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A beam of light fell from the sky, its silver trail caught in a pair of brown eyes.
Small human feet trod softly over the grass, following the light into the depths of the forest. At the end of the darkness, amidst the hazy silver light, she saw a presence shrouded in an inhuman shimmer. A wounded god had fallen to the mortal world.
---
"Stop daydreaming, Zengoro." the old monk tapped the young apprentice's forehead with his staff. "What did I just say?"
"Huh?" Amidst his companions' laughter, Zengoro realized he had zoned out again. It was hard not to, since he never enjoyed listening to his master's lectures. As a farmer's son, he wasn’t sure what potential his master had recognized in him and decided to take him in as an apprentice. He was naughty by nature. Other than learning from exorcising Youkai, he could never focus when his master sat down and went on long lectures.
"You were talking about young children eaten by Youkai... named ‘White something’...?"
"It's the White Child! Zengoro was really daydreaming again!" The laughter grew louder.
Zengoro's face turned red, "What does it matter?" His master had taken them on a tour around the country for the past month without any tasks for Youkai exorcisms. During the travel all he did was teaching them various sorts of Youkai tales nonstop.
"Zengoro, I just told you the story of the White Child to remind you to be careful. Legend has it that a human child eaten by Inu-Youkai turns into a ghost called a White Child and then serves the Youkai. Now, with all these wars and Youkai spawning everywhere, I've heard rumors that the Inugami and the White Child have been seen walking the earth again. If you guys see a strange child wandering around, be cautious. Especially you, Zengoro, if you don't pay attention, you might be tempted by Youkai and led astray!"
Scolded, the young apprentice was not happy. Later on in the afternoon, as he was punished to pick up firewood in the forest, Zengoro wandered around the woods in a sulking mood for a long time.
"I'm not stupid! Even if they didn’t tell me about the Inugami and the White Child, do they really think I'm that easy to fool?" Just as he was done complaining, Zengoro was dumbfounded because he had really seen something strange.
He had been wandering in the woods for too long and unconsciously walked past a cliff along the path. On the right side of the path, a gap appeared among the dense forest, revealing a small clearing in front of the cliff, where beautiful wildflowers bloomed. He saw a little girl wearing an orange plaid kimono, barefoot standing in the flowers in that clearing with her back to him, humming a song vaguely, as if waiting for someone.
"When it comes to strange children, there is one right in front of me..." Zengoro carefully observed the back of the small figure, which he didn't know if it was a human or a ghost, and made a call in his mind. He took off the basket full of firewood from his back and placed it on the ground, then left the forest path and walked towards the girl in the orange kimono.
"Little one, it's not safe for you to be alone in the forest at this time of day."
The girl startled and spun around, with a pair of vigilant big eyes staring at Zengoro. It’s just an ordinary human child.
"What are you doing here? Are you waiting for your parents?"
The girl hesitantly shook her head, hiding the bouquet of flowers behind her back.
"Are you lost?"
Another shake of the head.
"Are you alone?"
“…”
"Who are you waiting for?"
Noticing the little girl becoming more and more alert and backing away while shaking her head, Zengoro scratched his head, squat down and smiled bitterly, "Do I really look like a bad guy?"
"It's not your fault," the girl finally spoke, her voice clear and fluent. "I just don't like monks."
Too high of a regard! Zengoro grinned awkwardly. Although he was dressed like a monk, he was only an apprentice. "Why don't you like monks? Monks can help people fight off Youkai."
"All you monks are the same. You won't let me be with Sesshoumaru-sama." The little girl muttered.
This is not good, Zengoro thought. The name Sesshoumaru doesn't sound like a human name at all. Little girl, you wouldn't really be associated with Youkai, would you? It would be troublesome if someone else found out.
Just then, a voice came from the forest behind them - "Zengoro! I finally found you!" Zengoro turned around and sighed, it was his fellow apprentice, Sukeyoshi. This guy was known for being a good student, and he must have followed the path and seen Zengoro's backpack to find him. Sukeyoshi hurriedly rushed through the bushes and ran to Zengoro’s side. Without saying a word, he raised his staff towards the little girl standing near the edge of the cliff.
