"Lord Haru, I've fixed up some clothes. Please try them on and see if they fit," Kiyoko said, handing him a neatly folded stack.
"I told you, just Haru's fine. Skip the formal stuff."
Haru didn't hesitate to change in front of her. He shed the women's clothes, keeping only his undergarments, and slipped into what she'd crafted. The old-style outfit was a bit tricky to wear, but Kiyoko smiled and adjusted it for him.
"Wow… it fits perfectly," Haru said, genuinely impressed.
She hadn't taken his measurements, yet it fit like it was tailored. And turning women's clothes into men's in a single morning? That was quick work. If she were a heroic spirit, she'd have a "Housework" skill without a doubt.
Since Kiyoko made it, there were some sakura patterns, softening Haru's look. But at his age, it suited him fine.
Seeing him in her creation, Kiyoko's thoughts drifted.
'Every stitch, every thread, I wove them. My hands shaped them, and now they're on Haru. Isn't it almost like I'm touching him with my own hands? Ah what am I thinking!'
Her cheeks flushed. Then it hit her: those were her clothes originally, still carrying her scent, her warmth and now Haru might sense it now…
Her face burned hotter. True to her shapeshifting nature, the reaction was intense, as if steam might rise from her head.
Haru shot her a puzzled glance and cleared his throat. "Uh, I still don't know your real name. Kiyoko… that was fake, right? What's—"
"Kiyoko!" She snapped her head up, eyes resolute. "Kiyoko… that's my name!"
The word "fake" stung her. Lies meant betrayal, hypocrisy, filth…..she wished Haru could punish her.
But things have happened, she can't change the past and "Kiyoko" was the first name Haru knew her by.
It was a lie to herself, but maybe claiming it could ease the guilt.
It also severed ties with her old self…
Haru met her gaze, saw her determination, and nodded quietly, letting it go.
He didn't know he'd regret in the future for not pressing her today…
…..
Kiyoko could be stubborn, but her domestic talents; cooking, sewing, cleaning were unmatched, surpassing any housewife. In one morning, she tidied rooms, made Haru's clothes, brewed healing herbs, and more, all perfectly executed.
When Haru and Tsuda finished rebandaging, a table of steaming food awaited them.
The dishes were all vegetables and rice without any meat. But she had worked some magic. The plain dishes had them eating with gusto.
Food softened hearts. Tsuda, once suspicious of Kiyoko, now followed her happily, calling her "sister"…
He'd considered "auntie" given her age, but her smile after he tried it; sweet yet chilling made him switch fast. Looking back, there was nothing wrong with that smile so why did it scare him?
The boy was confused.
…..
Tsuda wanted to pursue Yumeko immediately, but Haru held him back.
"I've told you, she's different now. If she hadn't panicked, I might not have won so easily. With my wounds… even if you catch her, I doubt you'd win. And you're not outrunning her on foot."
Haru recalled their fight. "Take it slow. She didn't eat Shion to recover, even at her weakest. That means your friend matters to her or she fears failing her task. Shion's safe for now."
Tsuda frowned. "Then when can we save her?"
Haru paused. "Something she said sticks with me. We need to think… Tsuda, Kiyoko, I've got questions. Answer carefully. First, about Oda…"
…..
After talking, using major events as anchors, Haru pieced it together: history had shifted.
Not just slightly; the world's path had warped beyond recognition.
The timeline stunned him most. The Sengoku period should've spanned 150 years, from the Onin War to the Tokugawa shogunate. But here, Tokugawa Ieyasu was assassinated!
The chaos didn't stop. Warlords clashed on, stretching it to three hundred years…
It began with the "Honnoji Incident." Oda Nobunaga, poised to unite Japan, should've perished in Honnoji's flames. But a sudden rain extinguished the fire, saving him.
He crushed the traitor Akechi Mitsuhide, made a cup from his skull, then turned darker. Betrayal hardened him.
He slaughtered prisoners, civilians, even disciplined his own men harshly, ruling through fear.
