fangsofdestruction

[fangsofdestruction]

Continued from: [x] || @blossomingbellflower Legacy post, so it wasn't cutting properly.

Sesshomaru had read over some documents while Kikyo had shut her eyes to sleep. Though she said it would be a brief slumber, he wasn’t holding his breath on that matter. The side effects of the curse she’d just been afflicted with resulted in her being more drained than usual- so it would stand to reason that she’d require more sleep than usual.

The Demon would much rather her get ample amount of rest than rouse her from her sleep. Her quiet and rhythmic breathing was white noise to the ear, noticeable and yet becomes one with the atmosphere- feeling natural.

When the breathing pattern changed, he knew that she’d awoken from her sleep, so his eyes slowly lift from his document to watch as she rubbed her cheek into her pillow- and pause. No doubt, her senses picked up on the Demonic energy nearby. Her eyelids flutter open, revealing her brown eyes, directly staring into his.

       ❝Have you rested well? You should sleep more if you’re still tired.❞

The mokomoko that encircled around her protectively to prevent her from rolling off the bed coiled itself next to him in a mass of fluffy fur if she wanted to sit up beside him.

       ❝If you’re done sleeping, you can sit by me.❞

It was simply nonsensical to consider allowing her to leave right after she woke from her sleep. She should wait for her mind to become fully alert to her surroundings, ready like a notched arrow to attack any idiotic being that would attack her. She should also consider enjoying a snack before leaving if she was feeling a bit pekish.

       ❝Fruit can be provided upon your request if you’d care for some.❞

His attention returned to his documents, reading them over. Eyebrows were relaxed as he read over the reports. He had yet to mention, as he believed it wasn’t truly of any real relevance, that he kept tabs on the descendants of associates. Of which, Inuyasha’s descendants were of course included. It was the least he could do as the distant relative of the descendants- ensuring that none of them experience a resurgence of their Demon ancestry.

It was what he owed his half-brother who was robbed of much he was owed due to circumstances well beyond his means. Rin’s descendants fared well, as did the Monk and Demon huntresses’ descendants. There were certainly a lot of them to keep tabs of. Some, still remained in the business of Demon hunting, surprisingly.

On occasion, he’d receive reports on their lives which had provided some comfort to the lonely Demon left alone in the annals of time.

[fangsofdestruction]

Sesshomaru nods his head in understanding. The privilege to roam freely was something he was accustomed to once upon a time, but that era has been put behind him a long time ago now. It was a reminder that nothing was ever permanent, even the powerful Demons that could keep humans awake at night in terror.

        ❝Though we can roam among the humans now, it isn’t the same as things were back then.❞

Ironically, he didn’t really mind this change in times. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t roam the skies in his true form like he once could at his own discretion, but with his inability to do so- came peace.

        ❝It’s a sign that Japan is at peace. Demons roaming out in the open is a sign of a Demon posturing to others that they wish to lay claim to a territory. Just as the humans war over territories, so did Demons.❞

The peace was welcome to an older Demon like himself. It wasn’t to say that he wouldn’t be able to go to war for the sake of his territory, but he did appreciate the peace if it meant that more children would be capable of living to adulthood.

        ❝Mingling among humans is a small price to pay to allow the children to grow up safely with their parents.❞

Speaking of parents…

        ❝Have you an opinion on the subject of humans and Demons being wed?❞

The sudden questions did cause Mukuro's eyes to widen for just a moment, she almost had forgotten for a moment that the children were still present with them, so when a couple of them started asking questions all of a sudden, it caught her off guard。 But it was just as quick as the surprise showed on her face, a small smile grew on her lips。

「I did,」 Mukuro gave a small nod of her head as she answered that question, 「and I guess it is kind of stuffy? I never really gave it much thought, but that's a good way to put it。」 Hiding her ears felt like she was wearing a pair of earmuffs, it was uncomfortable, but she had gotten used to the feeling for so long that whenever she would uncover her ears, she needed to be in silence for a moment so she wouldn't get overwhelmed。

「There have been a few times when it was, mainly of my own volition。I would love to live life like that, freely roaming。」

[fangsofdestruction]

Popo listened to Mukuro think about her choices, eliminating down to two: Nekomata and Bakeneko. Very similar creatures, so it was understandable to get the two confused. She seemed set on guessing either of the two with a partial preference towards the Nekomata. Popo taps at the air, as if it were inputting her answer into a database.

𝔸𝕟𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕣 [ℕ𝕖𝕜𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕒] 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕥.

𝕆𝕟𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤.

Perhaps because Popo wanted to save on time, it tapped at the air again to input the other answer. There was food still waiting on them, after all.