"Who are you, human or ghost? Zengoro, you are so lucky that I am here. Don't be tempted by the Youkai!"
Zengoro sighed again, "Don't worry. She's just an human child. She's just picking flowers here."
"Don't be silly! It's almost dark, where can you find a child picking flowers alone in such a remote forest? Didn’t master just warn you? Be careful, this thing could be the White Child that follows the Inu-Youkai!"
How coincidental, Zengoro thought. But before he could appease his anxious companion, the little girl suddenly shouted, "I just told you, I will not go back to the human village with you! What's wrong with following Sesshoumaru-sama? Why can't you just leave me alone? Please go away! Just let me stay with Sesshoumaru-sama!"
"Did you hear that? That's a Youkai name - she really is the White Child who follows the Youkai!" Sukeyoshi fiercely waved his staff and threw a stack of exorcism papers from his sleeve towards the little girl. "I won't let you escape, Youkai!"
The girl was terrified by Sukeyoshi's attack. She raised her hand to block the paper spells that hit her body and retreated all the way to the edge of the cliff with no way out.
Zengoro was desparately holding back Sukeyoshi, "This is a misunderstanding, kid! Sukeyoshi got it wrong, you're not a Youkai! Please stay away from the cliff, it's too dangerous and you could fall!"
"Let go, Zengoro! Are you enchanted by the Youkai? Have you lost your mind?"
The little girl stared at the two young monks wrestling in front of her, with a determined look on her face.
"Don't bother. No matter what, Rin will never leave Sesshoumaru-sama!"
As the sun started to sink, the golden beam of the sunset cast over her body, revealing a strange layer of soft light. Suddenly, Zengoro had a premonition of something ominous. "Don't--!"
It was too late. The girl turned around and jumped off the cliff.
Zengoro pushed Sukeyoshi aside and stumbled towards the edge. Below was a deep valley shrouded in white mist. He tried to look down, vaguely seeing a tiny figure disappearing rapidly. Poor child—Kami-sama save her!
At the moment, the remaining sunlight pierced his eyes, and the moment of calamity had come. Zengoro shuddered all over, suddenly feeling extremely disturbed, as if something terrifying was about to appear.
"Did that Youkai die?" The slow-witted Sukeyoshi babbled behind him. Zengoro’s face turned pale, he grabbed the puzzled Sukeyoshi and turned around to run.
They ran desperately all the way and finally met their master and his group at the opening of the forest edge. "Thank goodness, you're back safe and sound," the old monk breathed a sigh of relief. "I just felt an extraordinary creature passing by, but it's gone now. Tell me what happened?"
"Master! We ran into a White Child! That fool Zengoro almost got enchanted by that thing. The White Child said it was following a Youkai, so I cast spells and forced it to jump off the cliff!" Sukeyoshi boasted proudly. "The Youkai was exorcised. Now it won't harm people anymore." The apprentices all praised him in unison.
The old monk remained silent and looked at Zengoro, this child had talent and a pair of sharp eyes. Zengoro lowered his head, "It was just a human child who wanted to follow a Youkai, and was forced to jump off the cliff. We offended a big creature and were lucky to come back alive." He answered dejectedly, knowing that no one would believe him. The child had fallen from such a high place. Even if she wasn't eaten by that horrible creature, she probably would still have died.
The master lowered his eyes. After a moment, he answered ambiguously, "I won't make a judgment since I didn't witness it myself. One day, you will be on your own mission and rely on your own judgment to act. Remember, we as monks fight off Youkai in order to protect human. Don't ever forget this."
The master's words made Zengoro's head hang even lower.
---
In a vast expanse of white fog, she kept falling downwards. She couldn't see the abyss waiting ahead, nor the cliff disappearing behind her. She kept falling all the way down.
Once upon a time, she was so afraid of falling. Human instinct told her that it will only be death, hard and cold, awaited her at the end.
