In the floating gardens of his childhood home were the beautiful maple and ginkgo biloba trees colored to perfection in crimson, bright orange, and golden yellow for the fall season. Walking along the cobblestone path, the many different tree leaves danced in the fluttering winds and playfully twirled around him. His ears perked up at the sound of two women giggling in the distance. Drawn to the sound, he kept walking until cobblestone turned to dirt and dirt turned to tall, soft grass. Crunching under his boots added to the sounds of play, he kept going until he found the source of the laughter. The sun wasn't quite as bold when he looked into it briefly. The blue and green spots of oversaturation from the light didn't hurt him. Instead, the sun was painted into the sky like a watercolor portrait. Even the blues and lilacs in the sky were delicately brushed onto the canvas above him. The laughter had gotten a bit louder but sounded sweeter. It was a pleasant sound. As he walked on, he finally caught the sight of two women catching butterflies of varying colors. They didn't match the autumn hues, but they seemed to be more in tune with the summer hues.

One woman he recognized. It was Homugi dressed in a fuchsia kimono and twirling around in bare feet. The other woman he didn't seem to recognize at all, but she felt so very familiar to him. She was dressed in a flowing red kimono with a shield on her back and a gold bangle on her wrist. Her bangs were covering her face and her hair pinned into an architectural bun. She sensed him coming and turned to him. Catching a butterfly with a torn wing, she kissed its wound and lightly blew the creature towards him. The action captured him like she placed a witch's spell on him, and he walked closer to them. When he stood before them, they didn't seem to be paying attention to his presence until a butterfly tried to land on his nose. He shook his head to get the fluttering creature away from him and caught the woman in the red kimono's attention immediately. She stopped in her play and turned to him. Her lips were colored in red, unsmiling and supple. Her shield dropped to the ground with a thump before it rolled around her to block her from him. Homugi kept playing.

"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn," the faceless woman said.

More laughter sounded but he was familiar with its sound. His little Rin dressed in a baby pink kimono and Jaken dressed in a red and white yukata were running behind Homugi. They engaged in their simple play of picking flowers to feed the butterflies. Instinctively, he moved to go toward them, but the woman's shield rolled in front of him.

"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn," she repeated.

Rin turned around to wave to him and shouted, "C'mon, Lord Sesshomaru! Heal your wing!"

"You can do great things, me lord!" Jaken chimed in. "I know you can do this, no problem!"

Narrowing his eyes and reaching for a sword, he tried to strike at the woman to get her out of the way, but her shield had grown larger and rolled rapidly in front of her to protect her. Rin and Jaken had worried looks on their faces. He felt his chest move uncomfortably.

"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn," the woman said again.

He tried to speak but his voice was gone. Frustrated, he tried to demand an explanation but no words rose. The more he tried to talk, the more faces he saw that were familiar to him. Figures dressed in some variation of red or some other color representing the coming fall season, the butterflies ready to migrate. He tried to strike at the sage woman again, but her shield had only continued to grow and continued to protect her until he couldn't see the faces or figures anymore.

"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn," she repeated from behind the shield now as tall as a wall and as dark and menacing as a grand enemy.

Finally, a soft whisper that couldn't have possibly been heard by anyone or anything came from him. He said ever so quietly, "Help... me..."

It sounded so pathetic, so uncharacteristic, and so small in his own ears. He hated it. His chest started hurting. He tried to bite back the pain, but it hurt more until he couldn't breathe, yet a large swallowtail glowing green, orange, and vanilla white had fluttered behind him. He turned to it, hypnotized by its unusual beauty, and let it kiss his cheek. He felt lips touch the skin. He wanted to run from the butterfly, to escape its touch, but its intricate wing pattern and wood-brown body captivated him enough to calm him down. The butterfly then did something that shocked and comforted him. It shushed him. His eyes lowered a bit and he was quieted. The green swallowtail planted kisses on his face, the feel of lips more prominent and more real than before. It then kissed his neck. He tried to stifle a noise and managed to only grunt lightly. The legs of the swallowtail touched his arms, and he could feel hands caressing him. He went to tell the butterfly to stop, but it kissed his lips to shush him and instead of feeling an uncurled appendage reaching into his mouth he felt soft lips. His eyes closed. He felt hands gliding over his armor, felt them touch his pants, felt them graze his hips, felt them circle the muscles in his legs. The butterfly was getting too intimate, but he couldn't move. He didn't... want to move. The butterfly's kiss deepened. He felt its hand reach into his pants and caress him intimately until a soft moan finally escaped him. He felt like a lowlife, letting a swallowtail disrespect his person, letting a swallowtail have this much control over him.

