Yokyu Castle (II)

Lost in the warm, gentle embrace of the water, the girl sleeping with her eyes closed in the hot spring only slowly opened them after a long while.

She seemed to have dreamed. In her dream, there had been a girl who looked just like her, with silver hair, snow-white skin, a lotus-shaped demonic marking on her forehead, slightly pointed ears, and a faint green sheen at her fingertips. But her eyes had been cold and indifferent.

Han flexed her fingers, feeling power surge through her body. Her spiritual power had never been so abundant.

"Awake?" Yū asked with a smile. She had returned to the spring at some point, and her eyes held nothing but goodwill.

"Mm." Han nodded and looked at the white kosode Yū held in her hands. Orange-red plum and chrysanthemum patterns adorned the fabric, interspersed with gold embroidery. It was not her original clothing.

"Well, a miko's robes stand out too much in Yokyu Castle. Isn't this kosode lovely?" Yū smiled faintly. With the girl's nod of consent, she helped her into the exquisite kosode, fastening a somewhat narrow sash around her slender waist, then putting on her white tabi socks and, finally, her wooden sandals. Yū gently combed the girl's slightly damp silver hair, its long strands falling like a waterfall to her waist.

"What a beauty." Yū laughed, hiding her lips behind the wooden comb. She had originally prepared a kosode with a purple-brown background and a lily pattern, but the clothes Sesshomaru had chosen really did suit the girl better, she thought.

Although monsters' clothing-known as kimono before the Edo period-differed slightly from that of humans, their patterns and other details shared many similarities. Monsters, however, generally preferred to wear their hair loose, much like the human court noblewomen who never had to lift a finger for household chores. Naturally, monsters had no need to tie up their long hair for work.

Moreover, although giving someone clothing among humans signified a marriage pledge, it did not mean the same among monsters. Such a gift still carried a sense of solemnity, but it fell far short of a betrothal. Indeed, a true marriage pledge was an extremely solemn matter in the monster world. Unlike humans, whose brief lives lasted only a few decades, monsters often lived for hundreds or thousands of years. Choosing someone to walk hand in hand with through those long years was so important that many monsters lived together without actually entering a marriage pact, lest they become a bitter couple over the course of a thousand years.

Violating a marriage pact brought severe consequences, most often a gradual weakening of demonic power. Among humans, men frequently took concubines, but for a married monster, taking a concubine counted as a betrayal of the marriage and triggered a backlash from the pact made at the wedding. That was the price.

"Sesshomaru, Yunai." The girl's eyes lit up when she saw that Sesshomaru had indeed waited as promised rather than leaving. Yunai crouched obediently at his feet-or rather, Yunai was always especially well behaved around Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru nodded. "Let's go."

His cold tone sounded as indifferent as ever, but the fact that he had stayed there to wait for the girl was already an unmistakable concession. In the past, Sesshomaru had always walked ahead without looking back, never concerning himself with anyone else's pace.

Han happily followed him, waving goodbye to Yū, who watched them leave from behind. Yū smiled back, then gently exhaled another smoke ring.

When she saw Sesshomaru again this time, a small, green-skinned monster with large eyes and a pointed mouth followed close behind him. He wore a black cap and dark official robes, with three fingers on each hand and two toes on each webbed foot. He worshipped Sesshomaru and had made becoming his retainer his life's ambition, though for now he was still merely following him. Still, Sesshomaru had not rejected him, which was already a sign of acceptance.

As Han thought back carefully, Sesshomaru's expectations of those around him seemed remarkably low. If someone wanted to follow him, he would neither accept nor refuse them. It was probably a wholly indifferent sort of tolerance, so long as they stayed out of his way. That was how Sesshomaru thought. Yes, under normal circumstances, Sesshomaru simply walked straight ahead without wavering, and if any monsters blocked his path, he naturally knocked them all down. He had the strength to do it. Put that way, it was even a little cute. As Han's thoughts wandered, she could not help laughing aloud.

