A/N: apologies that it is not a Kagome chapter, but I hope you will like it.
Beta: Lord Yaulendil
The Jewel of the Emperor
"Lady Second Consort," a soft voice chimed.
She lifted her head from where she had been reading. She wore a simple but elegant robe, her hair piled up on top of her head in fashionable coils adorned with autumn flowers. Beside her the lady in waiting, now prostrating on the mat, looked like a rare flower, vibrantly colored sleeves flowing around her.
To think, not too long ago this same woman pretended not to notice her so she didn't have to return a pleasant morning greeting.
"Yes, Aiko-san?"
"The Son of Heavens, His Majesty, summons you, Lady Tamamo." the bowing woman informed her. Tamamo put her reading aside and rose gracefully.
"I shall be with him shortly," she said and summoned her handmaidens to help her prepare to go into the private rooms of the emperor.
For two months now she was the consort of the emperor - the only one after his first wife died in childbirth some time before she'd entered the royal palace.
She had been a daughter of a minor noble, adopted by him and his wife after they had found her in a forest as a child. She had grown to be a beautiful young lady, skilled with composition of poems and graceful like a flower. So, it was no surprise that she had been chosen to become a handmaiden and then consort of the Son of Heavens. Her loveliness and wit had earned her praise of the whole court and affection of the fickle man that ruled the land.
Since her ascension to that high position the emperor called upon her almost every evening. Her life was changed so drastically over such a short time but she was finding relief in the affection of her spouse, the happiness of her father and predictability of daily occurrences. Gratitude and affection bloomed in her heart when she thought of her spouse who put her father in a high position in the court, who spoiled her and praised her poetry.
She missed home, a modest manor in a village hidden between two tall mountains, where people worked tirelessly but also enjoyed good harvests and multitude of fish in the river and streams. Vast forests surrounded the village where she had been found, where she had loved to wander. Now, as the most esteemed woman of the land, she was not allowed such freedoms. She was confined to her quarters, leaving only to visit a few close friends or to keep her husband company.
As she went to her spouse and played koto for him Tamamo mused that she was not unhappy in the palace. She missed things from her old life but she had a kind husband, a comfortable place to live and many entertaining things to do.
"Tamamo no Mae," her husband called her when she finished an intricate melody. She raised her eyes, smiling in return to his own pleased smile. "Walk with me. I wish to gift something to you."
"I shall gladly," she said, bowing her head and rising from where he knelt, radiant and elegant. "Your generous gift is way more than this humble lady deserves."
He laughed and stood to his feet, leading the way out of the room and down a corridor. "You have to wait to see the gift first, wife."
"Any token of affection from my honorable lord is worth more than a mountain of gold," she intoned as she walked behind him.
"Other women braid silver bells in their hair to chime sweetly, you merely open your mouth," he cast a fond eye at her and she blushed, looking shyly away. To her surprise, he led her to the part of the palace where her rooms were. He stopped in front of a doorway that should lead outside, into one of the many gardens. "Here."
"Your Majesty?'' She tilted her head in confusion, but when he nodded with a gesture of his hand for her to open the door, she stepped forward and did so.
There were no flowerbeds and ponds like there had been before. Trees, old and young, filled the space between the wings of the palace, appearing like a piece of a wild forest. Her heart squeezed at a dappled shadow that hung under the canopy of leaves, that rustled on the wind. Pathways were accented with small rocks, wildflowers planted here and there among the grass. Birds sang and flew about. A gasp of awe left her at the sight.
"This garden is now yours, Tamamo no Mori," the emperor said.
"I have heard that my lovely wife, my jewel, longs to the forest from which she had come to live with me."
"Oh, Your Majesty, you are too gracious for this simple lady," she bowed, her eyes gleaming and lips curled in a smile she had no heart to control.
The following evening and many times afterwards the imperial couple and their close friends would enjoy the fading light of a day in the shade of the trees, entertaining themselves with poetry. Many would have sworn that the lady Tamamo seemed to beam with soft radiance like a true spirit of the forest. There had been talk that the emperor enlisted the help of a youkai to transform the garden into the forest overnight, but no one dared to ask, nor did they dare to repeat such rumors to the empress.
.
A uear passed, a time of joy and serenity for Tamamo. Until that fateful day when her father was accused of treason. He had earned a high rank in the court, being related to her, but wasn't particularly cunning or inspired to crave more than he had. She was sure someone plotted against him and she told that to her husband. Yet, the evidence was most telling, there was no doubt in the emperor's mind and his advisors seconded his opinion.
She pleaded that, if they had to condemn her father, they could exile him or let him become a monk. Yet her request was denied, for he had been found gulty of plotting treason and murder of the emperor. For that he was killed and she had to bear witness - her father was allowed to kill himself and did that with observance of all traditions. He died honorably but in her mind he was killed, killed by someone who deserved to suffer for eternity.