"Do you not wish to migrate with those you love? With those you once loved?" the swallowtail asked through kisses.

"You shouldn't - ah - have to - huh - do this," he replied in a small voice. He hated it. Sounding so small in front of an even smaller creature. He should crush the thing for daring to violate him in such a way! For having this control over him.

"I'm not controlling you, Sesshomaru," the swallowtail whispered in his ear, hearing him gulp. He turned his head to the side, tilted it back, and he licked his lips. It kissed his neck some more then said, "You're hiding behind this shield as though your armor isn't enough."

"I've no reason to - hah - hide," he replied, sounding just as small but feeling himself about to give in to the butterfly's touches.

"Then why couldn't you speak before?" the swallowtail asked, pulling his pants down only slightly and taking him in its mouth.

He clawed at the shield behind him until sparks and dents damaged the shield. He didn't hear any more laughter. He didn't hear the faceless sage in red repeating those words. He could only hear the echoes of his voice as though he were in the distance. His voice was no more but a faded memory like the watercolor sun. Not bold per its usual, not painful to look at, not bright against the sky. The shield was so overwhelming and tall that it became the sky. It was solid, intricate in its design, blank where his back was pressed against it. The butterfly wasn't pushing him back. He was pressing against it, clawing at it, making sparks and scars on the face of the shield. The green swallowtail kept touching him, kept kissing him, and kept controlling him.

"I'm not controlling you, Sesshomaru," it repeated against his throat before placing a kiss against the bob. When it dipped, he felt it dragging its lips against it like it was preparing to suckle the nectar it held. "Why do you believe that you are unworthy so strongly? That you are nothing despite your armor and your sword and your accomplishments? That you don't deserve to be healed? That you are not as beautiful as the people you have saved? As the people you wish you could have saved?"

"Not your - "

He let out an audible moan when the swallowtail stopped touching him. It replaced his pants. It fluttered away from him and turned to hover in place. Captivated by its beauty, its voice, and its touch, Sesshomaru could only stare at it in silence. He didn't ask why it stopped. He didn't say anything at all. He only looked on in a daze when the green swallowtail repeated those haunting words from the red sage.

"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn."

Behind him, the scratches and dents and scars he carved with his own claws created torn wings. Instead of being angry, frustrated, or sad, Sesshomaru asked in a still and quiet voice, "What does it look like?"

The green swallowtail landed on a singular stone surrounded by glittering water and asked, "You've found your voice, it seems. What do you mean by 'it'?"

"Worthiness. What does it look like to her?" Sesshomaru asked, locking eyes with the resting butterfly.

"The red sage?" the green swallowtail asked as though she were offering a suggestion. Sesshomaru lowered his head in response, letting his bangs cover his face. He and the butterfly remained silent until it uncurled its mouth and drank nectar from the waters below. The butterfly then said, "The way you see me, I suppose. I don't need to be with other butterflies in order to migrate to the next part of life. I find great joy in healing other butterflies so they can fly and play freely. Me showing you the severity of your tears doesn't mean I'm controlling you. It doesn't mean I'm violating or disgracing you either. Look at the red sage again when you wake. Then, look at me. Choose your mentor wisely when you are ready."


Totosai's in Danger

Sesshomaru shifted at first before feeling his body stir. He had finally fallen asleep. Feeling his swords rattle, the western lord turned to their scabbards and felt something amiss. Jaken was still sleeping by the fire on Rose Water Beach. Rushing from the entryway of the Nautilus Tower, he dashed at sonic speed until he was able to take flight. Totosai's scent had the smell of blood lingering in it. Though he didn't particularly like the old man, his father respected him and was a great friend to him. No one could touch him other than him and Inuyasha. That was the silent agreement shared between the two.