But she had already died once. A god in white had called her back from the land of the dead, giving her a new life and guarding her by her side. How would she still be afraid of death?
"Sesshoumaru-sama!!" In the endless fall, she opened her throat and called out to the god in her heart with all her faith.
She fell into an endless sea of soft cloud.
Rin opened her eyes to the pale pink morning light, with cicadas and birds singing softly in her ears, and her body wrapped in warm, fluffy fur. Above her, a pair of golden Youkai eyes silently questioned her.
Rin blinked, then raised her eyebrows and smiled. "It’s alright. I just dreamed about when I was little. I fell off the cliffs several times and thought I was done for, but you always caught me safely. Isn’t it amazing?"
The fur wrapped around her tightened slightly. "That's nothing," the Youkai responded as a matter of course.
"But, maybe it's because I believe you'll always catch me that I'm getting more and more adventurous," Rin's smile became mischievous. "You know, I really like the feeling of jumping off from high places."
Instead of answering, Sesshoumaru lowered his head and gently pressed his forehead against hers. Her adult body exuded a charming and peaceful fragrance. Who would have thought that this woman still retained the odd mischief of her childhood. After all, jumping off from high cliffs is indeed a strange hobby.
Rin stretched out two slender, bare arms from the soft fur and gently hugged her Youkai.
"I remembered in my dream that I was mistaken for a Youkai when I was young. They said I was a child ghost after being eaten by Inugami and had to serve by its side."
"Is that so?"
"They called it the Inugami and the White Child, after the Inu-Youkai consumed the human," Rin chuckled, "I don't know how they came up with such nonsense."
The golden eyes narrowed playfully. "It seemed logical to me."
"Huh? What do you mean..."
Rin didn't get a chance to ask. One arm with demon stripes slipped through the fur cloak and caressed her naked body, which still bore traces of their recent lovemaking.
"Again?" She didn't get to finish her question before her own gasps drowned it out. They were just talking about the rumors of the Inugami and the White Child. How did the plot suddenly take such a sharp turn? Under a series of moves, Rin was overwhelmed and unable to resist. Her Youkai lover’s sudden passion really left her so bewildered.
---
Zengoro stared at the familiar forest in front of him and fell into a reverie. For the past few years, he had followed his master in exorcising Youkai, and finally gained his own reputation. He had dealt with many of their kind, but the only ones he wouldn't touch were those who disguised as young children. There was an old knot in this young monk's heart that had yet to be untied.
"This is the place," he muttered to himself, "I never thought it would come back to the same place after these years." Only the old monk and he felt the presence of that great Youkai. Over the past few years, they fortunately had never encountered this demon. Instead, they had heard rumors about an Inu-Youkai and a human child travelling together from the renowned monk Yungai-sama. Zengoro was certain that the human girl he and Sukeyoshi had met in the woods a few years ago was the same child mentioned in these rumors.
"She wasn't a Youkai after all, but just a normal human. If we hadn't been so aggressive back then, she wouldn't have jumped off the cliff to her death..." Over the years, Zengoro had never been able to forgive himself.
It seemed that the great creature returned to this place today was probably the Inu-Youkai that the little girl had once followed. Maybe it came back to mourn or seek revenge, who knew. Do Youkai also have hearts? Are they more compassionate than certain humans? Zengoro finally made up his mind and walked into the woods alone.
As if it were fate, when Zengoro walked along the forest path to the familiar cliff edge and turned to look at the small field of wildflowers, he indeed saw a young woman wearing a soft blue kimono and a red obi standing in the flowers with her back to him.
"At first a strange child and now a strange woman..." Zengoro carefully observed the figure of the woman who could either be a human or a ghost, and suddenly came to realization. Could it be that the little girl from back then didn't die but actually grew up? Zengoro stumbled to leave the forest path and hurried towards the woman.