A week later, a word came from her home that her mother had hung herself, unable to accept the loss of her husband and the fate of a wife of a traitor. Tamamo retreated to her bedroom, refusing to see anyone, grieving over her beloved parents. She refused to eat and begged her husband not to summon her, for she felt ill and weak. At least that request was heeded and the young lady was left alone. No doubt some concubine or another was keeping her husband company, but she couldn't care for that now.
"I wish I had power to avenge my parents," she said, laying in bed, crying and hugging her pet dog. The animal licked her cheeks and nosed her to cheer her up, and with that little kindness, tired and heartbroken, she fell asleep.
In her dream, she walked in the forest near her old home, awash with flowers and full of birdsong. She peered down a cliff at the village, curiosity in her heart.
"Humans are like the moon. They wax and wane, grow and change. So weak they are, yet persistent. They can follow logic, but more often than not give way for their emotions to rule them. I wonder... How does it feel."
She spotted a pair of humans walking towards the forest; she recognized them as the lord and lady of this little dwelling. They seemed nice and honorable. If she wanted to go on with her plan, they were her best option. Mind made, she ran like the wind to find the path they would take. She sat in the middle of it and pressed her hands over her heart sensing her youki swell there.
"May my form and power be sealed until I wish it otherwise. May I be a human child, so I can experience the life of one," she murmured, hearing the voices of the approaching couple. "May I be like the moon, and wax and wane with a lifetime of a human."
Her youki swirled around her and then coiled tightly within a body much smaller than her original one. A soft cry of an infant filled the forest.
"Look, Taro!" called a woman, pretty and with kind eyes. "A child!"
"Ah, this must be a gift from the kami," a man, young and honest, reached to pick a bundle that immediately got silent. His lively eyes met the eyes of the child.
Tamamo woke up with a start in the middle of the night. For a long while she laid in silence, watching the moonlight seep into her room through a crack in her engawa shoji. Panic overtook her for a moment, confusion and uncertainty. Then, as her awakened youki settled, she took a few calming breaths and sat up.
Nine fox tails, pale and almost glowing in the dark, fanned behind her as she reached for a hand mirror and studied her own reflection. Her appearance didn't change, aside from two thin, pale pink lines that adorned her cheeks like whiskers. Nothing a layer of powder couldn't hide. Her tails, she would have to find a way to conceal if she wanted to pretend to be a human and live with her husband. She knew that the court was very much against youkai, so her reawakening should remain a secret. Yet she didn't regret that, nor did she redo the sealing spell.
Now she had ample power to avenge the two kind humans she had grown to love.
"May the one responsible for their deaths be cursed. May they suffer," she hissed and set about preparing a spell to send towards the mysterious foe.
.
Tamamo's worry of being exposed was eclipsed by a new one. Her husband was ill and that was what drew her out of her rooms. She went to his side and cared for him, stayed with him even when others avoided his presence in fear of falling sick themselves.
For a month now she remained at his side, leaving him only for a short amount of time. She washed him, fed him, helped him dress in fresh clothing. She even cast some of the healing spells she knew, but to no avail. Her healing magic was not as powerful as she previously thought.
Or maybe it was the nature of her spell releasing her power over time. With each new moon she was growing stronger, the past self that had lived for centuries, returning to her, intermingling with her once more. Her tails were back, all nine of them, but she lacked the energy to assume her true form. She kept her tails and claws under an illusion, wishing not to disturb the court and her spouse. He was so weak, she didn't want to risk his heart over seeing his lovely wife a kitsune.
So, she spent her time entertaining her love, telling him stories and singing, composing poems just for him. She painted for him pictures of far lands and fables. He seemed better, somewhat more lively, after spending time with her, but then his advisors and ministers came to him, bringing matters of the land and his people. She, a woman, was not welcome among them, so she retreated for the time, refreshing herself and praying for his well-being, praying to her human parents and their ancestors. She repeated her curse on the one who had denied her their unconditional love. When she had assumed the form of a child, she had planned to reward them in some way, but now all was for nothing, they were gone before she had a chance to do so.
She spent the rest of her time with her husband trying to ease his suffering. She remained with him despite the fact that other court members tried to keep their stance from him. She did it not for the praises she got for that loyalty, but to aid him. Many onmyouji came to assist the emperor, creating wondrous pills and potions for him. Nothing worked. The emperor hardly had strength to sit up and sign the documents in the afternoons, when he felt the best out of the day.
Often, as he woke from his light slumber, breath shallow and skin clammy, he looked to her both with gratitude and sorrow.
