Han solemnly accepted Obsidian from Ayame, the key that would grant them true entry into Sannai Maruyama.
Only after Ayame's pleas had her father, the chief, and her maternal grandfather, an elder, finally relented and agreed to give the dark, lusterless, diamond-shaped gem to Sesshomaru and Han, allowing them to enter Sannai Maruyama.
In the legends of the Wolf Demon Tribe, Obsidian represented the might and power of the Diamond Black Samurai. The tribe's strongest warriors could use it to undertake the trial of a lifetime, but in Ayame's memory, no one had ever completed that trial and emerged from the mountain. Perhaps it was only a legend. Still, even a legend offered Ayame some comfort when Han was determined to go, which was why she had pleaded so earnestly with her father and grandfather to bring out the tribe's last piece of Obsidian.
Han entrusted Yunai and Jaken to Ayame, turning her head away rather than looking at the tears brimming in the two little demons' eyes.
This journey would be far more arduous than any before it. She had no confidence that she could return unscathed, and neither did Sesshomaru. All they could do was shoulder the danger themselves and leave the two little demons in the safest place available. Given the bond between Ayame and Han, Ayame would surely take good care of Yunai and Jaken. Ayame had even promised that, if Han and Sesshomaru never emerged, she would send Yunai home when Gensokyo's Great Hakurei Barrier opened a few years later. As for Jaken, he might return to the Yedi District of Musashi Province and resume his role as a local chief. This was the best arrangement they could make under the circumstances.
They embraced one last time and wiped away the tears that had escaped