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Chapter 9

She was infuriating.

Sesshomaru swung his sword in a graceful arc above his head before bringing it down heavily in a refined blow. The blade stopped causing but a wisp of air to blow about. The blade having moved too fast for the laws of physics to chase.

He moved again focusing on his mind. His foe was at the edge of his blade. His thoughts conjured both an enemy and a distraction. Sesshomaru backed away and swung again, this time with more tenacity. A slight growl released from his lips. The sunlight filtering in from the small window reflected off its countenance. It is a mere reflection of its master's temperament. It sung with each movement. It conversed with its Lord. It whispered affirmation of strength and power. The other sword however sang a different tune. He could feel his father's blade reaching for the spirit. It sings of warning. A snarl released from his lips from the display.

Even as he danced with his blade, the scent of sunlight and honey danced on the fringe of his senses. The fiery tendrils of ancient magic floated in his halls. His mind worked to understand why such a foreign spirit came to him in this manner. His anger clouded him so slightly that he even gave it the capacity to vex him in the first place. He tried to free his mind but such a spirit conjured to provide council and then hover around his ward was concerning. His mother could have dispelled the spirit, but she did not. His mother took heed of the spirit that looked unlike anything he had ever encountered. The spirit deserved a level of respect he supposed.

But he would not bow to a spirit. Or bend to its will. He was an entirely different being. Born and bred for war. He would not sit idly and accept fate's fickle doings. He would forge his own path and in doing so, care for his pack. He did not need fate or a spirit to intervene in his duties to care for everything that was his. Or give him a warning. Or whatever she was doing here. His anger grew just thinking of the events that lay bare. Was he being challenged in his duties to provide? As Alpha, everything was under his care. And he had held to that mantle. He annihilated everything that may have even attempted to harm what was his. He was Alpha. All was seen to. He had everything under control.

Something foreign rose the fine hairs on the back of his neck as he tried to focus on his training. The unease that followed from that last statement weighed on him suddenly. His eyes shifted to his father's blade as it suddenly grew silent. Its song no longer reaching for the spirit that waltzed into his life suddenly claiming to aid him. The hollow of its tune left an unsettling disturbance in its wake. The blade's silence communicating its divergence from his Lord's thoughts on the matter. Its disagreement giving its Lord a reason to pause in his movements. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

Oshun sat in the opulent tearoom watching as the servants of Lady Kimi cleaned and freshened up the space in her absence. It was odd to see and feel but have none of the living affect you. The staff movements went beside and past her still body. They moved and pushed her cells in colorful wisps before her own brown eyes. Her presence caused nothing but agitation and fear because the people here believed in spirits and ghosts. Some could sense her there, but none could see her. Oshun stayed, gazing out into the setting sun while her mind worked to understand that of Sesshomaru's ghosts and her own.

Lady Inukimi's words were heavy on her heart. A mother advocating for her son. Taking note of her. A daughter advocating for her father. Oshun had been brought here for a reason. Things such as this didn't just happen. She performed the ritual as she had seen her mother and her father do countless times. Granted, they were powerful spirits. And she…she was a pretender. Oshun's eyes closed as she took a deep breath.

No.

She was not. She could do this. She just lacked something. Knowledge maybe. She had been brought to this time of history to understand what possibly was ailing Sesshomaru. Maybe someone here cursed him? But then why show her the scene of a bloody battle and now take her here where his child was in danger? What was here that she needed to see? What was here that she needed to do? And how did this all come together to heal him from this ailment that plagues him in the future?

Oshun stood up finally having had enough of her mind's rants. Oshun stood to her feet and started to explore the castle. She walked through the militant halls of royal simplicity. Portraits of paintings of great men and women sprinkled the large buildings. Sparse décor of royal house colors made up the rather large estate. Everything was cared for and had a place. Nothing extra stood out. A message was sent that this was a place of excellence and decorum. This was not…a home.