"Excuse me, miss. Was it you who was the child I saw here a few years ago?" The young woman turned surprised and looked at the anxious face of the monk. "Have we met before?" She asked. After recognizing Zengoro's face, her expression quickly changed. "It’s you, the monk from back then! Are you here to bother me again?" She took a step back, wary of the cliff behind her.
Zengoro immediately halted, "No, listen to me! I am indeed the monk. My companion and I did wrong back then, and I felt guilty ever since. When you fell off the cliff I thought you were... I am so glad to see that you have grown up well!"
The woman tilted her head and carefully considered Zengoro. "So you thought I was dead?" She took another step back.
Zengoro felt his legs go weak. "Miss, please don't step back any further." The scene of the little girl being forced to jump off the high cliff has been weighing heavily on his conscience.
"What about your companion, the other monk? Is he not with you this time?"
“You mean Sukeyoshi? He had long given up the job and decided to run business. ”Zengoro remembered Sukeyoshi’s farewell to him, “Zengoro, I am not suited for this work after all. I am better off making some money instead of being a monk and hurting others by accident.” At that time, Zengoro wasn’t sure if Sukeyoshi was also thinking of the child on the cliff.
"Oh," the young woman said nonchalantly, "I remember you guys thought I was the White Child who followed the Inugami around."
"I always knew you were human, but I didn't understand why you insisted on following a Youkai," Zengoro explained, "So when you jumped off the cliff that day, were you saved by that Youkai?"
The woman did not answer directly but gave a thoughtful smile. "What do you think?" She took another step back towards the cliff's edge.
Zengo felt like he was about to kneel. What is she doing? If she accidentally fell off the cliff again this time, he would never forgive himself.
The woman stared at Zengoro, who was sweating profusely. Suddenly, she gave a mischievous smile. "You see, it's always you guys meddling. I just wanted to pick some flowers here. Why wouldn't you monks leave me be?"
"It's our fault!" Zengoro immediately apologized, "Miss, I just wanted to ask one last question. I heard rumors from Kaizu City that the legendary White Inugami, who protected the ancient Heian-kyo, has reappeared in the world with a human by its side. Is that human you? Is the Youkai you've been following really that Inugami?"
She didn't say anything, but tilted her head and grinned mischievously at Zengoro. "See, you're meddling again. What can I do?"
The way she smiled gave Zengoro a sudden premonition, and he was scared out of his wits. "Miss, please don't!!"
But it was too late. The young woman left him a sort of sympathetic smile, then waved her hand, turned around, and leaped off the cliff again.
Zengoro let out a cry and rushed to the edge. The fast falling figure of the woman had already disappeared into the mist. The storm of guilt swept over him once again, completely defeating him. She was probably a ghost come to seek revenge on me, he thought in a daze. Since she had jumped, why not follow her and pay with my life?
Just then, a bright golden light flashed in front of his eyes. As if a memory replaying, the heavy terrifying sense of foreboding returned. Zengoro was frozen in place, watching as the nightmare slowly rose up before his eyes.
A pair of enormous, blood-red beast eyes appeared in front of the cliff, coldly staring at him.
Zengoro collapsed on the ground, watching as a giant white dog demon slowly rose from the valley and came face-to-face with him. Those scarlet eyes deep like an abyss, eerie blood-colored demonic energy slowly rotating in those beast pupils. In that restless sea of blood, the figures of countless dead bodies rose and fell, entwined together, with empty eye sockets and open mouths howling pain and fear. In this realm of the dead, Zengoro saw his own fragile figure reflected within it. This was not the Inugami that protected mankind, but a demon that embodied death.
"Please stop bothering us."
Suddenly, a clear, soft voice pierced the realm of nightmare and pulled him back from the curse of the dead. Zengoro followed the sound and looked up, only to see the human woman in the soft blue kimono seated on the back of the giant Inu-Youkai. Her beauty of the mortal world formed a stark contrast to the horror of this immortal demon.
So she didn't die when she jumped off. Zengoro's mind went blank as he stared at the woman's playful smile. He could only think of this one thing.
