Showdown! My Father's Unfinished Works part 2

Several hundred years ago...

"Lord Toga, you've an appointment with the Court of Elders."

Little Sesshomaru was slowly walking towards his parents in baby steps before flopping down to giggle at himself. Milady was patiently waiting for the toddler to come into her arms and chuckled at the tot when the guard spoke to her husband. Toga bowed in gratitude as a response but didn't immediately follow his supposed escort. Instead, he waited until the little one made it into his parents' arms. It was a behavior that he inherited from his quiet father. He remembered when his father would be slow to respond to military affairs in favor of being with his family. It was what he admired about Hikozaemon II even in his youth. Above all else, Hikozaemon II would trade away his sword without a second thought if it meant he could stay with family longer. Toga could see how his mother became so important to his father. She helped him find peace, and they built a life together that they didn't want to let go. Looking at his waiting wife and cheerful son, he was humbled being in this new position in his life. Living in the mountain palace with his small family made sense. When Sesshomaru finally made it into his mother's arms and Toga let out a chuckle and "a-roo!" noise, the general kissed Milady's cheek and Sesshomaru's forehead before taking leave. A maid tried to relieve Milady of the child, but she was stingy and insisted on visiting her mothers with the child in tow.

All was peaceful... until the sky had darkened with no sign of a coming storm. The updraft frightened the toddler and Milady grew suspicious until she sensed something that made her eyes widen. Her mother looked at her with worry before Milady took her arm and made her mother wrap it around the child. He started to cry. Milady's mother called out to her, but her daughter had already run to the meeting room where Toga was going. Just as the wind picked up, she caught the scent of Manzo's blood. Picking up her speed, she raced to her husband.

"Toga!" Milady called, interrupting whatever discussion was taking place. "Manzo's in trouble!"

"What?" Toga questioned, furrowing his brow before he picked up his friend's scent. Something was wrong. He then leapt into action and took Milady's hand to run out of the room and away from the palace. "We fly, my love!"

With that, they both transformed into their true selves and made haste to Sozosora. This darkness had the scent of a youkai... one that was feeding on the villagers of the holy city. By the time they made it there, Manzo Fukuyama had been possessed by the akashita demon. His eyes were completely blank. Only a man nearing his thirties dressed in his kingly regalia floated above the village to spill acid rain and beams of light on the people below him. His beloved city was being demolished piece by piece. Yonamine called out to him and held her own in a fight, but she was struggling to reclaim her husband. Toga wasted no time in scooping up Yonamine to fight back, but they were fighting a different demon altogether. This demon was Azumamaro the Jewel Eater, the youkai that Toga couldn't stop from running away from him during missions for the House of Inu. This ended here with him!

"Mommy!"

Milady scooped up little Hasumi and her grandfather, Lord Doppo, onto her back and stomped out a few stray demons to protect them. Tendrils shot out from the akashita demon and anyone close enough to its attack radius were slaughtered from either salt acid burning them alive or poisonous spikes emerging from the earth to stab and forcibly bury the bodies. She rushed Yonamine and Doppo to Manzo and Yonamine's treehouse for safety before returning to Sozosora, but it was too late. Toga had already been sent to an unknown location while she remained having to battle with akashita-Manzo...

_________________________________________

"Milady?" a priestess called, almost unsure of herself.

"Oh! It's Milady!" a kudan youkai said with great surprise.

Milady was more confused than ever before at the recent turn of events. How much more of her past was meant to rise to the surface? It's been so many years since the Fukuyama family had perished. She didn't understand. Ignoring the holy people lingering within the underground tunnel to the alcove, she looked about for the grand monk and his apprentice. Judging from her son's scent in the direction of the Twin Pillars, he was closing in on Yonamine's hidden weapon. The familiar stench of the demons that killed her friends filled her nose and heart with disgust, but she was willing to ignore her obvious displeasure once she received an explanation from Shishido. Said man lumbered right up to her with Naonobu directly behind him.

"Milady," Naonobu said, bowing politely. "Apologies for our current state of hiding, but the situation is quite grim."