It took him some time to get to the volcano, but Sesshomaru was able to see Totosai surrounded by three ogres. One of them he recognized as the one called Kiyonobu, the fog ogre that spoke to Meioshi at the lagoon, but the other two were foreign to him. Tied up and struggling, Totosai was trying to wiggle out of his binds until Sesshomaru landed near him. He struck at one of the ogres with Bakusaiga, effectively killing it, but Kiyonobu and his comrade burst into a thick fog before taking flight.

Dammit, old man... Sesshomaru thought, eyes narrowed. What do they want with you?


Besieging the House of Inu

"Have you found anything of value?" Rakuyama asked, awaiting a response from her most loyal servant.

Norihisa and Rakuyama were seated in a carriage designed to look more like a sled. Arctic wolves of bone and jagged fur were pulling the carriage skywards on a trail of snow and ice. They were entering inu territory soon. Norihisa tapped the wall behind him with his fingers, making a flap of cloth open, and blushed at the scent of his new servant steering the carriage. She still smelled of flowers and mineral bath soak but now had a touch of shadow mixed in it. Rakuyama hummed at his response. Her servant seemed quite pleased with his new toy.

"To the Floating Castle," he commanded, feeling delicate fingers graze his before closing the flap. Norihisa then continued, "There is a necklace worn by the lady of the inu house holding something that is called the Meido Stone. It can revive the dead only once among other grand powers. It seems to be of use to you most."

"Interesting," Rakuyama responded with narrowed eyes and a wicked smile on her face. She lifted her hand and materialized a gold mask in her detachable claws before holding it between her fingers. She touched the bottom of the lip in a gentle caress with one other finger to say, "I'll have you open a pathway with the rebellious one. I want the boy with silver hair spared."

Eyes glowing white like the moon, Norihisa turned into shadowy mist and left the carriage behind to infiltrate the House of Inu. Soldiers could sense the Netherworld's burn either by smell or instinct and prepared to defend Milady. A sudden burst of snow covered the palace grounds and made the air thinner and colder. At least a group of six shadowy figures in masks or somewhat physical form attacked relentlessly in the same manner as before in the Mujina Woodlands. Swords, claws, and yoki energy blasts were clashing just outside the palace doors. Some soldiers were drained of their insides in combat, others were able to best the shadowy demons. Numbers were slowly dwindling, however. Milady's ears perked up at the sudden intrusion before she narrowed her eyes. Norihisa walked onto the premises with sharpened icicles in his hands that reached his ankles. In a burst of speed, he killed several inu soldiers and let his small army devour at will. A possessed Takamuku soon followed him in letting out a blast equivalent to cannon fire from his mouth that decimated more numbers and destroyed more ground. They continued like this until the two made it to the castle.

Inside, Milady was simply waiting at her throne, unmoved by the destruction. Norihisa and Takamuku entered the throne room quite elegantly and politely despite the chaos going on outside. She sighed and said, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see either of you here. I would offer a refreshment, but it looks like you made yourself at home. What do you want?"

"We're only here to occupy you, Milady," Norihisa replied, snapping his fingers to summon the shadows in the throne room. They made quick work of the guards. He then said, "Perhaps, you would like to be escorted outside for a little while. That throne has to be relentless on your back."

She rose from the throne, entertaining the possessed inu for a moment, and walked down the stairs until she was approximately 30 paces in front of both men and the few shadows. Dropping her fur overskirt to the floor, she dashed at Norihisa and punched him twice before throwing him at a wall. The fur skirt left behind melted into the floor to open a portal that engulfed Takamuku whole and bent in different directions to unleash vicious bites before spitting him out. Dismissing the fur attachment behind her, Milady's eyes glowed before a singular tanto materialized into her hand. In another burst of speed, she slashed at the other shadows, who only managed to barely keep up with her swift attacks, and transformed into her true dog form to unleash two swipe attacks. Takamuku transformed into his dog form himself with icy armor on his shoulders, head, and tail. He shot a blast from his mouth that hit Milady, but she recovered quickly and bit at the young soldier's neck to down him.

Right after he performed a tail whip, Sesshomaru tackled Takamuku into the nearest and bit at his mouth to tear into the flesh. His teeth stung from the arctic temperature inside of the soldier, but he continued to latch onto him until Takamuku let out an oral blast that dropped a chunk of the ceiling onto Sesshomaru's head and made him release the soldier long enough for a retaliation that knocked the western lord back.