The Inu-Youkai no longer stared at the dumbstruck monk sitting on the ground, and turned away with disdain. Countless strands of white mist swirled around the beast's body. It raised its head in an incredibly elegant posture, gazing at a place in the tall sky that human eyes could not reach. Then, it suddenly leaped up, the churning white mist carrying its huge body and the human woman on its back flew into the clouds.
Zengoro collapsed, feeling as if he had been given a second chance at life. He was trembling and gasping for breath for a long time, and finally starting to realize—
Did this human woman jump off the cliff just to scare him? Was it really that fun?
---
High up in the sky, a vast and quiet palace hides in the clouds. Legend has it that a beautiful Inukimi resides there. It is even quieter than the deepest of nights, with only distant memories occasionally making a sound. The noble lady who resides in the palace gazes at the wheel of time with her unfeeling eyes, and time gazes back at her in return.
Taking a deep breath, Rin visited this palace for the second time in her life. It is also the birthplace of her Youkai husband. The mother and the son, who look so alike, were both beings born above the clouds.
However, at this moment, she did not understand why Sesshoumaru-sama suddenly brought her here.
"My dear son," the lady sitting in the throne spoke lazily, "I didn't expect to see you so soon. I remember when you visited not long ago. Where did the little human girl you brought with you go?"
"...asking a question you already know the answer to," standing besides Rin, Sesshoumaru squeezes out a sentence from his teeth.
"Oh?" The emotionless golden eyes quickly scanned Rin's body, followed by a teasing smile. "Full grown already. It looks like I was right, you really did eat her."
As Rin's cheeks suddenly turned red, Sesshoumaru calmly replied, "That's right."
This time it was the mother’s turn to pause, as if she hadn't expected her ill-tempered son to respond so shamelessly. "So, what brings you here this time?" she asked.
Sesshoumaru turned to looked at Rin. With a suggesting look in his eyes, Rin was puzzled for a moment before she realized what he implied. Her face turned red again - he was referring to THAT, he actually remembered her silly words! To make matters worse, he even wanted her to say it.
"Your Excellency Lady Mother," Rin had to speak up, "I, um, Sesshomaru-sama and I have come here to let you know...that I'm pregnant, with hanyou twins. And they are both..."
"Girls," the beautiful lady lazily cut in, "Don't underestimate my sense of smell."
Rin blushed even more for some odd reason. But she had to finish speaking, "If you like, you're welcome to come see your granddaughters anytime, or we will have them visit you!" When Rin found out she was pregnant not long ago, she foolishly suggested to Sesshoumaru-sama that they should deliver the news to the cloud realm above. "After all, she's your Lady Mother." Rin remembered that when she made the suggestion, Sesshoumaru's face suddenly turned gloomy. She thought their discussion had ended there, but she didn't expect him to bring her to the palace and let her complete the idea.
But if this kind of news had to be delivered by Sesshoumaru-sama himself, it would definitely be a very different story...
The Lady Mother curved her lips slightly, with less of the usual mischievousness and an illusion of warmth instead. "I see. What a lovely child," she said. Then she turned to Sesshoumaru and her expression immediately changed. "I need to speak with you - you dissolute son."
Upon hearing the words "dissolute son," steam practically started emitting from Rin's face. "I'll take my leave now! I'll, uh, wait for you at the entrance..." After saying this, she hurriedly escaped from the two great Inu-Youkai.
The palace in the clouds fell silent once again.
"As expected, Sesshoumaru," his mother spoke up once more, "It seemed you had already chosen your fate from the beginning. I should have realized it when we last met."
"I know," the great Inu-Youkai, who bore a resemblance to his mother, nodded slightly. "I am prepared."
The beautiful and proud Lady Mother exhaled slowly. She didn't smell the scent of the flower of Asagao, which had once accompanied the deceased Inu no Taisho like a gloomy fate. Instead, she inhaled a natural and primitive fragrance that fearlessly roamed this silent and deserted palace. It was the smell of life itself. In that young human woman’s healthy body, conceived new lives merged from a life born in the clouds and a life grown on the earth.