"Who unearthed that menace?" Milady hissed, narrowing her eyes. She wasn't about to waste any more time with formalities. They were on a time crunch.

Shishido was quiet for a moment, but he hummed gently in response and smiled cutely at her highness before saying, "I am afraid I have no answer for this. Neither of these foes have been on mortal soil since the fall of Sozosora. But... I do believe it is your time to give a young child the chance to live a happier life again."

"I, specifically, remember placing the girl in a deep sleep until these beasts were destroyed or her parents found. Are you implying that you removed her from this sleep?" Milady asked, frowning at the red cow.

"I didn't remove her, young princess," Shishido replied, shaking his head to show emphasis. "That was the work of another. I believe someone woke Lord Doppo from his spell a few years ago, and it was he that might have unearthed one of the beasts to reunite with his granddaughter."

"Lord Doppo perished centuries ago, did he not?" Milady questioned.

Shishido's smile returned with a glimmer in his black eyes before he said, "Not quite, dear. He transformed himself to watch over his granddaughter until the day she woke. I recall him saying that he met a man with an adult daughter and young granddaughter in passing. His encounter with them inspired Doppo to find his family again, even if that meant waking the beasts."

"The spell was not for him to break!" Milady snapped.

"... Is your heart so hardened that you'd willingly take a father's last living child from his hands just to satisfy a promise you did not make?" Shishido asked, silencing Milady. That struck a nerve that put fear into those surrounding the woman. Her promise to protect Hasumi until she was certain Manzo and Yonamine were, in fact, dead was not to be overlooked. Least of all by a bunch of bovine youkai. When she merely took a step back into a bit of shadow, Shishido stopped her by saying, "If you truly want to respect your late husband's memory and the promise you both made to watch over these humans, give this old man - nay, give this lovely family - peace. Take matters into your own hands, if you must, and watch the wings of fate cover this family."

"I will not let this girl die for your entertainment, ball-less bull," Milady hissed.

Shishido smiled again and said, "You and your son are one in the same. You should know by now that I do not use evil to beget evil. Your insults are no more effective than the buzzing of flies. The girl is calling on the power of those before her in order to protect the people she cares about now. She has chosen life among the living. It is time for you, young princess, to do the same with your own life. How much longer do you intend to waste away for the sake of respectability?"

"It is no waste to rule the House of Inu until my son is capable to taking the throne," Milady replied, clearly displeased with Shishido's preaching. "Acting as commander has been my greatest honor."

"It is a waste of high values if you're forcing your family to walk the earth as Toga did."

"I forced them to do nothing!" Milady finally snapped with a raised voice and lengthened fangs.

"Oh? Show me what you have done differently outside of Toga's shadow," Shishido said, taking a small tree branch from the ground with his mouth and handing it to Milady. She refused to buy into his predictions and smacked the branch away from her, not realizing that the red cow had released the branch prior to her swipe. The two locked eyes before Shishido looked down at the struck branch and saw pieces aligned in a particular manner. One that intrigued the bovine quite immensely. He then said, "Impressive. It seems you have done something different, young princess."

"Does it involve beheading you?" Milady threatened, claws extended.

"My head is too big for your little self to carry!" Shishido boasted, laughing at himself. "You and your son amuse me."

"Grand monk! Stop instigating your death, man!" Naonobu argued, scratching at the ground and stomping his hoof. "Her highness has lost patience and we're wasting time with this!"

"Nonsense!" Shishido said gently, looking at the tree branch again. "Lord Sesshomaru and Milady have unearthed a beast that actually set these events in motion. Lord Toga was quite certain that Lord Sesshomaru's ward would right the wrongs done in the boy's life, but this new beast... is here for something else. Look at the left branch, Naonobu."

The key instructor hummed in suspicion before looking at the branch quizzically. It was in an inverted position, cleanly cut from Milady's strike but torn down along the bark, and the other branches were pointed to the right while the torn one was to the left. The base of the branch was burned, but a small piece of pulp at the upper center of the branch was pointing upwards. Where the scorched end met the tear in the bark, and where the wood pulp met the cut, was what the grand monk was seeing. Naonobu understood what his mentor meant. He said, "A moment of your time to ask a question, Milady."