𝔸𝕟𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕣 [𝔹𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕜𝕠] 𝕚𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕥.

𝔸𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥: 𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕖 𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘

ℝ𝕖𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕕: 𝕌𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕕 [𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕖] 𝕗𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖.

“Just so you know, you weren’t really incorrect with your thought on Nekomata,” Popo starts to explain, flying over to the kitchen to sit at the table, pawing at plates it prepared for Mukuro earlier. “The original host enjoyed taking in strays off the streets to get it ready to be adopted by someone else. The latest cat the host was trying to gain the trust of was a Nekomata who killed her. A skillful one, as it left very little signs of injury on the body.”

That was the reason why the injuries on the body didn’t quite match the description of a body being skinned. The Nekomata in question was a skilled one, who was able to do so with minimal damage to the flesh. “The reason why you don’t see Tama anywhere is because when it realized that the Nekomata killed it’s owner, it fought against it and killed it.” The achievement title ‘Discovered Revenge Killing,’ was very apt in this case. “The journal entry is Tama’s lament over being unable to protect their owner, who raised it from a kitten.”

A true shame it was that a gentle and caring soul was betrayed by a cat that she was trying to save off the streets. Unfortunately, it was a malicious cat who repaid grace with evil. “I assume Tama had plans to try to live out the hosts life in her place for a time before it’s natural lifespan ended.”

That was the explanation behind why Tama was nowhere to be seen, even though there was no signs indicating that it had passed. It would also explain who the ‘mother’ that died was- the original host. It wasn’t the host speaking of her own mother, but Tama the cat’s human mother who died.

“Your prize is the ‘save’ feature. You’re able to place an unlimited number of save points in the game that you can jump back to. If you make a choice and later realize you’ve made the wrong choice, you can jump back to a previous save point.” This was a staple feature in a lot of dating simulation games where you could unlock different CGs based on your choices at certain events. “You only need to say [save point] to create one. Note that not all choice screens are the same, so you may not be able to create a [save point] at some choice screens.”

There was a small, exasperated sigh that left Mukuro when Popo said that because of the glitches in the system due to her odd entry into this game, the ability to look at her status wasn't a possibility。

「Damn。。。 that's unfortunate。」 Mukuro's lips pursed for a moment before relaxing, that was something she couldn't really fix, sure it would be really handy to have that ability available to her, but she has no choice but to work without it。 「It's alright, I'll make do。」

At least hearing about being able to pull up a glossary by thinking was enough to mitigate the disappointment she had in regard to being unable to see her stats。

「Thank you,」 Mukuro said with a small nod and watched as Popo summoned a screen and used the glossary search function, she would keep a mental note about how the glossary will only pick through results that are local to the area。 Carefully reading each entry, there were at least two that particularly stuck out to Mukuro。

「I think that either we're dealing with a Bakeneko or a Nekomata? Mainly with shapeshifting and potential black mailing? But that's just basing off of that 'I'm sorry Mom' in the journal。。。」  Mukuro hums softly, those were the two she felt more strongly towards considering that the gotoku neko loved being around fire places and so far, Mukuro hadn't caught any type of hint that there someplace that had a fireplace that the host character liked to go to and the Maneki neko just didn't seem to fit。

「But those are the two I'm feeling more drawn towards, but now the question is, is the injuries on the host's body due to being reanimated? Because for the Nekomata entry it says that some suggest that a nekomata skins a human and I don't think the injuries on this body match those of what a skinning would entail, but then again, maybe it is? But I guess I do get two chances at guessing and if I'm down to just two entries I'm feeling like it could be, then there's a good chance I get it right。」

[fangsofdestruction]

Sesshomaru could relate to outliving those that you felt affection for, considering he had experienced that first hand when Kagura died, and when Rin's natural lifespan ran out, along with the original Jaken. He did leave descendants behind, but it wasn't quite the same.

"Did you move because you didn't wanna lose anyone else? Demons live a long time!" A little voice asks as her head pops out from atop of Sesshomaru's head. A child had decided to climb up his back and perch right on top of his head. Another child chimes in next, "Does it feel weird you hide your ears and tail?" They had illusion magic that they could cast to hide their features, so there was no discomfort for them, but some found it 'stuffy' (usually the ones with multiple limbs).

The Kumicho picks up the little kit from the top of his head and handed her off to Hebisuke, who understood the implicit request to lead the children away for a moment. Just in case any of the topics veered in a direction not meant for children.

        ❝Unintentional seducing, you say. Seduction and mischievousness are common traits one can find with the kitsune. Though, some are pious as shrine guardians.❞

The idea of shrine guardians made him recall the existence of miko, a profession he actually had some respect for, given the influences they had on Rin.