The wheel of fate had already begun to turn. Amid the irresistible sound of the wheel, she finally nodded her head as well.
At the bottom of the long staircase, Rin ran all the way to the end where the entrance to the palace was a spacious and empty platform, with corners extending into an endless sea of white clouds. Moments ago, Sesshoumaru-sama had carried her in his true form and leapt from the clouds to land on this platform.
Rin approached the edge with caution, the rolling clouds licking her feet like waves, tempting her to take a fatal step forward into the void of the soft sea, and fall endlessly.
She covered her burning cheeks with both hands, slowly calming herself down. How could she be so stupid as to let Sesshoumaru-sama take her here? She hadn't even had time to change or bathe! She should have known that the Lady Mother had such a keen sense of smell. They had been intimate this morning, and had been entwined for days before that. His scent was all over her body, from her lips to her chest and deep between her legs.
"I am too wanton," Rin thought, giving up on herself. But there was nothing she could do. On that note, Sesshomaru-sama was no different in this regard. No wonder he had been left behind for a talk.
After thinking it over, Rin gradually calmed down. She stood at the edge of the cloud platform with her hands down, watching the constantly flowing white sea beneath her feet. Time passed. Suddenly a gust of wind spiraled up, lifting her sleeves and tearing open a rift in the heavy sea of clouds below.
Rin stared at the scene unfolding below her for what seemed like a very long time.
As Sesshoumaru took the final steps down the staircase, he noticed the slender figure dressed in soft blue kimono standing at the edge of the cloud platform, lost in thought. The wind whipped at her sleeves, making her look like a bird poised to take flight.
"What are you looking at?" he asked as he approached her.
Rin turned her head slightly towards him, her gaze still fixed downwards. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she began slowly. "From your birthplace, has my world always looked like this to you?"
He followed her gaze downwards. At some point, the sea of clouds beneath them had parted, revealing a vast expanse of distant land stretching out under the boundless sky. Countless lakes sparkled like small jewels scattered across the plains. Human cities and villages dotted the landscape, while their tiny figures worked the fields or fought battles against each other. Far beyond human eyes, demons roamed the mountains and forests. Giant birds glided slowly past them, emerging briefly from the mist beneath.
Sesshoumaru nodded slowly, his golden eyes fixed on the woman beside him. Thanks to her, these eyes that were born high above the clouds had finally begun to see the tiny humble lives far below.
Rin smiled at him as contentment spread across her face. "Thank you for bringing me to your birthplace, Sesshoumaru-sama. I love this beautiful place. And I hope you can also appreciate the world where I was born."
Together, they focused their gaze on the deep space below the cloud platform. The sky was his birthplace, while the earth far below on the other end was her home. She was one of the lives that grew up barefoot on this land of dust, and nobody was closer to this primitive earth than her. He never told her that at the lowest point in his life, when he fell from the heights of the clouds, his pride crushed with him in the mud. At that moment of utmost despair, he met her. In the aftermath of that encounter, he walked beside her on this earth. In her birthplace, and in her embrace, he finally grasped the meaning of the immortal life of an Inuyoukai born in the skies.
"Let's go, Sesshoumaru-sama." The wind touched Rin's bangs, as she stretched out a soft hand, which was firmly held by the Youkai’s clawed hand. "It's time to go back. I really want to know what it feels like to jump from such a high place." There was a spoiled excitement in her tone. With him by her side, she would never feel afraid again, for death shall no longer await her at the end of the fall. Instead, her Youkai husband would always be there to catch her and protect her. She loved the feeling of jumping freely, with no fear or hesitation!
He smiled slightly, his tall body protecting her delicate figure. She took him by the hand and together they leaped off the cloud platform, falling towards the deep sky. The wind rushed against them, wrapping their bodies tightly together. White clouds flew by, and they continued to fall. The sky of the past was thrown behind, while the land of future awaited them ahead.
They kept falling, falling towards the expansive earth, towards the vast land of soil, and towards her homeland, falling into his strong arms, and into her gentle embrace.