Milady hesitated, feeling her heart pounding irregularly. She then said, "Proceed."

"Lord Sesshomaru was in a hurry to save someone. Young Reijiro, one of the guards stationed at the Floating Citadel, mentioned that they seemed to be close acquaintances - friends would be pushing it. Would you happen to know the name of this person?" Naonobu asked.

"No... but he did mention someone was helping him find the Meido Stone," Milady answered.

"I'm wondering if the daughter or granddaughter that Doppo met those years ago is the friend that Sesshomaru is going to lose," Shishido said with a hum of thought.

"Will the Tenseiga not work on this person?" Milady asked. "You are saying this acquaintance is a female?"

"Honestly... I don't want it to," Shishido replied, earning a flabbergasted look from Milady. Why would a priest want someone to perish? It didn't make any sense. "There is a reason why this beast has surfaced and why the Meido Stone was targeted in recent days. Whether this person is familiar to the boy or not, regardless of the gender this beast is, it is here to destroy your world... but not in a negative way. This beast flourishes in conflict and aids in finding true peace for others but at a price to itself. Using Tenseiga will stop this creature from doing what it was meant to do. The fact that this creature has made you return to mortal soil twice of your own volition should have made you more suspicious of it, but you don't even know it's name and didn't think to pester your son about it. You only know that it has been with Lord Sesshomaru at least long enough to earn his trust. It even gave Hasumi the strength to come out of hiding when you wouldn't have even known she was woken from sleep. Though I have a doubt, it is possible that this same creature gave Lord Doppo hope again. It is quite interesting indeed. I sincerely hope that Tenseiga doesn't work... simply to see the price that must be paid."

"You will let my son be hurt in favor of curiosity?" Milady questioned.

"I will always be curious. It is part of who I am. Will you choose respectability over your son's pain?"

Milady said no more and stomped off at the red cow's words. Shishido didn't mind this, however. He merely smiled at her and let Milady simply choose... to be a mother...

___________________________________________

Milady could see her son and a young guard fighting side by side within the sacred mound. She didn't say anything as the boys clawed or struck at the falling crystals eager to pierce their bodies. She merely walked quietly until she heard Yonamine's voice echo through the sacred mound. Sesshomaru finally turned around to show both surprise and confusion in his eyes at her presence. When he got a decent enough look at her, he could see a bit of despondence in her body language like she'd rather be anywhere else, but she was pushing through this cave unharmed and unbothered by the dropping crystals like she knew the terrain of this place from pristine memory. The look of confusion was the same for Reijiro. They watched Milady walk right passed them and stop directly beneath a crystal that looked like it was made from glass and not elemental manipulation. That ethereal voice bouncing from one wall to another. Milady's eyes welled up with unexpected grief, but she took a deep breath and clasped her hands together as though she were praying.

She then said in response, "By the light of truth, thine sword is the key to peace. United, sun and moon, we art the wives who fear no darkness and stand firm in our ways for love and justice. Daylight guardian, it is thy time. Align with me, sister of the dawn. Release!"

From the ceiling of crystal swords shone one singular blade that cast a bright light and shattered the crystals surrounding it. Among the diamond dust, a spirit descended upon them. While Sesshomaru didn't recognize the woman, Milady walked up to the ghost and quietly admired the angel floating towards her. Yonamine, as beautiful as the day she had last seen Milady, landed before her rival with a gentle smile before the two embraced each other. Sesshomaru's eyes shot open. His mother wouldn't be caught dead touching a human like this! This was arguably worse than his father mating with a human! While Sesshomaru was slow to admit that Izayoi was at least an attractive woman, she was plain compared to this other woman. Whether it was the lighting, her flowing clothes, her smile, her kindness, or the fact that she was friendly to his mother or even vice versa, either way this human was a beauty. Her honey brown hair was practically singing as it shone in the light!

