If someone said that Ninetails clans is the most strongest of the four great yokai clans, then they would say that Shiroi Hebigami clan was the most mysterious.
Unlike the Ninetails clan, Hebigami clan had many heirs per generation, and the process of selecting a suitable heir to inherit the mantle of the clan head was said to be bloody and merciless. From the moment they were born, upto the moment the heir apparent is selected, they were thrown into a race. And this did not distinguish between gender either. There were no sentiments like sibling love or familial love in the Hebigami clan. All that was there was power, power and more power.
And the 15th head of the Hebigami clan, Shiroi Hebimaru was the most ruthless one of all. When he became the head, the first thing he did was to kill off all of his brothers and sisters, and even their families. It was a massive purge. One that left many quivering with fear. Of course, from a logical stand-point, one might say that what he did was a wise thing- killing off the competition. But from an ethical standpoint, one could say that he was immoral to kill his own siblings, not even sparing his nieces and nephews.
But then again, they were yokai to begin with. Ethics and whatnot hardly mattered in the Underworld. What mattered was individual power to thwart off any naysayers.
The 'Snow Prince' Shiroi Hebimaru... It was unknown just why this nickname came about, but one day people started calling him the Snow Prince and the name kind of stuck. Now, not a single individual not know who this mysterious Snow Prince is, and everyone wanted to marry their daughters into the Hebigami Clan as the famed Snow Prince's wife.
Ayakashi grinned. Unlike what most speculated, he knew that Hebimaru was a clean-freak. Let alone marriage, he doubted that he let any living being within ten miles of him. People had deified him within good reason. With the way Hebimaru kept to himself and didn't bother to give anyone the time of day, calling him a deity was much more comforting than the truth, which was he disliked all things living, with their sweaty bodies and ugly natures.
Why such a esteemed personage chose to hang out with a wild fox such as him, Ayakashi would never know. But in the entire ninerealms, Ayakashi maybe the only one who could ignore Hebimaru's clean-freak ways and just chat with him like friends.
It was rare for Hebimaru to leave his lair, but when he did, it was almost always spelled trouble-so Ayakashi had a good reason to feel wary. It seemed Hanamari also perceived his threat, because she pressed herself closely to Ayakashi, burying her head in his chest. Ayakashi merely stroked her head, calming her down, while not taking his eyes off the white clad figure.
Hebimaru jumped off the tree, his snow-white robes fluttering gracefully in the wind, his long hair trailing behind him in a silky trail. Descending down from above, with sakura flowers dancing around him, he looked like an celestial immortal who had stepped onto the mortal plane.
Ayakashi didn't get distracted with the visual- if he did, he would just fall into his trap, because unlike how he appeared, Hebimaru's most vicious trait was using his appearance to cast an illusion over anyone who looked directly at him. Like a snake charming its prey.
"If you're here, then it means something's up," Ayakashi said. With a nudge, he roused Hanamari and made a gesture for her to go inside. Understanding, Hanamari got up, shakily. She turned to bow towards Hebimaru then hurriedly dashed inside.
Hebimaru didn't answer Ayakashi as he gazed at the disappering figure of the plant demoness.
Displeased, Ayakashi scowled. "If you're that eager, get your own wife. Stop drooling after my own," he growled, falshing his canine. Only now did Hebimaru's gaze shifted and settle on his friend.
"Your...wife," he started.
"What about my wife?" Ayakashi frowned.
"...I approve," Hebimaru said after a brief hesitation. Ayakashi stared at him blankly. He scratched his head. "This is a surprise. To hear such high praises from the Snow Prince himself...why?" he asked, more curious than anything.
"She didn't fall into my illusion,"
"Your illusion?" Ayakashi blinked, then grinned. "He~h? Doesn't this mean that my own charm exceeds that of the Snow Prince? Mm! My wife naturally has good taste," Ayakashi said, gloatingly.
Hebimaru smiled wryly. "It means only one of two things," he explained. "Either she's extremely powerful, or..."he paused. "Or she's pregnant," he said.
Ayakashi, who had been silently praising himself about his wife's good tastes, froze when he heard those words. "What did you say?!" he asked.
