Kenkō could barely see through the tumult of emotions whirring inside him. Just moments ago the warrior was on the cusp of exposing his feelings when the great demon, Sesshōmaru, injected himself into the moment and ripped it all apart–literally and figuratively. One minute his life was on the line and the next that threat was redirected to Ishimaru herself. Now he found himself staring as she dangled in the air by the demon's claws, and she didn't look a bit frightened.
Meanwhile, Sesshōmaru was glaring at the woman in his grasp. She so boldly rejected him at his first request, now rejected him a second time, but had the gall to look him in the eyes and ask to go with him? Was this woman mentally ill?
"Go with me…" he repeated. "What do you mean by this?"
"To get the materials I need," she answered immediately, chiming.
Sesshōmaru's gaze widened in surprise then. That was not the response he was expecting. "Does this mean you have changed your mind?"
Her hands rested calmly on top of his as he continued to suspend her in the air by the collar. "Not yet, but perhaps I will somewhere along the way."
"Hm…" If anyone had known any better, in that moment Ishimaru was sure his eyes softened. Sesshōmaru lowered her to the ground and released her. Her warm hands were starting to feel strange on his skin. "Very well. I will acquire these materials for you, and you will accompany me and ensure they are correct."
He turned to look behind him then to point at Kenkō. "And him, as well."
"WHAT?!" Kenkō jumped to his feet, his fists clenched. "You're not dragging me along on some ridiculous fetch quest, forget it!" He was seething; how dare they?
Ishimaru, however, had clasped her hands together in a moment of glee and contentment. "Oh, wonderful, he can carry some of my things."
"WHAT?!"
Kenkō's wailing faded in the background as the great dog demon looked at Ishimaru once more. Few individuals did not cower in his presence, much less survive after standing up to him. This woman was different somehow. She didn't show any fear, but she wasn't trying to battle him–at least not physically. He couldn't see a world where she could pull the wool over his eyes, but that begged the question of why she was doing this at all. On top of that, there was still the mystery of who she was. Sesshōmaru had yet to place her, all he knew was that she was at least half-human. The rest of her…he couldn't smell it, couldn't identify it visually, and though he had an idea this just wasn't the time for way questions. "Understand that my purpose for bringing him is to ensure your cooperation. Unlike how he is feeling right now, I do not believe that you do not hold some regard for his life."
A long strand of shimmering red hair fell in front of the woman's face as she tilted her head to the side, her eyes smiling. "Of course."
Sesshōmaru stared down at her for a moment more before turning away. "Gather your things and meet me at the village at dawn." With that, his knees bent to take off in flight to meet A-Un where he had been hovering this whole time. Not wanting to make the trip himself, he rested on the dragon demon's back. "Let's go."
It took a moment. A-Un remained in place for several seconds, staring down at the red-haired woman by the water before finally turning away and carrying his master back down the mountain. His behavior didn't go unnoticed.
Ishimaru glanced over towards Kenkō then, who was staring her down with a rock-hard gaze. An expression she hadn't seen on him since the day they first met, it panged her heart to see him like this. Stepping over to him, she was sure to choose her words carefully. "You seem upset." Her voice was quiet but unwavering.
Kenkō's steel gaze tore away from her as he adjusted his kokyū strap on his shoulder. "I'm not about to argue with you over the deal that just transpired between you and that demon." His voice was cold, void of the warm emotion it laced with earlier. "My concern is the village. If I'm not there to protect them, then who will?"
Ishimaru smiled, "Kenkō, I have been supplying your village with the best quality weapons and armor of our time. They are more than well equipped to fell any demons that may threaten them."
"But the barrier," Kenkō growled as he pushed his fingers through his bangs, frustration ripping through him. "It'll go down when you leave. They will be vulnerable, I can't just leave them like this."
Daringly, the woman placed her hand on Kenkō's shoulder. "I will not allow harm to come to those who have called me family."
Family. Yes, for some time now many of the villages regarded her as part of their own. They cherished and respected her, especially old lady Yasu. What would they think if they knew what was said here? There was no doubt they would feel the same disgust, that twisted gut sensation Kenkō was feeling now. But could he really say it was a surprise? He knew she was a demon, at least in part, and so did everyone else. That was it, though. Her identity was shrouded in mystery and people were only holding onto a thread of faith that she was genuine. Up until now, she had kept her word. She maintained a positive and fruitful relationship with the village and gave them no reason not to trust her. She kept them safe with her barrier and gave their strongest warrior a weapon with which he could protect them to the fullest extent of his power and more.
Up until now… She hadn't betrayed them, at least not yet. He couldn't say with a straight face that she'd done anything to hurt them just by making an arrangement. But what was to come of it? She'd made a deal to forge a sword for a demon, a full demon, who had no issue resorting to violence to get his way. He'd been bloodless so far, but that didn't mean he wouldn't slaughter them all should his mood change. Hell, Kenkō was only being pulled along as a bargaining chip–that demon wouldn't bat an eye if it came to wasting him.
Kenkō shrugged his shoulder away from her, turning towards the trail they took to reach the crater lake. "If I'm to carry all of your crap, then we better get packing."