        ❝Has your identity ever been compromised to the humans? I come from a time where Demons freely roamed.❞

It certainly was a change of pace now, to be a Demon in hiding, so he was curious about how that change in culture changed her life.

「Thank you,」 Mukuro bowed her head slightly with a soft smile, she was quite proud of the fact that she had been living quite a successful life even with the type of upbringing she had, and to hear someone say something like that was quite nice。 Not many people knew about how she grew up, how it felt like she had nothing and managed to do just fine despite it all。

「Of course, I don't mind at all,」 after all she did say that she would answer whatever questions Sesshomaru had, 「I think a big difficulty was commonly out living people I tended to grow close to, I couldn't live in one spot very long because of it。 I quickly came to realize that no one else felt the same as me, if that makes sense, I knew they weren't hiding ears or tails like I had to。」

「I also wasn't treated too kindly from time to time, a lot of people accused me of seducing their partners。 A majority of the time it was unintentional of course, but regardless it was never a pleasant experience。」

[fangsofdestruction]

Popo allowed her to think to herself while it was preparing the food, but it did have an impeccable sense of hearing, so it was able to hear her thinking to herself, and she was pretty much on the right track from the sounds of things, which was a good thing. It finished making something simple, a side salad and fried rice, two staple dishes that weren’t difficult to make.

Flying back to Mukuro, “Sadly, because of the glitches in the system with your odd entry into the game, the feature of seeing the stats of your body is broken. I’m sorry…” It was a true shame that Mukuro wasn’t able to truly enjoy the game to the fullest potential because of the glitch that the main system was still trying to figure out.

“Your idea is very plausible, though. If you call up a glossary by thinking about it in your head, you will be able to search for information. If what you suspect is true, then the cat inside of the original host’s body can’t be a normal cat.”

Which means, in this world setting where spirits and demons exist, the cat had to be some otherworldly being. “I’ll help you,” Popo summons a screen and types in [cat demons] into the search bar and four options pop up. “The glossary will only pick through results that are local to the area.” It would be unreasonable to expect for the players to sort through all possibilities around the world, much less the universe.

Bakeneko: Cats who live to an old age can develop supernatural powers, and unlike the Nekomata, the Bakeneko only have one tail. They possess shape-shifting abilities and often take shape of their masters. Sometimes, they will eat their master to assume their form. They can cause misfortune or reanimate fresh corpses to use as puppets. Not all bakeneko will be malicious towards their owners, however, but all nekomata are. Be mindful of this distinction.

Nekomata: The oldest and largest cats that live to an old age will have their tails split into two, causing a forked appearance. They’re similar to the Bakeneko, able to walk on their hind legs, are capable of human speech, shape-shift, and can also reanimate the dead. They can use their influence to blackmail or enslave humans. They also have the ability to summon fireballs. Some suggest that a Nekomata may skin a human to create the perfect disguise to fool humans with.

Gotoku neko: a type of nekomata, with the difference that the tips of their tails burn like torches. They love being around fireplaces and use bamboo pipes to blow air on the fire to stoke the flames.

Maneki Neko: A popular variation of the bakeneko, which brings good luck and fortune. The color of the cat is significant as black symbolizes luck and can be used to ward against evil spirits. Red symbolize luck with health, being able to repel smallpox and measles. Many maneki nenko in the past have brought riches to their masters, or have saved their masters from disaster.  

“You can try guessing the answer if you’d like. You have two chances to get it right,” Popo informs her, thinking that Mukuro might be able to solve the mystery soon. “Don’t forget about all the clues you’ve gathered so far.”

Mukuro lets out a little hum, her head tilting slightly as she thought over Popo's words, 'Who's mother?' That really got Mukuro thinking more, since she assumed that the mother who had passed was the host character's mother, but Popo's words made it seem like Mukuro's assumption was wrong。

With that bit of knowledge as well as the injuries on Mukuro's body having no pain to them, Mukuro felt truly at a loss of what could be happening。 A small hum would leave Mukuro as she looked through the banking app on the phone and noticed that there weren't any kind of medical transactions, just general expenses。

Mukuro's gaze would look back at Popo when it made comment about Mukuro's suggestion about brain implants, and that perhaps there was some truth to what she said。

「Okay,」 Mukuro gave a nod when Popo said that it was going to get food started, 「yeah that is a good point。。。 I didn't notice any type of note in the diary about the passing of the cat。」 Mukuro let out another hum in thought, thumbing through the pages of the diary once again。 「Yeah, I am quite curious about that, unless her mother was turned into the cat she was caring for? But that sounds a bit too。。。 far-fetched。」 

「Or maybe the cat is me?」 There are injuries on her body and Popo said that maybe her mention of brain implants wasn't far off, 「is there a system that shows me the like。。。 status of my body? Like how some games have like stats you can level up or something。」

[fangsofdestruction]

Sesshomaru, what's so great about Kikyou ? [gumi verse]

[Unprompted ask]

Sesshomaru allowed Jaken to sort through the messages he receives from the mysterious entity that often plagues him, and sometimes things slip through the cracks as he’s a busy imp!