"Your daughter is in trouble, Nani," Milady whispered, making Yonamine's spirit release her. She had a look of genuine concern in her features. "Azumamaro has returned. Hasumi is calling out to you. You have to go to her."

Yonamine stroked Milady's cheek in gratitude before the spirit disappeared in a zipline of light and fire. Milady watched her old friend go with saddened eyes, but her shoulders picked up and a new resolve within her rose to straighten her up. The promise that she made to these humans was different. This wasn't just Toga's task. He did what he could for their friends. But she? She hid the known pieces of the shield with the hope of being able to rejoin them with her husband! At least... she thought they could. If they could find any trace of their friends or even find a way to release their spirits, then it was fine as long as they were freed. But... Toga was no longer her husband, and Sesshomaru probably doesn't even remember how precious he was to all of them. He'd dismiss the ordeal transpiring now as "nothing important" like everything else in his past. She wouldn't, however. She may not have attached herself to her son's young ward, but she didn't ignore the fact that Rin was a young and a human child. Two facts that fit Hasumi. Watching her grow up around demons made Milady think of her friends for the first time in years. She had practically forgotten about them. It is true what humans say, "Out of sight, out of mind." While Sesshomaru went off on his adventures, Milady could honestly say she went down memory lane. The lunches, dinners, walks, gossips, and even simple play with Yonamine and Manzo were treated like an afterthought. In being queen, or at least highness, she relinquished the past and forgot that she used to be a friend to others besides Toga. There were days when the sun shone brighter than what others claim these days. There were nights where the moon was its most radiant. That's what upset her more than anything when Toga left. He took the light out of their world that they fought so hard to protect. In her grieving, the memories of happier times with him were taken away, too. But... in doing so, Toga did manage to do one thing... he made her a far stronger fighter than what he even remembered. She was going to fight for her friends and her son! Sesshomaru walked over to his mother to question her, but she stepped forward like she was a ghost herself and flew after the spirit in a hurry. Her tanto was glowing with power and her stripes were turning jagged before she could be seen no more.

"What was that about, my lord?" Reijiro asked, not understanding what was going on. Didn't Milady not like humans? Rin was the exception to the rule, right?

"She would never touch another human like that," Sesshomaru replied after a moment of intense silence. "Mother prided herself in protecting her space. No one dared challenged that. So why...? She didn't even acknowledge Rin like that! She's one of the coldest rulers the House of Inu has ever known. Why?"

Who was that woman to you, mother? Sesshomaru thought, narrowing his eyes. You've had a dislike for humans for years! What changed?

"Reijiro... hold my furs," Sesshomaru ordered, seething at his mother's actions. He wasn't sure what was more upsetting about this sudden interference, the fact that he just watched his mother hold another human in her arms or the fact that she called that human woman her sister...

Her sister!? Sesshomaru thought. When he felt Reijiro take his furs hesitantly, he took one step before he was airborne and following his mother out of the cave.

Keeping up with her was actually a struggle. She was barreling towards a beam of light, staying at the ghost's side. Sesshomaru wasn't sure if he should even be angry anymore, but he was and he demanded so many answers. Who was this woman? Of all the humans - no, of all the spirits - she was choosing to side with, why this one? When the ghost separated from Milady, the inu princess rocketed up to the blackened sky in a fury. Mouth open, her fangs lengthened until wisteria blossoms covered her body and her tanto became a set of glowing fangs as she transformed into a glowing, purple and white form. The amount of power that blew Sesshomaru back shocked him and made him land in a barren area between the two beams of light. He might have had close to a minute watching his mother face off against the akashita demon who now had a face. It was a pale white mask with wide eyes and a large mouth filled with yellow and brown fangs.

"If it isn't my old friend, dog mother," the akashita demon said, curling his nose up with some disgust. "Come out of hiding, have you?"

"I don't hide!"

Two large hands appeared from the demon's body, picking up Azumamaro by the tail to fling him away from Hasumi's group. The demon then commanded, "Ignore the girl! Kill the bitch's son!"