She stopped at this thought. Her chest constricted having had similar thoughts about her rock. Yes, her island was a home. There were trinkets of love and curiosities of all kinds everywhere. Even her father kept artifacts from the big firsts of all his children. She included. But it was not her home. Or at least…it no longer felt like it. Now that her mother was gone, and her father was hardly inside. And the island. Was it her home? What made a home? Was she one to judge?

Oshun continued her exploratory journey. Servants and the like could sense her, but they didn't know what was there. It was humorous watching them. They gossiped. Traded stories. They worked side by side. They maintained the grounds and order of the castle. They lived by their cultural norms. The demons abided by them and subconsciously enforced them. Ritual and spirituality had a different meaning in this world but they were still abided by. The rules of engagement were embedded in the fabric of these lives of demons. There was notice of her as a possible spirit. A respect was given and a hint of fear followed. Even the demons here believed in something more around them and to have respect for that more. However, one defined it.

And then her feet came to a stop. One portrait was different than the rest. A portrait of a demon male that looked relative to Sesshomaru in so many ways. It was massive. It was free of dust and sat in the main foyer of the receiving hall. A stately figure of heavy armor and weaponry made up the image. A striking contrast to the delicate silks of the sleeves and top that lay underneath it. His facial expression was one of a hardened warrior. A seasoned fighter by the looks of it. His golden eyes held the intensity of the start of a volcanic eruption. It unnerved her to see such an expression. An expression that wasn't the one that wanted to be told. Such a striking image. And for it to be the first thing you saw upon entering the estate. It was cold. Intimidating. And something about it was sad. Her senses detected great pain and sorrow here. A story cut short. A story untold.

Oshun reached her hands out to touch it but refrained. Her hand came to her chest. Her heart beat in her chest from the raw emotions of coming so close to such an artifact that held a great deal of energy. Oshun wasn't ready for this. Her chest grew tight as she looked at the image. A familiar pain pulsed inside of her and bellied out in the depths of despair. "I'm sorry." She found herself whispering for unknown reasons. Her feet pushed against the bamboo floors to move out of the vicinity. The emotional aura of that painting on those eyes haunted her. But the pain there was stifling. A life may be cut too short or a dream unrealized.

Too close for comfort.

Oshun backed away quickly and made to leave. Her body moved through the pockets of people doing their chores or visiting. She made her way through the garden again and back towards the main house. The jingle of her bracelets and ornaments chimed with each step she took. The evening gentle breeze lifted a few of her soft locs from her pensive face. A hum whispered against her warm skin. The pathway led her back to the smaller bridges painted in red and arching over the business of dancing koi. Her aura stretched in search of the dog. The gentleness of her touch took note of the cool waters below. She stopped to see her reflection on its surface. Her mother had given her the name because of her connection to the waters and its many forms.

"Reflection," Oshun mumbled before rushing to the edge and indeed seeing her face on its glossy surface. She touched her face gently and smiled, happy to see the face she knew despite the tiredness painted in the lines of her face. Her face fell suddenly as she looked at herself. The lines of sadness. The loneliness. Rage even. And mixed in it all was the uncertainty of self. But vaguely. Who was she? Not a healer? Not a leader? Bits of her mother's beauty were woven in the arches of her brows and the curve of her nose. Stricken, she leaned back away unsure if what she saw was real or even something her mother or father would be proud of.

Giggling and whispers reached her ears and she glanced upwards. A few maidens dressed in decorative kimono and intricate hairdos walked quickly in a huddle. The conversation swayed from the younger lord's attractive looks to his desire to sire an heir. The women spoke of his body having spied him near the barracks. The women shamelessly left no topic uncovered seeing as they felt truly safe and protected in their tight bubble of cultural propriety. Lady Inukimi must be locked away and busy leaving her younger guests to their own devices and thoughts. Their geta slightly tapping against the wood of the bridge as they ascended to her left. Their happy reciting of the dog's name brought Oshun's attention to the forefront.