Today was not one such day. Jaken reads through the note and a ‘Keh! Preposterous to be so presumptuous to believe the Kumicho would answer such drivel!’

He was a correct imp to say such a thing. Why would Sesshomaru answer such a thing to some faceless entity about how he viewed others? It wasn’t within their purview to gain access into his mind, much less his heart.

It’d be a different story if someone had asked him point blank. There was a 10% chance he’d answer a personal question.

[fangsofdestruction]

Sesshomaru, why human ? Surely there were demons that were suitable to tie yourself to ?

Unprompted Ask

"There were, but is that reason enough to consider wedding them?" He looks upon the mysterious creature with bored eyes... which seemed to house a twinge of pity.

A shame that this mysterious creature believed that one should tie themselves to those that are 'suitable.' Many of such relationships do not last without the considerable effort of both parties.

"This Sesshomaru would only tie himself to one he deems fitting for the part." He wouldn't engage in a loveless relationship nor did he have the patience to play pretend. Neither of his parents could force him into a relationship, even if Toga still breathed on this Earth.

As such, there was no such thing as finding someone 'suitable'. The only option was to find the one he felt a tie to that pulled his heart.

It was just that simple, and yet, complex.

[fangsofdestruction]

Any dog could change should they be motivated enough, and what the motivator was- that determined how willing the dog would be to learn. Some were food motivated, and some were simply hungry for affection. There was the unfortunate few who had to learn through fear. Surely Inuyasha fell into the latter category where many of his life lessons and battle know-how were learned through fear and his sheer determination to live.

       ❝I will revise my statement, we will have a happy ending.❞

Yes, this Sesshomaru can learn to admit where he erred. The very first Jaken would roll in his grave if he knew of this- how favorable it was that his soul now lived on in the afterlife, probably recounting stories of his Lord to Inu no Taisho (not that Sesshomaru would believe he deserved that right).

Rather than returning the squeeze of his hand, he instead gently pulled his hand away to guide her by the small of her back towards himself. His fur had manifested itself into the open again (though normally hidden by illusions) to serve as a cushioning barrier between him and the ground. Kikyo was guided to sit in his lap, a posture that he was quickly finding it to be a habit that he was forming with her. Fingers soon interlocking with hers once again.

There was something so comforting in holding her in his arms, to have her nestled against him so his scent would rub off onto her (and hers onto him). She’d never be safer anywhere else than within his hold, and knowing she could relax in his presence was the highest praise a warrior (though retired) could bare.

       ❝This life will end with a smile where you alone occupy my soul and no one else.❞

He couldn’t promise his heart to her alone, as he was well aware that Kikyo would one day desire children. He had heart to give to them, but his soul was hers alone to claim. It was his vow that wherever her soul would go, he would follow her like a loyal hound.

Kikyou's hues were filled with warmth and softness as she listened to her beloved speak. Her smile shifting from bittersweet to genuine happiness and contentment. How could it not ? Not only was he showcasing his ability to tease, but his willingness to continue to learn, to teach and love, along with an subtle promise he will certainly keep. Kikyou never had a need to doubt his words back in the past and certainly not now.

Sesshomaru has certainly matured over the decades and it was fascinating to witness, reconciling the Sesshomaru of today with the Sesshomaru of the past.

"That saying is quite erroneous and really should be changed. I believe that any dog can change--provided they are motivated enough.", she responded, permitting mirth to intertwine with her words.

Kikyou's smile widened slightly as she lifted their interlocked hands to press a kiss to the back of his hand. "We both have some teaching and learning to do--but because it is us, I know we will be successful."

It was a simple fact more so than bragging. Both of them were stubborn, astute, determined and always striving to be better--in some shape or form. Neither shirked easily from challenges or will allow the other to resign without a proper 'fight'.

"No..WE will have a happy ending.", she corrected, squeezing his hand lightly. "There is no happy ending without you."