"My jewel, my Tamamo no Mae," he whispered to her as she leaned in to wipe his forehead. "I am so sorry... I wronged you so."
She always told him to save his strength and think nothing of her watching over him. She didn't need much sleep and it was no fault of his that he was ailing so severely.
Finally, when the emperor was a mere ghost of his former self, his face gaunt, his skin deathly pale, his head of black hair all but bald, the greatest onmyouji proposed a new way to try and assist the Son of Heavens before he departed from the earthly realm. He insisted that the emperor was cursed and set up a ritual in the throne room, for all members of the court to perform.
Tamamo no Mae remained with her love, waiting for the end and the restoration of his health. Days passed and all the inhabitants of the capitol seemed to go through the rite, one after another, reciting a spell to bring relief and long life to the emperor.
On the afternoon of the third day the sorcerer came to her where she sat next to the sleeping emperor. He bowed towards the bed, then looked at her.
"You are the last one, lady. Come with me and recite the spell."
"Oh," she glanced to where her husband slept. "I do not wish to part with my lord."
"It won't take long," he insisted, his eyes narrowing as a scowl twisted his face. "Come with me, or I shall order the guard to escort you, lady."
She gasped at that. Such words from a sorcerer towards the consort of the emperor would have been an insult punishable by exile, but with the emperor in such a bad condition she was uncertain of what would have happened if she dared to disobey him. Many nobles held him in high regard and she was but a woman. The crown prince disliked her and with the prolonged illness of the emperor many were shifting their loyalty to the next in line to rule.
Choosing to preserve her dignity, she gave her affirmation to the man. She wasted only a moment to press a kiss to her husband'fmanages hand, laying limply on the covers, then she left him in the care of the maids.
A sense of foreboding came over her as she stood in the doorway of the throne room. Many court members were gathered on both sides of the room, leaving a wide path from the door to the foot of the throne where a small table was set. A silver mirror was propped on top of it, reflecting the entrance. Incense sticks burned and statues covered the surface of the table. She recognized both Buddhist and Shinto deities resembled in the figurines and wondered briefly if the mirror was one of the three imperial artifacts.
Then the great onmyouji gestuered for her to enter, showing her a sheet of paper partially rolled in front of the mirror. There, she knew, was inscribed the spell she had to read out loud. Her senses were warning her that something was amiss, but she had no choice. She stepped into the room, knowing that everyone was watching her. Usually she paid the humans no mind, she was the most esteemed consort of the emperor but now she felt alone and unsure of herself, for the first time in a very long time.
She wore no jewels, her robes were simple. Her hair hung loose, for she had been more concerned with her husband's well-being than her looks. She walked past a group of sorcerers and ministers and stopped in front of the mirror. It reflected her pale face, her tired eyes, her tensed expression. All this she was doing for her husband, so she could return to him as soon as possible. Maybe the spell would actually help him recover.
With that meek hope she looked down at the letters written in black ink across the paper. Her lips trembled, the sense of something wrong and dangerous was making her want to run to her rooms.
"Read, lady." the onmyouji ordered.
Tamamo no Mae licked her lips and took a deep breath before she started to read the spell out loud. As she did, her own spells unravelled around her, her youki swirling and rising only to fall back inside her. She heard gasps of the courtiers, but couldn't stop reading, couldn't look away from the letters.
When the piece of paper fluttered from her limp fingers and she finally could look up, her gaze met her reflection.
Youkai markings shone on her face despite the layer of powder, vibrant and pronounced. Little fangs could be seen between parted rosy lips. She took a step back, shocked to see her youkai form and caught a movement behind her.
Her tails, her beautiful tails, coiled and twisted behind her, glowing in the dim room.
Screams erupted around her, insults and shrieks of fright mixing together. She jumped back and dodged a slip of paper - a sutra or a talisman, that had been aimed at her.
"Kitsune! a foul fox!" yelled the humans. She looked around and saw a multitude of faces twisted in rage and hatred. She had known many of those people, she had talked with many of them and had considered them friends. Now they looked at her with disgust and abject terror.
"Here!" screamed the great onmyouji, pointing his finger at her. "Here is the cause of our emperor's illness! The fox cursed him!"
"I did not!" She objected, but was ignored.
"She was sucking life energy out of him! Kill her!" someone screamed and she heard over the screams and shuffling of many people a sound she dreaded - weapons being drawn. She looked to the guards and saw them baring their swords. The loyal samurai of her husband, who had sworn to keep her safe, were now seeking her demise.
She hesitated no longer. With agility no human could match she dodged more sacred papers and spells, items thrown by the humans, even arrows that the guards sent after her. She ran out of the throne room, out of the palace. On nimble feet she fled the capitol, an army chasing her, chasing her long, beautiful tails. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
For three days and nights she ran. She begged the soldiers of her husband to stop, to let her explain that she was not the cause of the emperor's illness, that she was innocent. They insulted her and shot arrows at her, trying to encircle her. Time and time again, she tried to reason with the people of her husband, of her late parents.
