Crossing Paths

1455 mid-Muromachi Period, Autumn, Japan

High above the glittering southern coast of Hokkaido Island, a large and wiry shape bounded through the clouds. While impressive by human standards, it still had nothing on the size of the old dog general, though the Inu no Taishou had never made an issue of the jackal's lacking physique. It was simply natural that the Inu Tribe was larger, stronger and the Jackals were smaller and more agile. They had complimented each other, and as Rekkonji descended to one of the freshwater pools below, he allowed himself the softest of whines at the sight of his solitary reflection.

It had only been about a century since his friend's passing, and Rekkonji still felt his absence keenly. He and the general had traveled and fought together for so long that even sharp-witted Rekkonji could hardly remember his life before the Inu no Taishou. From the day he'd bested Rekkonji and welcomed him along on his journey of honorable conquest, they had been pack. It was terribly weak, almost human of him, but Rekkonji was strong enough to admit it; even if only to himself:

He missed his friend, the general.

It irritated him, watching Sesshoumaru fumble about in his current manner, making a mess of all his father had left behind; and he still felt the disappointment of the half-breed's loss. The general had spoken of the inner strength she'd possessed, of the greatness she would achieve, and Rekkonji had rarely seen a time when the general was incorrect about such things.

'I am sorry, my friend, it would seem that this time you were mistaken.'

He'd seen to it that Zheng's former consort and her pups were returned to her father's domain and settled in, as he'd said he would, but he'd lingered around Lake Tai for a time. There was still no sign of the half-breed he'd seen swallowed into its depths; strangely, not even the usual life within the waters had stirred, the banks lined with the corpses of fish and turtles and other such things. Fully convinced of her loss, he'd left Shanghai to return home.

The familiar scents of the Western Province seemed welcoming as he arrived, and soon the scent of poison joined the medley. He tracked it to one of the many plains here, watching from high above in the clouds as Sesshoumaru slashed his way with disinterested grace through a band of miscreants that had failed to let him pass, judging from the sounds of the squawking creature nearby the young inu lord.

"Another effortless victory; well done, my lord! Of course, nothing less can be expected from one such as yourself!"

Rekkonji's ears twitched with irritation at the pitch of the thing's voice, and it seemed even Sesshoumaru was hardly tolerating it. Seeing that his current engagement was concluded, Rekkonji gave a great shake of his fur, sending his scent down to the general's pup; an invitation.

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes sliced up to scrutinize the clouds. He recognized the scent, and quickly found the lithe form silhouetted high above.

"Remain here."

Sesshoumaru's eyes glinting red as he melted easily into his true form and bounded up into the clouds to meet the old demon. He took a higher elevation, making it clear to the jackal where he felt they stood. Rekkonji bucked his claim mildly with a snarl, tail curled high and a ridge of fur rising along his spine. Sesshoumaru barked viciously down at him, his muscles coiling under the silvery fur that shimmered in the pure sunlight up here.

More out of the demands of their natures than any real question of who was superior, Sesshoumaru obliged Rekkonji's challenge, the two dancing around each other before Sesshoumaru finally took him to the ground, fangs sunk into his neck and a paw on his exposed belly. Only after the jackal had shown proper deference to him did Sesshoumaru release, blinking down as he shrunk again into a human-like form. He let a moment pass, solidifying his superiority, before following suit.

Jaken scampered to join his master once again, harshly reprimanding the older male for daring to challenge the great and mighty Sesshoumaru. Rekkonji barely spared the pesky creature a glance as he closed to a polite conversational distance.

"Warmaster."

"Lord Sesshoumaru. I see your skills have only improved since last we sparred."

Sesshoumaru's lips quirked into a haughty expression as he slipped his arms comfortably into his sleeves. He tilted his head, curious.

"Tell me, why have you sought me out?"

Rekkonji did his best to keep his neck unexposed even as he had to crane his head back a bit to meet Sesshoumaru's gaze. Like his father, the pup was tall; a stature matching his power.

"Nothing more specific than a passing curiosity about your progress; I have been away and have not kept track of your more recent exploits."

"I see."

Sesshoumaru's smirk twisted into a sneer.

"I am a pup in need of monitoring, then?"

"Not at all; I am merely interested in your development into a power similar to your honorable father. The growth of soldiers and generals alike is my skill and interest in life."

Sesshoumaru blinked as he came to understand, though the idea was still senseless to him. His terrible father and the jackal may have been something akin to pack, but this Sesshoumaru certainly held no such regard for the old Warmaster.

"He commands your loyalty even from the grave, I see. Admirable, but of course I have no need of such considerations."

Rekkonji allowed himself to chuckle a bit.

"No, I suppose not."

Sesshoumaru flicked his eyes to take in the details of Rekkonji's different attire.

"You've been to the continent."

He recognized the styling from his father's old wardrobes. Even some of his own outfits had such

Rekkonji nodded.

"I was. It was an enlightening trip."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head again in silent question. Rekkonji chuckled again.

"I found something there, something of yours. I had been wondering where she'd wandered off to."

'Something of mine; a female; in China?'

"This Sesshoumaru has no acquaintances or holdings on the mainland. Explain."

Rekkonji frowned. Had he forgotten?

"That half-breed pet of yours."

Sesshoumaru's eyes darkened at the insinuation.

"I have never in the past nor in the future shall I ever have a 'pet'."

Rekkonji simply nodded after a moment.

"I see…"

A pathetic end to a pathetic creature, passed on and long dismissed…but such is the fate of the hanyou creatures.

"Then her death will mean little to you."

'Death?'

Sesshoumaru held his stoic demeanor.

"Indeed, nothing at all. Is there more to this meeting, jackal? If so, I insist you get to the point of it."

Rekkonji shook his head.

"Nothing more; I expect you've much to do. Perhaps we will cross paths again in the future."

Sesshoumaru returned the shallow bow with a slight incline of his head, watching as the old war master released his guise once again and bounded back into the clouds. Jaken made an indignant sound from beside him.

"Hmph! The nerve of some! To not even offer an appropriate farewell to you before departing, my lord, it is completely unacceptable!"

He fell silent, however, when he noticed the pensive expression on his master's face.

'Dead; in China… That would explain why I have not come across its scent in some time here. What does the continent hold that would have tempted it away from its homeland?'

He glanced down at his claws. Was that the source? Had the creature's struggling been what he'd been feeling; its death the final inkling at the edge of his senses? He had not felt the disturbance since that day nearly three years prior, but that did not explain why. Why had he felt it at all? He recalled, vaguely, the miserable creature he'd held under his command nearly a century ago, but he'd retrieved the entirety of his youki from it before it had departed…had he not?

He felt the frozen bundle of sentiment deep inside him stir, threatening to crack as the reality of the creature's demise began to weigh on him. He shoved the thoughts from his mind, fist clenching hard against the impending shift. If it was dead, then it must have been weak; and he had not the time to waste on such an inferior being.