[fangsofdestruction]

Sesshomaru nods his head in understanding. He only had his mother left…and perhaps his many very distantly related descendants from Inuyasha’s line, if they even counted with how diluted their blood was in this day and age. His mother normally kept herself in her castle and Sesshomaru kept to his own domain on land, but he did seldomly go to visit her. It wasn’t too odd for offspring and child to keep distance once the child had reached adulthood, but it didn’t sound as though that were the case with Mukuro. It sounded like she had been cast aside from even before she’d become an adult.

        ❝You’d managed quite the life for yourself, from what I’ve gathered thus far.❞

It was a compliment to her ability to her perseverance in surviving without her parents, even if it may not readily sound like one.

        ❝If you wouldn’t mind, would you recount some of the difficulties you’ve faced?❞

He was curious to know if any of her struggles may have aligned with the struggles his own half-brother faced. It was something he’d been curious about, but never had the right to ask Inuyasha about. The relationship between the brothers were very strained and there was never enough effort on either of their ends to mend the rift after enough time had passed and they’d found their own packs to live with.  

「Last I checked they were alive, yes。」 Mukuro gave a small nod, she knew that it probably did seem a bit odd that her parents didn't care too much for her seeing as one would assume that kitsune worked like normal foxes。 Truthfully she didn't know why they did such a thing, she could only really speculate, so her assumption was that they just changed their minds after having her。

「There was a bit of difficulty of course, I knew there were some things about me that were very different from humans。。。」 Like life expectancy of course, that made things rather difficult when it came to wanting relationships, 「but I like to pride myself on being rather quick to adapt, so I don't think it took me too long to adapt to living amongst humans。」

[fangsofdestruction]

Popo grins widely before it started to lick it’s paws again, “Hm… there was a motherly figure that passed,” as evidenced by the last journal entry, “but whose mother was it that passed, that’s for you to figure out. That’s as much of a hint I’m allowed to give you.” So, Popo wasn’t denying a mother figure had passed, but the key point was to figure out who’s mother passed, and that there in lies the biggest hint.

Mukuro had finally noticed the odd injuries on the body of the host that Mukuro was occupying, another big hint that should lead her in the right direction of the mystery she had to solve. “That’s a good idea, maybe there are records of an injury or a surgery.” Popo flies over to fetch the phone to hand it to Mukuro to look through. The original host had their passwords autofilled, so it wasn’t an issue to log into the banking app. Mukuro would be able to see the history for the past couple of months, and there wasn’t anything suspicious.

There was only transactions for buying cat food, treats, transportation fees, clothing, groceries, medication for the elderly cat the host kept, and delivery-services. There was no indication that the host had gone to any hospital. “Looks like the host hadn’t gone to a hospital. The stitches and the cuts on the hands are pretty suspicious because you should still be able to feel pain.” It was that added bit of realism to the game, to turn on the pain receptors to allow the players to feel a real sense of urgency. "Must be a reason why you can't feel those specific things."

Popo starts flying overhead, “I’m curious about your comment about brain implants. Maybe there is some truth to what you thought?” Popo’s stomach growled after that comment, “I’ll leave you to your thoughts while I get some food started.” Popo flies into the kitchen and prepares a bowl of cat food for itself. “Still wonder what happened to the cat the host was caring for. You’d think the host would note it in the diary if it had passed. The host kept all the belongings and the food as well.” Next was to get started on the food for Mukuro. Don’t underestimate a system! It can cook even with cute paws!

「Oh, you're welcome,」 while she was relieved that what she had thought of was ruled out, it was also quite nice to hear that it could be an idea that would be considered for another plot in a different game。 She nodded when Popo told her that it couldn't answer her right away and instead gave her a vague-ish answer, a bummer of course, but it was understandable。

「And is that death you mentioned this character's mother? Or is that a different death?」 Mukuro had assumed that was the case, but she figured it was better to confirm that assumption than to keep it as is。

Mukuro's brows would furrow when she saw the small cuts at her fingertips and nail bed, and a small gasp would leave her when she felt the long, stitched cut at the scalp line at her neck。

「Yes, there are small cuts at my fingertips and nail beds, they don't hurt, and you can't really see it unless you're looking for them。 There's also what feels to be a stitched cut on my neck that's close to the scalp line, and like the fingertip injuries, it doesn't hurt。。。」  There's a long hum that comes from Mukuro as she's asked about any other possible reasons for the changed handwriting。

「I don't think this is any type of brain implant? Or maybe there was some kind of head injury? Maybe I should look around to see if there's like。。。 any hospital bills lying around, or check the banking app and see if there's a payment。」

[fangsofdestruction]

“Hmmm interesting! May prove for an interesting plot point for a different game. I’ll note that for the servers, thank you.” Popo paws at the air, playing with a screen that only it could see in admin mode. As it was doing so, it was still listening to Mukuro speak, registering some of her thoughts for the change in handwriting in the diary. Ears flinched and twitched at one of her questions. “Hm… that’s a difficult one that I cannot answer right away,” Popo licked its paw to begin grooming itself.

