Boys Will Be Boys final part

"This the forest you were talking about?" Ichi questioned.

The yappy farmhand could honestly say that this was the most fun he had had in a while. Fighting back strong monsters, talking about random crap, and being among other strong demons was fairly pleasant. Ichi could say with great confidence that he was proud of being a halfling. It took a lot of years to gain this pride, but he wouldn't change a thing about his journey leading to it. Watching Sesshomaru lead the way to the dense forest, he resigned to simply admire the scenery and mysticism of the place. It looked like some semblance of life was returning to the place. Minor cultivation was performed recently like someone had come to clean up the bushes and shrubs. The forest itself was unbearably dark and quite cold. Winters in this area had to be miserable. Sesshomaru had called out to the Gogyo Stone of the waters, patiently waiting for it to float to his claw, and only moved to the sound of rustling leaves maybe once or twice. The other men said nothing. Reijiro and Yamashi turned to look at the Okuri-inu from before while Sesshomaru and Ichi were focused on the pearl.

"You have returned," Sesshomaru said matter-of-factly.

"As have you," the Okuri-inu soldier said. "Your imp is not here."

"He is undergoing training. Reijiro is the one you should watch. He has been enlisted for your troop's reinstatement," Sesshomaru said, keeping the professionalism in his voice.

"... Does he not know?" the soldier questioned, stepping forward from the shadows to reveal the traditional indigo cloak and brooch but not a face.

Up close, he was fairly tall and broad-shouldered. His armor and red ribbons marked his rank, but his red sash had an emblem on one of the ends. It looked the precursor to the katakana script, a symbol of transition from Chinese writing to Japanese writing. One of two things could be true about this soldier: either he hailed from China like Hikozaemon II and was close to the elder's age or he was more like his father's age and merely had rank within the lost tribe of warriors. Perhaps the soldier knew Sesshomaru's father in finer detail.

"Know?" Reijiro questioned.

"You have our scent within you. You are descendant from us," the soldier replied, placing a hand on his chest.

"What?" Reijiro questioned with shock in his voice.

"So, you do not know. It is possible that our great elder might have overlooked this detail. You, young man, have our scent just as Lord Sesshomaru does."

"Who... who are you?" Reijiro asked, shaking at this revelation.

"It is not important... for now. Are the wild boars of concern, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"They are not. They merely wish to establish a business trade with the Yama Oroshi clan. This is a temporary alliance," Sesshomaru answered carefully.

"Need you a map of the clan's stronghold?"

"Elder Hikozaemon II and Milady had given us maps of the territory. Are their findings not to par, soldier?"

"I said nothing of the sort! You did!" the soldier replied jokingly. Though his face couldn't be seen, his voice held a smirk. "I merely offered an updated terrain map to make things easier for you. The great elder is wise and was well-known for his tracking skills, but he has been preoccupied with many duties over the years. He cannot perform land surveillance like he used to. Milady also used to work miracles in finding secret routes into enemy territory, but she has been drinking in celebration as of late. She has much to be thankful for! However, such jubilee doesn't account for proper land surveying. While I adore my friend, her skills might be a bit lacking."

"... Watch your tongue, soldier," Sesshomaru threatened. He didn't like his mother making "friends" for whatever reason. He's been around Meioshi and her friends for too long. That could mean something else entirely. Not on his watch!

"Pardon my being so bold, my lord," the soldier said with a bow. "I am solely here to present a map for you. I meant no offense."

"Produce it," Sesshomaru said with narrowed eyes.

"You need to show a weapon or choose one of your comrade's weapons," the soldier instructed. "That is how we transfer information."

"Use Ichi's. His chakrams can probably hold more information. Brother is capable of using yoki to display images," Yamashi recommended, pointing a thumb lazily at the blonde boar.

"Is this choice satisfactory, my lord?" the soldier asked, readying his weapon for transfer.

"You could've transferred information to this pearl..." Sesshomaru replied with a look of annoyance.

"It's not a weapon. It's a glorified water flask," the soldier corrected. "You have time to choose a weapon. Make your choice."

