Kenkō trudged through Yasu's backyard, the morning sun casting long shadows over the freshly fallen snow. His breath misted in the cold air as he approached Yasu, who was bent over behind her quaint farmhouse. The snow around him sparkled under the golden light, untouched except for the path Kenkō had carved.

"You're out here mighty early, old lady," Kenkō muttered as he shuffled his way through the snow. Kenkō found her shoveling mounds away from a future gardening plot.

"It's that girl, she's always up before the sun," she said, gesturing towards the eastern horizon where a faint blush of pink heralded the dawn. She put a hand on her lower back, straightening herself up so she could turn to look at him. Her farmhouse, with its wooden beams and smoke rising either side of its peaked roof, stood sturdy against the winter chill. "Good to see you back, my boy." She smiled, that wrinkly, thin-lipped kind that was always warm and affectionate.

Kenkō's shoulders sagged imperceptibly. "Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint but it won't be for long," he frowned as he approached her and took the shovel. He stabbed it into the snow where Yasu had stopped, tossing large hauls to the side.

"Going somewhere?" Yasu asked gently, noticing the heaviness in his movements.

"I guess so," he sighed, the weight of impending departure settling on his shoulders like the snow he was clearing as he shoveled another large scoop.

The old woman smiled again, every punctuated line telling a story of a life well-lived. "Well, I always said you needed to get out of this village sometime, while you're still young."

Kenkō was quiet, shoveling snow until he'd made a large pile and the area for Yasu's garden was cleared. He avoided meeting her eyes, focusing on the rhythmic movements of his shovel.

"You're leaving with Lady Ishimaru, aren't you?" Yasu's voice was soft, carrying a hint of concern.

Kenkō didn't meet her eyes, holding the shovel over his shoulder as if it were his kabanō. "Look, I don't want to get into details, your tiny, old lady body wouldn't be able to handle it. My concern is the vi-"

A quick slap on the back forced Kenkō to stagger slightly, nearly knocking him to his knees. Yasu stood behind him, her eyes flashing with a mixture of mirth and determination. "I may be small but I can take care of myself!" Yasu snapped. "Don't you worry about us, boy. We will be fine."

Kenkō groaned, "How am I supposed to not worry, you're three feet tall?!"

Another slap, this time sending him into the snow pile. "I don't want to hear another word about it," Yasu quipped. "I told you, we will be fine here. Go now, enjoy yourself, see the land~!" Her hands stretched up into the air, sleeves bouncing with vivacity.

Only a groan from the snow pile could be heard in response.


"Lady Ishimaru, is it true that you're leaving the mountain?" A village woman stood among a small gathered just outside the barrier, consisting mostly of women and a few small children, and a herd of deer.

The swordsmith, who had been petting her goodbyes, was a bit surprised at the attention of the crowd. She blessed them with a comforting smile. "Yes, it is true."

A youth tugged at her skirts, "You're not leaving forever, are you?"

"Oh no," she chuckled. "Hopefully just a short while."

"Lady, won't you take this?" A woman with long brown hair presented a hand-crafted, wooden comb in her palms. "If you're going on a trip, you'll need something to maintain all of that hair."

Ishimaru's eyes opened wide to look at it before gently taking it from the woman's hands. "The craftsmanship of this is to die for! Is this *tsuge?"

"It is," the woman nodded with a wide smile, happy the lady accepted her offering. "My husband brought two combs to me from *Asakusa years ago, when he proposed to me. One has thicker teeth, and the other thin teeth. I only ever used the thin-tooth, so I thought you should take the thicker one."

Ishimaru hugged the comb to her chest. "I will cherish this gift, thank you," she said softly.

At the treeline, a fair distance away from the village barrier, stood Sesshōmaru and his party. Rin was running happy circles around him, happy to have him back, while Jaken grumbled to the side. Sesshōmaru had been following Rin with his eyes, taking stock of her new shawl, fur-lined *fukagutsu boots, and fur muff on one of her arms. "I see you've acquired some new clothing."

Rin stopped to tug on the muff, grinning from ear to ear. "Yes! Granny Yasu gave me the shawl, and a couple other villagers gave me my boots and muff so I could play outside. They're so warm too!"

Sesshōmaru nodded his approval. "I'm glad the villagers were kind to you."

Rin, who's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, agreed. "Yes, they've been very nice."

Jaken seized the opportunity to interject. "My Lord, you can't really be considering bringing those insufferable people along with us! They will only slow you down!"

At this, the dog demon peered at his imp companion. "They couldn't slow me down any more than you do, Jaken."

Jaken gawked in shock, a large tear dangled from his eye. "Do I really slow you down that much, My Lord?" he cried.

Sesshōmaru wasn't listening, however. He'd turned his attention towards the crowd that had surrounded the swordsmith. He noted all of the smiles, the gentle nudges from deer noses and tugs from tiny hands. This woman, a half-demon, a recluse from the mountain, was so revered by the inhabitants of the village. It was as if she were some sort of guiding light, a beacon in the darkness for them. With narrowed eyes, he made his way towards them.

They parted like the sea to get out of his way, small gasps escaping their lips when they noticed him. They formed a wide birth, some running back to the village out of fear. Children were hushed away, and the deer either ran back through the barrier or into the trees. The tall demon's shadow loomed over Ishimaru who turned to gaze up at him when she noticed her admirers had fled.