Oshun listened, hearing the gossip as to his current station and activity. If she was an assassin, she needn't look far to hunt. The palace would surely tell every detail about its royal house without prompting or threat. Deciding to speak more to the dog, she turned and went in search of him. Her reflection went unnoticed by everyone around her. Not even the sunlight's blinding glint off her hair accessories drew attention from the people around her. She moved through the long walkways and followed a few soldiers to make it to the place where he was last seen by the gossipers. She found herself surrounded by the presence of tailored men in warriors' robes and steel armor. Their bodies rushed to and from the palace.

She walked past the decorative ladies and the warriors until she came to a very large building. Her feet moved beyond its doors and admin rooms. Beyond the courtyards where groups of men and women practiced with weaponry designed to kill. Their shouts of might and moans of tired labor mingled in unison. Each body bearing cuts and dirt of some kind was all around her, moving and going. Floors and rooms filled with a different activity for warfare. It revealed a lot about the Western castle and its focus. So many resources went into the massive place that held so many people it seemed. She found the energy to be chaotic. Weapons lined the walls. Metals collided with metals. And sparks of power collided in a violent display. Peace did not live here she determined. Not long did she came across the aura she was searching for. Inside of a giant private room, stood the man she was searching for.

His bare feet moved silently along the wooden floor of the giant room. The only light came from the windows along the sides of the wall giving the room an earie blue hue. Sheens of dust swam between particles of light and cast shadows of the demon moving like a predator in the middle of the room. The sound of a singing blade was the only source of sonic notice. Oshun squeezed herself through the small gap of the double doors and walked further into the room. She quietly moved along the wall in the dark to observe the man she was sent to help. Golden eyes stayed focused on the invisible enemy in front of him. His armor and shirt were gone. His lean body was sweaty as demonic energy rippled across his skin in a controlled manner. It acted with deadly intent as if it too was a weapon. And maybe it very so was. She felt his cold temperament slide across his flesh and lash out in small movements in tandem with his blade. The muscles underneath his taut pale skin rippled underneath with each precise kata.

Oshun walked around him silently. Her eyes watched as he moved in a dance. His silver hair stuck to his back in a low ponytail was the last to move. Sesshomaru pushed back into a turn and moved his blade quickly. Oshun's eyes landed on the stump on the other arm. Her eyes nearly went into her eyebrows seeing the missing limb. A bit of sorrow dived into the pit of her stomach before she found herself at the end of the sharp blade. Her brown eyes stretched and she backed up into the wall behind her. The coldness of the back wall brought her to the present. Gold eyes walked in front of her taking up her vision.

Sesshomaru tried hard to ignore the spirit when she came into the room like a normal person without knocking no less. An odd thing for a ghost to do if she was that of a specter. Something else brought irritation to him as he found another flaw in his mother's strange plans. He continued until he noticed her violet eyes drifting across his form. Agitation rolled into his finding her gaze had gone to his deformity caused by his half-witted mutt of a brother and the insufferable wench. Rage burned into him and the look she cast close to pity was too much. He was not one to be pitied or disrespected.

His sharp blade was now an inch from her shocked face. He pressed forward holding the clothed hilt of his blade with practiced ease aimed for her nose. He watched her back up into the wall behind her and feel against the grain of the wood as if searching for something. He smirked watching the fear cross her face followed by anger and then recycling back. She still walked around in the white foreign dress with bared shoulders, collarbone, and midriff. The white skirt stopping just below her knees. In the dark of the dojo he could make out the colored nuances within her coiled locs that sat messily on top of her head. The locs laced with all kinds of trinkets that made tiny sounds signing in his ear. He watched her as she stood frozen with the blade in her face. He pushed the tip to the very top of her nose and rested it there.

"Be gone, Spirit." His gaze was hard upon her while the threat of what was to follow lay bare. "Now."