Finally, his sister Oichi poisoned his wine at Mount Toragozen, where her husband had died. Nobunaga seemed to know about it but still drank it willingly.
As a result, Demon Daimyo died from the familial poison, and the Oda clan fractured.
What followed was open struggles for power between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hideyoshi had the upper hand at first but couldn't outlast Ieyasu.
Just as Ieyasu neared victory, fate intervened.
The Muramasa clan, renowned as the best master smiths, forged him a blade to mark his rule. But as luck would have it he fell in love with the wife of the Muramasa clan head's wife. Drunk on power, he completely forgot his previous struggles and humility and used his power to force the Muramasa clan head to divorce her wife.
But the couple resisted. The wife took her own life and the husband assassinated Tokugawa Ieyasu when he presented him with the sword.
Although later the Tokugawa heirs took revenge by eradicating the Muramasa clan, this could not change the fact that Ieyasu was dead. The shogunate never formed, and war reclaimed Japan…
In the century that followed, strife and disasters halved the population, while demons multiplied.
Three hundred years, and no one had ended it.
"Where did it go wrong?"
Haru's brow furrowed. The changes were worse than he'd imagined.
At every pivotal moment, accidents twisted history into chaos, making the world harsher and death more frequent.
It felt like a hidden hand guided it, prolonging the Sengoku era whenever peace drew near…
If so, why? What did they gain?
…..
"Haru… you okay?" Kiyoko asked, concerned by his grim expression.
He blinked. "Oh, nothing…..just thinking about something…huh?" He turned to the window, his face tightening.
"Kiyoko, any other demons in these mountains? Big ones, not weaklings."
She tilted her head. "Just imps and small fry. Never a great demon. Why?"
Haru's voice lowered. "Don't panic… Something scary's coming fast. Straight for us, not passing by!"
He grabbed Muramasa and dashed out. This pressure dwarfed anything he'd felt here. All the demons he'd faced combined didn't compare.
Even the Mountain God might not be its match… hiding from such a being was futile.
In the courtyard, he looked up. A demon cloud drifted down, parting to reveal a cold, noble figure.
"Who are you?" Sesshomaru asked, voice like ice. "I sense my idiot brother here… Where's the girl and the sword?"
Haru inhaled sharply, recognizing him. Finding the Inugami Shrine and Tessaiga had hinted at this, but facing him was still a shock.
Sesshomaru!
The strongest figure from Inuyasha. Among real demons, not legends, none matched his raw power. Even Naraku, with the Shikon Jewel, feared him.
This was the guy who'd stormed the underworld for his wife. He was leagues above the rest.
To Haru, Sesshomaru ranked with "big brother" icons like Itachi and Ace, though he was ruthless to his own sibling.
Logically, the current timeline is long after Inuyasha's plot and Sesshomaru should've softened toward humans, thanks to his wife. Still, Haru felt uneasy.
The strength gap was vast. Even with his One Sword skill, Haru would be crushed. If it turned ugly, he was finished.
Haru tensed, but Sesshomaru stood calm, as if asking for directions.
He'd tracked a scent to this mountain, but it faded midway (Yumeko's herbs). Although it was not completely impossible to find, it would require some time.
As he considered asking local spirits, Tsuda's fight with Yumeko triggered the silver orb and Tessaiga, alerting Sesshomaru's senses.
The signal was brief, but he'd pinpointed it.
Patience wasn't his forte. As soon as Haru hesitated for a moment, Sesshomaru moved to act.
As he summoned his poison whip, the door burst open. Tsuda charged out. "You filthy demon!"
He drew the battered Tessaiga, fearless, ready to fight.
Haru's mouth twitched. He didn't know whether to praise Tsuda for his bravery or scold him for his foolishness?
"Even if I'm weak, I'll help!" Kiyoko walked in with naginata in hand, standing firm beside Haru.
Haru: "…"
'Although I am touched, what's with these two?'
Normally, people would abandon him and run. Why were they so stubborn?
Still, his hand slid to Muramasa. If words failed, he'd fight, win or lose.
"The girl and the sword… the sword's here, but the girl's gone," Haru said cautiously. "Mind if I ask why you want them?"