“I suppose the safest way for me to answer you is that a death was involved before you were brought in, so you don’t have to worry about your presence here killing the original host.”

Once Mukuro made her way to the bathroom to look over her body, she may notice some tiny cut marks at the fingertips, around the nailbeds of her fingers. Oddly, none of it would hurt, even if she were to prod at the tiny injuries. It wouldn’t be easy to see, but she would be able to feel that there was a long cut that ran alongside her scalpline on her neck. It was so close to her bottom scalpline that it would’ve been difficult to notice.

Again, it didn’t hurt. Running fingers along the cut would also reveal something that felt like stitches. “Find anything interesting?” Popo asks, still in the other room, “Maybe there is another reason behind the changed handwriting in the diary?”

「It's a folklore thing, that like crossroads were areas that represented an area between worlds, which would allow for the paranormal and spirits to be contacted more easily。 I think it's a big thing in more Western cultures?」 Mukuro could be wrong, of course, it had been a while since she had read something about it。

「The only things I could think of are if someone was running out of time or in a rush and had to quickly scribble something down, or they were dying and maybe wanted to write that down before they passed?」 Mukuro thought about it for a moment, 「would you be able to tell me if when I came to exist in this body it was already alive? Is this some sort of transmigration type of scenarios? Or would that be something you aren't able to tell me?」 

Another hum would sound out from Mukuro when Popo reminded her that humans and non-humans existed in this world and when their second hint of maybe there was something on the host's body that Mukuro didn't notice。 

「I guess I haven't actually done a thorough look over of this body。」 Since, to her, she looked like herself, Mukuro didn't even realize that there could be marks on the body that were not hers。 「Well, time to go to the bathroom and look myself over。」 Making her way to the bathroom, Mukuro would strip away her clothing enough to the point where she could possibly get a good view of everything using a mirror。

[fangsofdestruction]

Sesshomaru listened to her sort explanation, and he wouldn’t help but be curious about the ostracization, and why her parents weren’t in the picture. One may think that fox demons had the same family dynamics as a regular fox, but that wasn’t the case. The female and male both stick together to raise the young in most cases. It was because they had to face more perils than the average animal, so having two parents raise a kit increased the odds of the offspring being fit for life.

         ❝It is peculiar to hear that your parents left you not long after you were born, but I don’t suppose you know the reasoning behind it. Are they still alive?❞

It could be the case of the parents leaving her side because of death, something that he could relate with. Of course, in human years, he was a teen when his father passed, so it didn’t seem quite right to compare that with Mukuro’s circumstances where she was just a baby.

Interestingly enough, it seemed that the mother had abandoned her child as well, which was uncharacteristic for the fox demons, as they were dutiful parents who raised their young carefully. Even with the inu-youkai like himself, he was raised by his mother until he was an adult who then sought out to explore the world for himself.

The idea of getting used to living among humans struck his interest. Though he was familiar with them, he never truly acclimated to living among them, merely tolerating their company for periods of time.

        ❝Did you not struggle to live among the humans being a Demon yourself?❞

He knew about the struggles Inuyasha faced in attempting to find a home for himself as he was accepted by neither human or demons. Perhaps, it was the same for her.

There was one child living on the premises that Mukuro hadn’t met yet, and that was because she was too young (by Demon standards), so her parents very rarely let her out. Disregarding that, she was a part of the nocturnal species, so unless you were a nightowl, you might miss her.

        ❝There is a young Demon who is still staying with her parents. She should still be asleep at this hour.❞

Golden eyes glance at one of the children, Tama, and pats the top of her head. There would’ve been another child for Mukuro to meet if they hadn’t met their untimely death at the hands of humans decades ago. That wasn't his story to tell, however.

        ❝I’m curious as to how you found yourself in the company of humans rather than your own kind. Was it a case of ostracization, or do you find them fascinating?❞

That was often the case with Demons that integrated themselves into human society. They were either ousted out of Demon society, or they found humans fascinating enough to want to immerse themselves among their ranks. They were considered odd, but what does that matter to a Demon who largely acts out of self-interest anyways?

He really was curious about whether she found it more comfortable living among humans or Demons. Maybe her insight may help him understand his half-brother who couldn’t make the choice between one or the other.

