Walking with a Dog (IV)

Faint sunlight filtered through the deep green forest. Amid the hazy mountain mist, two indistinct figures could just be made out.

"Sesshomaru..." It was the first time Han had called the silver-haired Dog Demon by name, and the first time she had wanted to speak to him seriously.

Sesshomaru looked at the girl, tacitly accepting her use of his name.

"What... is spirit?" She was a little uneasy, tapping her toes against the ground and avoiding his eyes.

"..." Sesshomaru was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Body and soul combine to form humans, monsters, and other beings. The body is external; the soul is internal. Within, spirit and soul exist as one. Spirit is life's original power, unrelated to good or evil. Humans with powerful spirits become shrine maidens, monks, or onmyoji; monsters with powerful spirits become great monsters with immense demonic power. The soul, meanwhile, is the source of consciousness. The fortunate soul, peaceful soul, wild soul, and wondrous soul-the four souls-give rise to different humans and monsters. Humans call these differences justice or evil, while monsters call them demonic nature."

"So everyone has a spirit?" The girl seemed a little reassured.

"Yes."

"Then... what am I...?" She hesitated, softly voicing the question, her words carrying doubt about her very existence.

"Pure spirit," the Dog Demon said. After a while, he explained, "Born without a body or the four souls. Nothing but the purest spirit."

"...I have a true form." A long time passed before her voice reached him, barely louder than a mosquito's hum.

"Your true form must be a physical manifestation of your spirit." Not an actual body. The silver-haired monster left that last part unsaid.

Han remained silent and downcast for a long time. The two continued through the mountains without a word.

"Where are we going now?" she asked.

"To find Totosai," Sesshomaru answered.

But they did not know where Totosai was.

The girl thought it over, but in the end, she did not voice her question. She simply buried it quietly in her heart.

And so the two continued through the secluded mountain forest, carrying the girl's confusion and the Dog Demon's hesitation with them.

For Sesshomaru, his initial reason for bringing the girl along had merely been to learn what race she belonged to. His offer to help her find a weapon simply did not conflict with his own purpose of finding Totosai.

Monsters were selfish by nature, only slowly learning other human emotions over the course of their long lives. To Sesshomaru, however, such superfluous feelings were entirely unnecessary. Human emotions brought only weakness. His father, once so powerful, had become indecisive after meeting a human woman, and had ultimately even lost his life to a human for her sake.

Ever since Sesshomaru was young, his father had been an overwhelmingly powerful presence, almost impossible to surpass. That was why surpassing his father had become his life's goal. Yet his father's death had disappointed him...

Looking at the crown of the girl's head beside him, Sesshomaru felt a rare moment of hesitation. Even if she could become a powerful spirit in the future, she was still far too weak now. She would only invite trouble.

Sesshomaru's own strength meant that he feared neither humans nor monsters, nor any so-called trouble. But that did not mean the girl should remain at his side. Staying with him meant battle and endless threats to her life.

In the end, however, his innate indifference kept Sesshomaru from saying anything more.

"Where... are we?"

After they had walked for a long time, Han asked in confusion.

Sesshomaru did not answer.

At some point, the two had entered a bamboo grove. The bamboo was lush, tall, and so densely packed that it blocked almost everything from view. They had only just entered; however vast the grove might be, the way they had come should not have vanished completely.

Yet as they stood among the bamboo, they could neither see a path nor tell which direction they faced, as though the grove had become a world unto itself. Looking up, they found only light overhead, with no ever-present sun.

So we are inside a barrier.

Sesshomaru considered this.

But even he had not noticed when they had entered it.

Suddenly, a series of thumping sounds reached them. Before long, they saw a group of rabbits hopping toward them.

The rabbits seemed to bear no hostility. They stopped before the two, apparently observing them in silence.

Neither side made a sound. Only the soft breeze rustled through the bamboo.

Han looked at the rabbits before her. For some reason, she felt something deeply strange, as though none of them were real.

She closed her eyes, abandoning her sight and sensing through instinct instead. Her master had once told her to trust her intuition when her eyes were deceived. Han's intuition told her that it was not just the rabbits that were strange-the entire surrounding landscape felt insubstantial.

"Who are you?" By then, Sesshomaru had drawn the sword at his waist and pointed it at the rabbits. It looked absurd, the two of them facing off against a group of rabbits, but neither dared relax in the slightest. Both remained poised for battle.

"Who are you?" An echo-like voice rang out through the silent bamboo grove, carrying a hint of mischief.

At some point, the grove truly had fallen utterly silent. There was no wind, no birdsong, no chirping of insects.

Sesshomaru lightly swung his sword, unleashing a sharp wave of sword energy that swept through the entire group of rabbits. They immediately broke apart, gradually vanishing before the pair's eyes. A moment later, they reappeared ahead and to their left.

This time, the rabbits no longer watched them. They merely hopped about on the grass, lively and adorable enough to make an unsuspecting onlooker smile. To the two trapped there, however, the sight only grew stranger.

Sesshomaru stopped testing them. Further attempts would be meaningless. These rabbits were not real; they were probably mere illusions.

Then where is the true master of this illusion hiding?

Sesshomaru frowned.

There!

With her eyes closed, the girl suddenly found the spot that felt most out of place.

She drew an arrow from the quiver on her back, nocked it to her longbow, and aimed straight at the sky overhead!

Sesshomaru's pupils constricted. He had not expected the girl to dare attack the barrier directly, but it was an ingenious approach.

The only question was whether her arrow had enough power to break through the barrier.

Sesshomaru was not the only one to notice her movements. The rabbits grew restless as well. One by one, they stood upright and turned toward the pair, taking on an unsettling air, as though something truly was controlling them.

Just as the girl prepared to loose her arrow, the rabbits moved. They hurled themselves at her recklessly, their once-leisurely group seeming to shift into battle.

The silver-haired Dog Demon stood in front of the girl, blocking every attack for her. With no attempt to defend herself, she entrusted everything to the Dog Demon before her. Her mind remained clear of all distractions. Her arrow followed her heart, flying forth with an unstoppable resolve.

"Don't!" The formerly mischievous voice was now filled with panic.

The rabbits froze in an instant.