Sesshomaru ignored him and fixed his eyes on Tsuda or rather, Tessaiga.
Without warning, he flicked his fingers. A glowing whip lashed out, striking at Tsuda like lightning.
If it hit, the boy would be cleaved in two!
Tsuda barely processed it before it was on him, death shadowing his mind, freezing his body.
Clang!
At the last moment, Haru swung Muramasa, deflecting the whip into the door behind Tsuda.
"Whew…" Haru exhaled. He couldn't match Sesshomaru, but if the demon didn't draw his blade, Haru's One Sword could buy a second.
A human parrying his whip mildly surprised Sesshomaru, but not much. His wife was human so he knew their potential.
He swung again. Haru braced, then saw the whip split; one for him and one for Tsuda!
Haru boosted himself with magic, slashing fast to shield Tsuda. But Muramasa snagged in the whip, tangled. His heart tightened and he quickly shouted "Run".
But it was too late. The second whip was inches from Tsuda.
Kiyoko, though exhausted, moved faster than most. She blocked with her naginata but was thrown back instantly.
Tsuda felt the gust, sensing death. The fear broke his paralysis; he swung Tessaiga at the whip!
But the gap was too wide. It'd crush his skull.
Seeing Tessaiga in Tsuda's hands, a hint of softness flickered in Sesshomaru's eyes.
In an instant, both whips vanished making both Haru and Tsuda stumbled.
"Tessaiga accepts you… you're not wicked. That orb you are wearing it's my fool brother's. I guess you're tied to his line somehow."
Sesshomaru spoke calmly. "I will ask you some questions. Don't try to dodge them or try to lie."
His tone was light, but his chilling presence left no room for argument.
Haru paused, then sheathed Muramasa.
Fighting was pointless. Sesshomaru hadn't even drawn his sword, yet they were cornered. They stood no chance.
Sesshomaru was likely here to rescue Shion. If that was the case not only they weren't enemies; they could cooperate. Haru, who has watched the anime, knows that although he acts cold on the outside but is warm on the inside.
With Sesshomaru's strength, Yumeko or even the Yellow Springs Hundred Demons wouldn't stand a chance.
But then again, was that a test of their hearts earlier?
Go easier next time!
…..
Yumeko fled the temple in a panic. After struggling, she mastered her wings and soared, racing to Kyoto.
Wounded and weary, she crashed near the city gates.
Crawling forward, she cradled Shion with her tail. It was her last bargaining chip. If she loses it, she is done.
At the gate, she shouted, "Yellow Springs's Yumeko, mission done, returning with the Inugami Shrine Maiden! Open the Rashomon!"
The city gate in front of her was not a wooden gate, but a gate to hell with countless demon heads carved into blue and red doors.
Thousands of ghost faces formed two one-horned giants, one on each side, scrutinizing all who approached. They opened one eye each, their gazes piercing Yumeko.
Her body and soul felt laid bare, powerless.
"Yumeko… yes," the blue demon said, flat and indifferent.
"Heh, reborn or fallen?" the red one mocked.
Yumeko clenched her fists but stayed silent. Even at her peak, with all her followers, she couldn't challenge these two.
The Rashomon, sealing countless spirits in hell, inspired their name. Yellow Springs' onmyoji trusted them to guard Kyoto which proves their power was evident.
Taunts were personal; duty was separate. After verifying her, they opened the gate.
Now, the Rashomon was Kyoto's sole entry. Every other path; sky, ground, beneath was sealed by a vast barrier.
Unseen but tangible, the "Yellow Springs Rebirth · Wheel-Turning Sage King Barrier" enveloped the city.
It is tied Kyoto's ley lines to its people's life force, forming an independent and closed cycle. It blocked all access and restrained those inside.
Not just humans, even demons without Yellow Springs' mark couldn't move freely.
It is almost impossible to break the barrier. Even if they succeeded, Kyoto and all the people would vanish.
Yumeko took a deep breath and stepped into the demonic heart of Kyoto.
.....
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