"Why are you helping me?" Sesshomaru asked, turning to the man.

"I'm guarding my old home, my lord. You just so happened to be here a third time. This place is a lot more beat up than usual. It used to be quite beautiful," the soldier explained.

"Do you miss it?" Sesshomaru asked softly. The drop in shoulders was enough of an answer. "You must have been quite angry when my father forbade you from coming home."

"... I was... at first, but I was one of very few soldiers he disclosed his secrets to. Among the couple that he had, his reason for protecting this place with such extremes was very delicate."

"Why did you keep everyone else in the dark after he died? That would have been an opportune moment to explain things," Sesshomaru inquired.

"... Are you sure you wish to know? The reason has to do with you, my lord."

"What?" Sesshomaru questioned with outrage in his voice.

"I don't understand. Elder Hikozaemon II is electing Lord Sesshomaru as your troop's new leader. Why is the Great General trying to keep him away from this troop?" Reijiro questioned.

"Lord Sesshomaru was in danger at the time. Lord Toga had discovered an enemy that was capable of infiltrating our stronghold here without detection, and that enemy had worked with the humans to capture some of us. Perhaps you might remember a place called Eu - "

"ENOUGH!" Sesshomaru barked.

It was enough to silence and scare everyone including the man himself. The inu prince started shaking violently. His breath was staggering like he was being choked and his eyes were shifting rapidly. Of all the men to dare touch or come up to the young prince, Yamashi dismissed his axe, stood in front of Sesshomaru to gain his attention, and nodded to Ichi to remind him that they had a previous engagement.

"You have done enough to aid my comrade, soldier. Return to your post if you are done transferring your information."

The soldier said nothing more as Yamashi stepped aside to help Sesshomaru refocus his attention elsewhere. He returned to some semblance of normalcy, but he wasn't completely cured. In fact, he looked angry. Does that soldier have any idea how long it took to forget about that awful place? How long it took him to open his heart again to a human after what they did? How long it took for the nightmares to stop? Thinking back to the days he spent with Rin and Jaken and the peace that gave him, Sesshomaru was able to retract his anger and instead repurpose it. He could protect them instead of dwell on those heinous memories. When the soldier moved to prop open his weapon and transfer information, Sesshomaru was somehow reminded of his time spent with Meioshi, too. Whose side should he run to right now? Wait a minute... No! He was Lord Sesshomaru! He shouldn't have to run to anyone's side!

"It is done."

With that, the soldier had left the group behind.

I am sorry, elder, but the boy is not ready to lead us... the soldier thought. He needs more time to face his failures as a man...

_______________________________________________

A small group of samurai were just outside of their daimyo's village gates, taking a break from patrol. They had a few frightened women with them and one servant boy holding a bowl of rice. One of the men was pressuring a woman to drink more, but she couldn't take another swig and felt like she was going to throw up. The other woman tried to sing or dance for the men instead was forcibly sat down to cuddle one of the men. She didn't want to do that because drunkenness had very few good results for a woman in the night. One of the men did pester the boy for a while, trying to teach him how to drink like a man and such, but the boy's eyes started to get wide when one of the women started moaning from being forcibly kissed and escorted away.

The drunk samurai found the dancer far more beautiful with a startled blush on her cheeks. Each kiss on her person made her react, each attempt to dissuade him was met with a refusal, and a cheer sounded outside. Either the boy drank wine or the men were making some promise when morning came. She could only hope that the man above her would change his mind in favor of the morning promise. He sloppily planted kisses on her bosom. She hated how his mouth felt, how the tongue left behind a slimy, gritty feeling on her skin, how weak she felt against him. She was a comfort woman, however. It was a step above prostitution but a level below a geisha. You are a lady of the evening. How it is spent is up to the patron. You don't get to decide.

Some screaming could be heard and the sound of swords clashing alerted the samurai's attention. What was going on?

"Men, what is that?"

"Oh, probably nothing. You done in there?"

More screaming and an unearthly roar bellowed from the village.

"The daimyo!"

"Ack!"

Slice, slice! The only thing that could be seen from the campsite was a towering form absorbing the flames...