Oshun looked to him and shook with rage. For a moment she felt sorry for him but having seen how he acted maybe he was deserving of the missing limb. She could tell it was a new wound seeing as how it looked discolored, yet the smoothness of the junction rounded out the flesh. She breathed heavy as adrenaline pumped into her veins from the change in threat. Her hands took on a silver glow before she smiled cunningly. "No." With that she pushed against his chest with her hands and hit his sword from her face. The force of her might cause the sword to waver and the young Lord to take a slight step back. Shock was written on his face for a moment as he looked to the blade that started to sing. His mind was searching as to what being his mother summoned as this "spirit" was able to push against him and touch him like she was a real entity.

With space, Oshun moved to his side and rolled behind him. She stayed with her eyes on him as she tried to get away from his sick sadistic fear tactics. "I was sent to learn about you and save you, so I have come to observe you. Watch what you do. Learn these nuanced relationships you carry. Learn what bothers you. What makes you…tick." His blade lazily swung at her, and she moved backward before he came back again. Her hand hit the blade again feeling the power thrumming inside of it. "And give you a warning about upping your defenses with your child."

Suddenly the blade was back in her face and this time, Sesshomaru had moved with purpose to strike at her. Oshun sent out a frightful cry before dodging again. "You will hold your tongue. My defenses are fine. And Rin is none of your concern. She is my ward and nothing else."

Oshun's hands came up to block the edge of his blade like weapons themselves. However, the sharp edges of Sesshomaru's blade were starting to cut through the shield coating her hands. His strikes started to come more forcefully. He striked hard against her hands this time and she grunted. "Well seeming as I did the job you couldn't today, I would say she is- Umph!." She grunted as she was hit backward off her feet and left to sprawl on the floor. His push and arch with the blade had the intent to kill which she barely managed to dodge.

"I don't care what fiery hell my mother has pulled you from, but I will send you back for your insolence to this Sesshomaru." In a blink of an eye, he was on her. His blade moved quickly and slashed her across her belly. Her cry echoed in the space-filling his ears. Satisfaction settled onto him with a flick of his blade to the side. He looked to the blade; hearing it hum. The power of his father flexed against the aura of the crazed spirit before him. Both looked to see the brown particles of her bare midriff spray to the side before sliding back into place again, making the woman whole again.

Oshun touched her belly with a frightened gaze. The pain was excruciating, feeling the blade cut through her belly but then it vanished just as her body pulled itself together. Her fingers frantically touched her belly in awe. Her smile grew with each tap of flesh against the pad of her fingers. A triumphant laugh came from her throat at the realization that she wasn't dead just yet. "Ha!" She cheered watching the Lord's gaze bleed to red in irritation.

Oshun swallowed thickly and danced back a bit to put more space between them. "Enough!" Suddenly the blade was through her head. She screamed in pain and backed away as Sesshomaru continued his quick assault. Oshun blocked his blade and this time put in the strength taught to her by her brothers and mother. She moved and forced Sesshomaru back. Her body rolled on the hardwood floor. Her feet came out to sweep him hard against the ankle. Her leg connected and he barely buckled before he reached to grab her. Oshun rolled away with a harsh breath against the hardwood floor, until she was away from him again. Her eyes and hands glowing this time in defense as her own anger arose.

"Is this how you got your arm cut off?" She asked haughtily as he swung and met her hands. "Instead of using this energy to hurt me, why don't you focus it on protecting, huh?" She cowed as she went to strike him with her hands. "Like how you should have been protecting that little girl!"

A loud roar came from his lips then that scared her. She jumped and her arm flinched before she was forced back. The sharp end of his blade hit her heart. Her eyes were wide as she looked to the enraged Inu before her. A sharp pain hit her chest and she backed away. The tiny pearls of her being began to dispel. Red eyes shined brightly in front of her face. The swirl of angry aura wrapped around him and forced itself onto her. It lashed like hot fire against her skin seeking to melt her flesh off. The blade sliced through her middle this time in a hot fiery blast. The last thing she saw was his angry gaze upon her. A growl rippled from his throat.

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