Ishimaru watched for a moment as Kenkō walked away, her hand still hovering in the air. Closing her fingers, her face a placid expression, she lowered her arm and carried on behind him quietly. There was no mistaking Kenkō's heightened emotions, his face betrayed him that way. Though, she couldn't deny she hated to see him like this. Her chest felt heavy and her skin prickled, the tension between them enough to cause her normally unbothered persona to feel…bothered.
"How much of this stuff are you taking?" Kenkō sighed as he heaved another basket into Hiromu's cart. The ox bellowed out her disdain from her straw bed at the edge of the cave.
"I genuinely did not think it was that much…" Ishimaru mumbled as she touched her chin, examining the contents of the cart. Ruru, the white stag, stood beside her with his ears perked, looking where she was looking as if he understood what was going on.
They were up early, well, Kenkō was. Ishimaru did not sleep and had been packing things here and there throughout the night. Her scurrying had Kenkō waking up frequently, putting him in quite an irritated mood when it was finally time to wake and prepare to depart. The trip down was always faster than the trip up, but it would still take some time.
"I wanted to be sure to bring any tradeable items in case we pass through a city. I've been working on a few things and I think they will be received well among the nobles. Then my tea, and of course my hammer…"
"Your hammer?" the man frowned. "Why the hell are you bringing that? Your forge isn't packed on here, what do you plan to bang on?"
Ishimaru was holding the tool in her hands, flipping it back and forth in her palms as she stared at it lovingly. "I don't know, I just feel like I shouldn't leave it behind." Reaching over the side of the cart, she tucked it down with the rest of her supplies. "I suppose that will do."
"It'll have to do," Kenkō grumbled, his arms crossed as he grabbed the halter and lead rope. "Hiromu can only pull so much."
The bubbly woman was already at the ox's side, rubbing the top of her furry head with her hand lovingly. "Such a good, strong girl~!"
Kenkō could have sworn he saw hearts float out of Hiromu's ears, causing him to shake his head. "Are we ready to go or what?"
"I'll get changed and we can be off," Ishimaru stated calmly before disappearing into a tunnel extending from her forge's core room. Ruru stayed behind; he'd been following her every move, even throughout the night.
Kenkō began suiting his ox up to be hitched to the cart. After putting the halter on and leading her over to the bullock, he had a handful of grains to treat Hiromaru with. While strapping her in, he still couldn't believe what he was doing. It almost felt like a dream. On the one hand, he was going on a trip with the woman he had feelings for–who he thought he had feelings for. He didn't know how to feel now. On the other hand, they would also be traveling with a demon who always appeared to be in a perpetually sour mood, a mouthy imp, and there was no way he would leave that human girl behind. Kenkō didn't predict a fun journey.
"All right, I'm ready~"
Kenkō looked up and nearly fell over. Ishimaru had emerged wearing an ensemble he hadn't seen on her before: a white kosode with ornate gold trimming covered her torso, the sleeves tied up at her shoulders with black straps, and a black hakama double-tied at the waist with twisted gold cord. In its entirety, it was overwhelmingly nontraditional *miko garb. Her lush, hibiscus-red hair was now out of its braid and cascaded down her back like molten falls. Her outfit wasn't revealing, but it was flattering, and she was gorgeous.
He didn't mean to stare at her–he never did, but he couldn't help himself.
"N-No sandals?" he stammered, his eyes darted down to look at anything except her, landing on her feet.
"You know I never wear those," she smiled, putting a bundle of spare clothing into the cart. "Let's go, we don't want to keep our party waiting."
"Ah, r-right…"
Kenkō shook his head, enough to regather his bearings before heading out of the cave with Hiromu. He took up his kabanō and heaved it up and against his shoulder. Ishimaru took a moment to snuff out the stone torches, light now being provided by Ruru's eyes, before joining the warrior and his pet. Once they were free of the cave and the cliffside, the white stag disappeared into the snowy distance.
"Where's he going?" Kenkō muttered, his eyes following the animal until it vanished.
Ishimaru shrugged, "He takes off sometimes. I'm not sure what he does, but he will rejoin us eventually."
Kenkō dropped the subject, focused on keeping his eyes off of the half-demon as they made their way down the mountain. The line between despising her and despising himself for liking her was beginning to blur. As much as he believed he should feel completely and utterly betrayed by her, he could not. As much as he wanted to hate her for what she was doing, he could not. And as much as he wanted to withdraw his trust in her, he could not. When he looked at her, into those warm, sea-green eyes and at that infectious smile, it felt like everything would be alright.
But that's what those succubus demons did, wasn't it? They lured victims into a false sense of security just before the strike. Is that what was happening now?
With a bit more force than intended, Kenkō stabbed the butt of his club into the dirt, using it as a walking stick. He didn't know. He just didn't know. He couldn't tell what was going on; if he was being lured to his death–if the whole village was being lured to their death. Still, if she ever intended on such a thing, she could have done it long ago. And it didn't align with her actions over the past two years either.
He felt a headache coming on. Spirits, why was this so difficult?
*miko: shrine maiden, a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine, once seen as a shaman.