[fangsofdestruction]

The feline ears flicked in an upright position, “what’s that? A crossroads deal? What does that mean?” It wasn’t a saying that was native to their dimension, nor was it something that was said in the game world, so Popo didn’t know what it meant. Finding new knowledge to add into the information database would only make the games more inclusive and immersive for a variety of players in the future as more updates get added.

“Hm… maybe she made a deal… or maybe it’s something else entirely.” Popo flew around the room. “Could you think of another reason why someone’s writing and behavior may change suddenly?” It suddenly stops flying when a thought comes to it. “Oh- unless you’re not aware of it in your world? The games do take information from your world to adjust the gameplay to make playing more comfortable for the player, though, so it should exist in your world.” After all, the game would get too difficult to acclimate to if the world building was entirely different from what the player was used to.

Not to say that such games didn’t exist, but they were exclusive to seasoned players who were at the SS-rank level, they could adjust to entirely new worlds with technologies unfamiliar to them. Mukuro wasn’t thrown into such a game, luckily. There was some level of familiarity that would help her play through the game. “Remember that humans and non-humans exist in this world. That will give you a hint on why the original host differs from how people remember her.”

“Maybe the body of the host holds some clues that you’ve overlooked.” There was something Popo did advise her to try before that she may have glossed over.

Mukuro had always been the type to refuse food or drink from someone if she wasn't there to watch it be prepared, this of course didn't apply to eating at restaurants, but in a game where there were nonhumans amongst humans and Mukuro had no prior knowledge on this game or the characters in it, she felt it was better to be safe rather than sorry。 So she'd accept the cup with a small polite smile, but wouldn't drink from it。 

At the end of the overtime shift, Mukuro didn't feel like she wasted time, after all she got more names to add to her ever-growing list of characters。 She was also a bit thankful that not only was the overtime shift uneventful but the commute home, so much had already been introduced to her that any more information or event that would happen would be a bit overwhelming to her。

「Oh thank god,」 she says when Popo informs her that the journal didn't have a lock on it and immediately opened it to read through the entries and when Popo added that the last entry was particularly interesting, Mukuro flipped to the last written page of the journal。 A hum left her throat as she read over the short passage。

「That is interesting。。。 the handwriting between this entry and the others are quite different。 It's possible that she was in a rush when she wrote it or perhaps she had a made a deal of some kind? Like one of those crossroads deals?」 But from what she read, nothing in the past entries made her think that some kind of deal was to be made。

[fangsofdestruction]

There was one child living on the premises that Mukuro hadn’t met yet, and that was because she was too young (by Demon standards), so her parents very rarely let her out. Disregarding that, she was a part of the nocturnal species, so unless you were a nightowl, you might miss her.

        ❝There is a young Demon who is still staying with her parents. She should still be asleep at this hour.❞

Golden eyes glance at one of the children, Tama, and pats the top of her head. There would’ve been another child for Mukuro to meet if they hadn’t met their untimely death at the hands of humans decades ago. That wasn't his story to tell, however.

        ❝I’m curious as to how you found yourself in the company of humans rather than your own kind. Was it a case of ostracization, or do you find them fascinating?❞

That was often the case with Demons that integrated themselves into human society. They were either ousted out of Demon society, or they found humans fascinating enough to want to immerse themselves among their ranks. They were considered odd, but what does that matter to a Demon who largely acts out of self-interest anyways?

He really was curious about whether she found it more comfortable living among humans or Demons. Maybe her insight may help him understand his half-brother who couldn’t make the choice between one or the other.

When said that Mukuro was free to ask questions, be it of the Gumi or of Sesshomaru himself, as well as having the floor open for her to talk about herself if she wishes, Mukuro gave a small nod。 There were some questions that came to mind that she didn't recall asking him yet。

「Are these all the children within the Gumi?」 These were the only children she had seen so far, so she was led to believe that was the case, but there was a possibility that there were younger ones that weren't old enough to leave their parents sides。 But it was something that she was curious about。

As for questions about himself, Mukuro couldn't of any that she hadn't asked already and as for talking about herself Mukuro never knew really where to start。

「I'm fine with answering any questions you have about me。」

[fangsofdestruction]

Hiatus Notice (April 15-20)

Sup? Going on a trip, so I'll be gone. Will reply to stuff when I return.

HMU on discord if ya have it. Bye for now.

[fangsofdestruction]

Even if Mukuro had put off some work for the next day, no one would’ve blamed her- considering what emotional demons she must be battling. Outwardly, she seemed fine, but her demeanor was different from before, and that’s what lead others to worry about her, thinking that maybe she’s pushing herself too hard to try to seem okay. A couple of people who were also working overtime would briefly stop by to check in on her and make sure she was okay before they’d walk back to their own desks to work diligently.