"Milady! Sesshomaru! Stop!" Homugi shouted, running into the throne room.

Norihisa growled at the blue merle beauty before shouting, "Take her weapon from her!"

Shadows came at Homugi to surround her, but she defended herself quite well and struck some of the shadows with her mace. Each one disintegrated to ashes as she cut and clubbed away. Fascinated by this, Milady reverted to her more humanoid form and watched Homugi go to war on her own. To think, this was the same girl who liked making flower crowns and putting them on her son's head. Her strength was impressive! Furious at Homugi's intervention, Norihisa charged at her while Takamuku hopped over to his side. Homugi remained in her humanoid form as she acrobatically flipped over to defend Sesshomaru, which confused and silenced him, and gritted her teeth when she heard a slow applause sound in the room. Norihisa grew quiet as Rakuyama entered the room. She removed her Crown of Victory from her head and crossed her arms over it to press it against her chest. The crown transformed into armor and her spire of ice became her sword.

"It appears I'm late to the festivities," Rakuyama purred, exchanging a glance with each person in the room. She then turned directly to Takamuku and said, "Your fighting spirit is quite beautiful, Takamuku."

"Takamuku, no..." Homugi whispered with sadness in her tone, clutching her mace. Sesshomaru was silent at this, reverting to his humanoid form, and merely looked at the soldier's form. Homugi then asked, "What happened to you, senpai?"

"Just a wild party, I assure you," Rakuyama answered with a light laugh, holding up a hand to signal Norihisa to stand down. "As a favor for bringing him home safely..."

She snapped her fingers, making Takamuku roar in agony, and dashed at Milady with unearthly speed before cutting her necklace off and snatching it from the air with her hands. Unable to react as swiftly, Milady's eyes widened as she saw the parting gift from Toga in another woman's hands and growled before enhancing her tanto with hyper-yoki energy to make the blade longer to form a basket-hilted, nine-ring broadsword. The rings were made of wisteria blossoms circling through the holes along the blade. Leading the attack to defend her beloved Meido Stone, Milady rushed at Rakuyama to volley the item in repeated motions. Sesshomaru and Homugi soon followed suit in stopping the Arctic demon from stealing Milady's medallion.

Fending off Homugi, Sesshomaru, and Milady, Rakuyama redirected each attack simultaneously in a single motion and released a burst of blizzard power that sent them back. Homugi, however, retaliated differently. She removed a bottle of ink from a pocket in her bosom and rushed at Rakuyama to swing her mace at her. The Queen Kyonshi dodged effortlessly until Homugi broke the bottle and swung her mace directly at Rakuyama to hit her arm and burn it with peach tree ink. Letting out a screech, Rakuyama flipped backward to avoid Homugi until Norihisa came to assist. Sesshomaru stopped him before leaping away to avoid Takamuku's attack. The same Takamuku that he used to eat lunch with, the same boy he used to pet fairy pittas with, and the same boy that betrayed him years ago was biting and clawing at him like a rabid beast. It had to be a result of Rakuyama's mental invasion. That meant she might have been far worse than the black wall demon he fought before. But then... if Homugi was here, where was his rival?

Milady fought alongside Homugi to retrieve her necklace from Rakuyama, but the Queen Kyonshi was proving difficult to fight as time went on, especially now that Homugi knew her weakness. How did the little bitch know about the ink? Hearing a song in the distance, Rakuyama stopped moving altogether and turned her attention to the outside. Milady and Homugi chose to attack together, but the Queen Kyonshi formed a wall of ice and snow telepathically before imploding it and sending them backward.

"Nurikabe," she said with a serious face. She whistled, gaining Takamuku's attention, and commanded, "We leave."

"Not with my stone!" Milady barked with a visible snarl.

Summoning a vortex of snow, Rakuyama looked at the Meido Stone in her hand, placed it on her lips, and whispered, "Lead me to the True North to find my Dreamy Wonder."

Eyes burning red, Milady woke a fury so deeply buried within her that she became unrecognizable. How dare this cretin touch her stone! Before anyone went in for another attack, Rakuyama turned to Sesshomaru, placed her fingers on her lips, and blew a kiss to him before saying, "I'll be back for you, my prince."

With that, she disappeared in a snowstorm to follow the sound of the ancient lullaby her comrade used to sing...