"What are you laughing at?" Sesshomaru asked from her right as they walked.

"Oh, I was thinking that you're actually a very tolerant person, Sesshomaru," Han replied with a smile. As the descendant of a great monster, Sesshomaru mostly ignored weaker monsters and never slaughtered indiscriminately. Throughout their travels together, he generally disdained attacking ordinary monsters unless they struck first. Beyond his innate arrogance, there was also a faint pity for the weak.

"It makes no difference." Sesshomaru glanced sidelong at the girl beside him. Dressed in her white kosode, she still wore a charming smile. Any other monster would probably have fallen to their knees and trembled at his words. Hmm, the kosode suits her surprisingly well.

"Lord Sesshomaru, where are we going?" Jaken asked reverently, scurrying behind the two of them.

Seeing Jaken struggling to keep up, Han gently tugged Sesshomaru's sleeve, hoping to make him slow down. Sesshomaru, however, assumed that she also wanted to know. Thus, for once, he did not step over Jaken-a habit of his when he found Jaken's chatter irritating-and said, "To see someone. Someone who can truly guide you." He was speaking to Han.

Beside them, Jaken moved his pointed mouth in aggrieved silence, wisely keeping his complaints to himself. Lord Sesshomaru doesn't seem very eager to explain, either. This person is probably troublesome, just like that female monster at the bathhouse. Still, Lord Sesshomaru is always surprisingly gentle with his lady. That last part was Jaken's misunderstanding.

Jaken recalled his time in the wilderness of Musashi Province. Back then, he had ruled that region with many servants under him, leading his followers into a fierce battle against Bikuni, the century-old great monster of Western Mountain, and the monsters under her command. His side had been losing, and Bikuni had seized him in her hand, about to devour him. Then Lord Sesshomaru had appeared.

The powerful Dog Demon, clad in white with silver hair and iron armor, had said coldly, "You're blocking my path. Get out of my way."

On the verge of being eaten, Jaken had boldly asked, "Who are you?"

The Dog Demon had replied in displeasure, "I told you, you're blocking my path. Why haven't you moved?" An astonishing demonic aura had radiated from him as a golden Light Whip rose from his fingertips. With a casual sweep of his hand, he had lashed away the monsters standing before him, including Bikuni, of course.

Jaken had seized the chance to escape death. Seeing Bikuni, who was far stronger than he was, die beneath the Light Whip, her body torn into countless pieces, he had hurriedly turned and ordered, "Quick... clear the way!"

The monsters had opened a broad path for the Dog Demon. Every one of them, Jaken included, had knelt trembling beside the road. Feeling the immense demonic power emanating from him, the monsters had pressed their foreheads to the ground in terror. Only Jaken, though his mouth hung foolishly open, had still possessed the courage to raise his head and gaze at the powerful monster with longing. And so he had made the decision that would shape the rest of his life.

Watching the Dog Demon's retreating figure, Jaken had suddenly risen from the ground, wanting to follow him. When the monsters behind him questioned him, he had left them with just one final sentence-"Forget about me"-before chasing after the Dog Demon.

Following close behind the Dog Demon, Jaken had said, "Please allow me to be your servant."

But the Dog Demon had turned a deaf ear and simply continued on his way.

Jaken, however, had not been discouraged in the slightest. So long as the Dog Demon did not turn his whip on him, he would keep following closely.

Even merely looking up at that powerful figure from behind had been enough to satisfy Jaken.

Later, the Dog Demon had retrieved a staff with two human heads from a waterfall and tossed it to the little monster, who knelt respectfully on the ground every time he looked back. "If you can use this, I'll let you keep it."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Jaken had accepted it and boldly asked his name. At last, he had learned that the great monster he would follow for the rest of his life was named Sesshomaru.

All this had happened during Sesshomaru and Han's temporary separation.

Not long afterward, still in Musashi Province, Jaken had followed Sesshomaru for days and nights until they arrived outside that temple. There, in the rosy light of sunrise, he had seen the miko push open the door and emerge.