Popo was helping with jotting some of the names down of the people who dropped by while she was hard at work: Sakura Kikuchi, Natsume Onizuka, Hei, Mei Mohri, and finally, Shinichi. The last one was someone who set a cup of tea on Mukuro’s desk before walking away. He said something about how he brewed himself some tea, and had prepared too much.

Rather uneventful, but she had more names to add to her list to investigate further into, so it wasn’t a total loss. After finishing her work, she was free to go home. The commute was just the reverse of that morning. After today, she’d be able to quick travel to and from work if she didn’t want to waste time. Once back home, a journal was waiting for her on the bed.

“There isn’t a lock on the journal,” so she can get right to investigating (the game could be nice sometimes) “she used it as a log of anything interesting happening in her life, mostly about what cats she’s successfully taken off the streets by getting them adopted.” Popo gives a brief summary. “The last entry, is interesting.”

All that was written were the words: [I was too late. Sorry Mom]

If Mukuro took a gander at the previous entries, it would be easy to notice that the handwriting between the last entry and the rest of the journal were very different. The original host had a clean and neat handwriting style. It was polished, and she wrote small, but the last entry had bigger handwriting, and the spacing between the words were uneven.

“Interesting, isn’t it? Thoughts?”

Taking in Popo's advice, Mukuro would jot down some small notes besides the names in the categories she had placed them stating why she had put them there。 She gave a small nod when Popo said that he would be back later and if she needed him here sooner all Mukuro had to do was call for him, and he'll be summoned。

After making her notes, Mukuro would take the time to look around, watching everyone buzz around her as 'idle mode' would continue on until she heard someone speaking to her, Mukuro's attention would turn towards them and then onto the light that shone on Shinichi's desk。

Her gaze would then turn to the choices that popped in front of her。 There was still a little bit of work to complete and Mukuro wasn't one to leave work unfinished。 Before she could make her decision, Popo had reappeared and pointed out about the time that was specifically denoted。 She took a moment trying to decide on what to do, she could go home now and look through stuff to try and piece together at least some of the news about the host character's mother's murder, or maybe there was something that could happen on the commute back home, but if she denied overtime she could miss something that could happen after office hours here。

「I'll stay the extra hour。」 Sure it was just one hour, but a lot could happen in that hour and Mukuro felt like she should see if something would happen here after hours。

[fangsofdestruction]

It was what many of this era call ‘gap moe’ to have someone who could strike fear into the hearts of many be so calm and affectionate to a select few- like he was with the children. They were the young wards of his Gumi, and he saw fit to ensure that their childhood was a happy and safe one. He never met them, but one of the children was already gone by the time the family joined the Gumi.

Sometimes, human hunger knew no limits and a young pup had to suffer for it and one of the children had a permanent scar, both physical and emotional.

        ❝If you’ve any questions about the Gumi, or you’ve any vested interest in learning more about myself, you’re free to ask.❞

Though he wasn’t one to talk about himself, he ironically wasn’t too undisposed to speaking about himself if prompted. One had to simply catch him in a pleasant mood, then he may be willing to speak about himself. The power of cute children who have a way of washing away the stresses of life. Seeing them reminded him of his first ward: Rin.

A delightful child she was. A sunflower-like child who braved approaching an injured demon all because she had a big heart. It was her very influence that helped him become open to the idea of forming a larger ‘pack’. It was what she wished of him. It was partially the reason why many of the rooms were themed after flowers- because she liked them.

        ❝Or you can speak of yourself if you'd rather.❞

Sitting in silence was also an option.

Mukuro wasn't sure just when she'd finally be able to not be relived to hear that she would still be accepted into the Gumi despite having put an attempt on Sesshomaru's life。  

When the brushing of Sesshomaru's fur ended, Mukuro sat the brush in her lap as she watched him back into his humanoid form and the kids moved to climb on top of him or sit in his lap。 Mukuro couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at the sight, she had seen something like this with some yakuza patriarchs who had younger children or even grandchildren that hung around the compounds when she visited, and even though Sesshomaru was a powerful demon, it was quite a fun sight to see something so similar to what she's seen when it came to her everyday life。

「I'm very relieved to hear that, thank you。」 Mukuro says with a kind smile, and it was nice to hear that contact with humans wasn't outright forbidden, so Mukuro could continue her jobs should she like to, and it was also nice to hear him agree that it would be good for Mukuro to learn more about demon kind。That was something that really interested Mukuro, since before all this had happened, Mukuro wasn't even aware that other demons existed, and she didn't want to ruin the opportunity to get to learn more。