"Where is your companion?" Sesshōmaru asked, his voice husky but not impatient.

"He was emptying the cart of some supplies and likely letting Yasu know of his plans. He should be here soon," Ishimaru answered warmly.

"Can you not fetch him through your barrier?"

"Of course, but…" she started, her gaze shifting towards the village. "I prefer to stay away from where I do not belong."

Sesshōmaru locked his eyes on the back of her head in silence. Where I do not belong… Is she suggesting she does not belong with humans because she is a half-demon? It would make sense. Half-demons do not belong anywhere.

He turned his back to her then, his white hair flowing elegantly behind him. "I'm leaving, so I recommend that you hurry him along."

Ishimaru's soft eyes followed him as he walked away, a small sigh escaping her lips. She reached up, subconsciously tugging at one of her horns. "Kenkōōōō…"


Kenkō stared down at the horned woman as she splayed across a large boulder on her back, her long, red hair pooling on the ground below her head. Her face was contorted into a look of exasperated weariness. Looking around, he noticed Sesshōmaru and his party were nowhere in sight. Frowning, he returned his gaze to Ishimaru and poked her head with his finger. "Hey, I thought you were going with them? What gives?"

Ishimaru groaned as if being stirred from sleep, her eyes slowly opening. Once they recognized him, she immediately shot to her feet. "Kenkō! You're finally ready~."

The man signed, his hand twisting the handle bar of his kabanō back and forth. His ox, Hirōmu, trotted up behind him, her bullock in tow. It was much lighter now after dropping off some supplies for the village, so her ears were bouncing up and down in contentment. "We'd better get going before that demon takes out any more of his frustrations on me."

"You're right, we're probably pretty far behind. We should get in Hirōmu's cart so we can catch up!" Ishimaru excitedly suggested.

"Ahh, I don't think she'd care for us both being-EH?!" Kenkō was interrupted by his ox braying loudly and speeding past him with Ishimaru at the helm, nearly rolling one of the wheels over his foot.

"Hurry up, Kenkō!"

With his jaw at the ground, a cross-popping vein throbbed on his forehead. "HEY! GET BACK HEEEEEEEERE!"


"My legs are on fire…" Kenkō droned, his body slouched over as he walked beside the cart.

"You should get in the cart," came Ishimaru from her seat, her head craned backwards over the edge in an attempt to look at him upside down.

Sour blue eyes peered over at her from underneath disheveled bangs. "You just made me run for a mile, sitting next to you right now might be the cherry on top of this endurance test."

A bead of sweat dripped from Ishimaru's forehead. She sat upright and turned around, her arms crossed as she rested her head on them at the edge of the cart. Once Hirōmu caught up to the rest of their party, she maintained a safe distance behind and was walking calmly. "Then, we can trade places," Ishimaru offered with a friendly smile.

"Bah." Kenkō shook his head, avoiding eye contact. "I'm fine. Warriors shouldn't be riding in a cart anyway. That's reserved for princesses and the like."

Ishimaru stared at him with child-like eyes. "Princesses?" She touched her chin thoughtfully, a bubble appearing above her with images of her in a twelve-layer robe, being serviced by maids and swooned by handsome men. Her eyes were closed, a band of soft red spread across her nose and cheeks.

Kenkō looked back at her, noting how she appeared to be lost in thought. His scowl washed away as he stared at her. Was she imagining herself as an imperial princess now? He couldn't help but chuckle under his breath at her whimsical expression. "Are you imagining yourself in a palace now? You know, there's no hammers in a daimyo's castle."

Ishimaru's eyes fluttered open, the rosy hue on her cheeks deepening slightly. She grinned sheepishly, her playful demeanor shining through. "Well, what must it be like to be surrounded by people who love you all the time?"

The man's face produced a small frown as he looked forward again, his nose slightly in the air. "You don't need to be of royal blood to be surrounded by people who love you," he explained. "Servants are nice, but family is just as well, if not better."

"Hmm…" Ishimaru pondered, her palm holding her chin. "I don't have any family, but you sound like you have experience with both." Her smile claimed her whole face, her eyes closed as her cheeks pushed them into crescent moons.

Kenkō adjusted the polearm on his shoulder, keeping his attention forward. "No, I've just…" he trailed, only the sound of Hirōmu's clopping hooves cutting the silence.

"You know, I'm curious why he set off before meeting with me," Ishimaru questioned, quickly changing the subject. "I haven't told him what materials I need or where to get them from."

Kenkō's eyes widened a bit as he looked over at her. She was no longer laying over the edge of the cart daydreaming, but was now walking beside him instead. When did she even get there? "So…you didn't tell him where to go?"

"I did not."


*tsuge: a type of boxwood tree native to the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. The wood is easy to shape, hard to break, and develops distinct colors as it ages. Japanese boxwood combs, also known as tsuge combs, are traditional tools used for Japanese hairstyles. These types of combs were used by Samurai to manage their topknots, and are still used by Sumo wrestlers, whose hair is an important part of their appearance, and by Geisha for their complicated hair and wig art.

*Asakusa: is a district in the Taitō Ward of Tokyo (Edo), Japan.

*fukagutsu: traditional, deep snow boots made of reeds.