyasha suddenly yells, clearly offended by Momoka's conclusion after her vessel's acknowledgement.
Mei clears her throat, "actually starting from lineage Momoka-sama is in all ways superior—The nine tailed jade foxes have over thousands of years of history. Her great ancestor Daji trained a thousand years to obtain the form of a humanoid and won great honors from the goddess Nuwa after she successfully brought down the Shang Dynasty and their lecherous ruler who had shamelessly slandered the goddess Nuwa with his lewd poetry. The goddess Nuwa then granted Daji the status of a deity not only for her but also for all of her future generations. The 'Jade Moon' is then bestowed upon the nine tailed jade foxes in recognition."
Momoka stares into the flickering fire, her tone of voice no longer in her usual air of supremacy and cynicism, "the Jade Moon is the first heirloom to be bestowed but among the one granted to the nine tailed foxes clan there were three others that followed. Of the four celestial animals there is the nine tailed foxes; jiu mei hu, the five claw dragons; wu jiao long, the phoenix; feng huang and the Kirin; qi lin. Soon after the Jade Moon was bestowed upon the nine tailed foxes the Nuwa goddess granted the three other heirlooms to the other celestial animals to create fairness and harmony. The Golden Claw was given to the dragons, the Pearls of a Beauty was given to the phoenixes and the Six Tier Silver Pagoda to the kirins. However harmony did not last long upon the four celestial animals and with the divergence of beliefs due to the nature of the nine tailed foxes and the rest of the animals, the Nuwa goddess condemns the foxes and made orders to withdraw our heirloom…"
"Then why are you looking for the Jade Moon among the humans away from the continent? Shouldn't the goddess have possession of it?" The demon slayer asks, they were all listening intently to her—completely entranced.
"…Only the messenger who had the task of bringing it back to the goddess had lost it among the mortals—and through the years the reigning mortals of the continent bestowed it as an exotic gift further East to the lords of these lands, as so it is foretold by Mei's powers…therefore we are here."
"So if you find the Jade Moon, does that mean you get to become a deity again?" the little fox demon sitting in Kagome's lap asks, his round emerald eyes shining with curiosity.
'Hmph', Momoka grunts dryly under her breath, "if only things were that easy."
Mei sighs, "Only the Nuwa goddess holds the decision of the statuses. The Jade Moon would not give my lady her deity rights back but it does hold the nine tailed foxes' rejuvenation of their celestial powers and well, their dignity…" Her expression gradually changed for the worse as she grits her teeth, "You all should see those dragons and phoenixes and their disgustingly smug faces. If it were up to me I'd smack those degrading looks off them. How completely insolent towards my lady."
If Mei were to feel the humiliation, Momoka could feel it a hundred times over. Her silver eyes clouded just the slightest as she looks away tilting her head higher with a sigh, "enough, Mei."
The morning of, the dews were still clinging to the leaves and the sun was just breaking dawn. There was a different sort of air from the six travellers as Momoka had suspected would happen—they were almost accepting of her…it was cringe-worthy and it made her sick just by the thought of it.
Who do they think they are?
"We are leaving, Mei." Momoka announces after being stirred up by her own raging thoughts. She rather offensively nudged past Kagome and Inuyasha who were walking leisurely in front of her.
"Hey! What was that for?" Kagome yelps, she furrowed her brows in confusion. She had thought they had an understanding the night before.
"I need not a bunch of humans, half-breeds and everything else that got picked up on the side of the road to pity me. I, I am a descendant of the great Daji, a great nine tailed fox…I need not—"
"Yeah yadda yadda, blah blah blah…" Inuyasha jumps in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest, his deep golden eyes determined as he spoke, "…None of us are pitying you. WE DON'T CARE, not even your over-privileged sob story. So what if you are a demon or a deity or whatever? The point is you have a mission, we have a mission and we are both heading to the same place to achieve it so stop barking about your wounded pride and just get moving with us. Jeez, you're really starting to sound like an obnoxious bastard I know."
Momoka blinked.
Mei had her mouth almost hanging to the floor. Did he just say all that to her lady?
The nine tails shifted the weight on one foot to the other as she looks away. Everything he just said was rude and beyond disrespectful…but he has a point.
...
So what if you are a demon or a deity or whatever?
...You have a mission…
…Stop barking about your wounded pride…
...
Momoka clears her throat; the bu yao ornaments on her head are rigorous in sways as she tilts her head up haughtily.
"Well then, I guess I can't help it. You are, all in fact in dire need of travelling with a beauty." She walks past Inuyasha to lead the way.
Kagome, Sango and Inuyasha twitch at the nine tail's behavior.
"Did she just deliberately call us ugly?"
"What a difficult woman." Inuyasha grumbles, besides the nine tail's erratic behavior he was also actively annoyed at the fact she keeps purposely walking in front of him, when he is the one who always leads the way!
Shippo shakes his head and sighs, "I don't understand adults." Kirara who is crouching beside him tilts her head and purrs.
[End of Chapter 03]
Hanfu – The Han clothing, dressing of the Han Chinese people.
Bu-Yao – Literally being 'swaying', it is a hairpin that denotes noble status. Often encrusted with jewels with a featured carved design.
Zhu-zi – master/ my lady, a unisex term.
Tao Hua – Literally meaning 'peach blossom'. Momoka is the direct translaton of Tao Hua.
Daji – The thousand-year-old nine tailed vixen that became the favorite consort of the King Zhou of Shang dynasty (the last king). She is often portrayed malevolent and cruel.
Goddess Nuwa – The goddess who created mankind and repaired the pillar of heaven.
Shang Dynasty – Dates back to 1600 BC, during the bronze age of China and way before the imperial dynasties starting from Qin dynasty.
[Author's Note]
With all that vocabulary I thought it would be helpful to keep a list of it at the bottom for reference. Besides that I don't have much else to say besides a big thanks to the few who have taken an interest to my story with the faves and the follows. Thank you! I welcome more comments! I would really love to read your thoughts on your opinion on the story so far. I know its a little early on but please do let me know your anticipations and how the heroine of the story fairs!