Then, finally, as the fourth night came, she was too tired to flee anymore. Her feet bled, her kimono was in tatters, she was dirty and bloody from where they had injured her and from where she had injured herself on rugged rocks in her retreat.
She stopped in a deep valley, far from the capitol.
What stopped her was a sudden realization that the onmyouji was right. She had cursed the emperor. And when her curse left him, he most likely perished. For it had prolonged his life and suffering. She had cursed him when she had cursed the one responsible for her parents' death - not knowing his name but trusting that her spell would find the one responsible for it. She remembered how he hadn't allowed any other punishment than death to her father, how he had made her witness the whole thing. How he hadn't believed her when she had pleaded with him, insisting that her father had been framed. She knew not why the emperor saw it fit to murder her beloved father. Had he done something to rouse her spouse's ire?
It was of little significance now.
Tails fanning behind her, the kyuubi turned to face the army that the crown prince - now the new emperor - sent after her.
Her husband was dead, but those would do. They had sworn to protect her and now dared to defy that oath. She would teach them why they should fear a nine tail. She would show them why they should never raise a weapon against a superior being. She would show them what waited for traitors.
Pity that none of them would live long enough to truly appreciate that lesson.
When the night gave way to the light of day, eight thousand men lay around her, dead or dying. She was barely standing herself, her clothing ruined with blood and dirt, her claws soiled. Her power was still mostly sealed, her head spun from the exertion she was not used to.
Yet, the fire of rage still flamed in her heart. She was going to show them all. She was going to bathe in the blood of the imperial family who had wronged her and her close ones so. She was going to see this land crumble, for it was not worthy to survive. Humans may perhaps have been able to show love and affection, but once they saw her true face, none of them did so. They betrayed her, they hunted her, they assaulted her.
As she panted and looked around the carnage, she felt a strange sense of pride wash over her. She had destroyed an army. She avenged her family. She showed those sorcerers and ministers the might of a female who was not only beautiful and intelligent, but also powerful. She had lowered herself to grace their emperor, that traitor, with her love, and he repaid her by killing her close ones, her precious lord and lady, innocent and pure. Now, she was going to make sure that the whole capitol was burned to the ground, that the imperial line was weeded out from the earth.
A lone arrow whistled. It hit with a thud and tore a gasp of pain from her. Blazing green eyes looked from the carnage around her up to the edge of the valley, where a small group of men, clearly reinforcements, stood. One still held a bow up. Then she looked down to where the shaft of an arrow trembled, its head lodged in her chest.
As the dawn of the fourth day rose over the lands, the nine tailed fox who had bewitched and cursed the emperor, fell to the ground, silent like a gust of wind passing over a mountain forest.
The men from the group who just now arrived on the battlefield, brought a boulder to place over the body of the woman in lieu of a burial. They wanted to cover her foul form as quickly as possible. They wrapped a rice rope with seals hanging from it around the stone to prevent the spirit of the fox from ever leaving and tormenting the humans once more. Then, with the help of the dwellers of nearby villages, they removed all the bodies of the fallen men and either buried them nearby or sent them to their families. The priest who had arrived with the soldiers offered a prayer, hoping to help those fallen souls to reach the afterlife safely.
The next new moon all the plant life in the valley withered and died. No animal entered it and when a human dared to step over the edge of the valley, they grew ill or died. Years passed and the land around the valley changed. Emperors and warlords rose and fell, villages grew and winled, but no one dared to disturb the valley where the vengeful spirit of Tamamo no Mae was trapped, plotting destruction and growing even more hateful with each passing decade.
.
"Now," in the smoke of the nine burning candles the shape of a fox with nine tails was barely visible where it lay on top of the boulder in the center of a dead valley. "Bring me the sword that shall cut this rock in half. Send your underlings to keep the master of Tenseiga occupied, so he can not foil my return to life. Bring a young fox for me to incarnate into. Go now, the time is upon us."
"Yes, Empress" the leader of the panther tribe and the son of the fallen moth daiyoukai bowed their heads.
The smoke was blown away when the candle flames were distinguished, but the spirit of the kyuubi remained, tied to her death place. Soon, she was going to resume what she had been planning to do. And, if her servants worked well, she would grant them their wishes and restore their fallen rulers so they could tear the West asunder if they so pleased. Her revenge was with the apparent realm where she had once lived and loved, was betrayed and killed.
A?N: Fun fact - see that stone? I heard this year it broke.
I say 'I called it!'Like around Ch 14