"I said-" Hebimaru started again, but Ayakashi waved him off. "I heard what you said! I meant...pregnant? How?" he asked, bewildered. There were myriad amount of emotions flitting through his eyes at light speed. Joy. worry. doubt.
Hebimaru glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. "The usual way, I suppose," he said, dully.
Ayakashi grinned. "You're sure you're not mistaken?" he asked, looking at him earnestly. Hebimaru shook his head. It didn't even cross either of their mind, that it could be because Hanamari could be powerful-more powerful than Hebimaru, hence avoiding his Illusion technique, because how could she be? She was a plant demoness to begin with and plant demons exchanged every bit of their cultivation to gain a mortal's life.
So the only explanation that's left was...that she's pregnant. Ayakashi felt elated. The emotions he could feel right now could hardly be described, but he quickly clamped them down. His heart was threatening to beat out of his chest, but he forced it to clam down as he gazed at the solemn figure standing before him. "It couldn't be simply to tell me this, that you came here. Speak. Why are you here?" he asked.
"Genryuu's been looking for you,"
"Genryuu," Ayakashi blinked, bewildered. "The Beast King? Why?" he asked, furrowing his brows.
Hebimaru shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you pissed him off?" he asked, sarcastically.
Ayakashi hook his ehad. "I don't remember any-wait! Genryuu? green hair, nasty temper, a pipsqueak...is that him?" he asked.
Hebimaru looked amused. "I don't know about the pipsqueak part, but he indeed has green hair and a nasty temper as you described,"
A vague memory that had been buried in the deepest recess of his memory start to rise.
Ayakashi had just ascended to the Heaven Realm. He was both inexperienced and weak in term of fighting experience, and he only had his wits and cunning to survive and swindle his way through. The amount of trouble he got into could be piled sky high, and the enemies he had made were countless. So, he always had a habit of sticking to unpopulated roads and avoiding meeting people.
That was when he had coincidentally stumbled upon an entrance at the bottom of a craggy mountain. He was contemplating on whether to go in and search for treasures, when the door opened from a the inside and a short kid, hardly upto his waist stepped out. He looked harmless on the surface, but Ayakashi had learned early on never to judge a book a by its covers. Especially books in the Heaven Realm.
After a short converstaion, which mainly consisted of the kid demanding answers to the questions he posed and Ayakashi answering them 'honestly', they parted ways. He never heard from him again. But some rumors started to circulate around about how a kid had challenged the Heaven Sovereign over and over again for three consecutive days and nights, he unintentionally thought of that little brat. Then he cast that to the back of his mind.
"Haaa~ It had been centuries...to think the kid wants to come after me, heh? Is he drunk?" He asked curiously.
"Anyway...he's turning the Underworld upside down in his search for you, and some people asked me to come and ask you to resolve this yourself," Hebimaru said, sighing wearily.
Ayakashi sneered. He knew just who these certain somebodies are. More like nobodies. All they do is skulk around in brothels and fish for gossip. Gossip mongers the lot of them!
Of course, what Ayakashi failed to mention was the fact that the people he so casually cursed to be gossip-mongers and old maids...*ehem*...also just so happened to be the most powerful gathering of great yokai outside of the great yokai clans. They are more like rogue yokai who has no affiliation with any clans or groups and only gather together for the main purpose of relieving boredom and fish for interesting tidbits of news.
Genryuu's action was mingling with those five had been a more prudent choice than to randomly search around the Underworld. Ayakashi doubted that anyone could just randomly barge into his clan's domain- like how his sworn brothers and Hebimaru had down- but then again, you can never be too careful.
Guess he's been putting that off what with all the trouble in the clan and all, Ayakashi sighed. He smiled wryly at Hebimaru. "I got it. The usual place. Would that be alright?" he asked. Hebimaru tilted his head in acknowledgement then the next second he was gone.
Ayakashi called for one of his bodyguards, and asked them call in a midwife, while he himslef rushed inside. He couldn't wait to check whether what Hebimaru said was correct.
-
A while later, Mikaribaba- a one eyed old woman, wearing an old furisode, with plain head ornaments- slid open the paper door to the inner chamber. Ayakashi who had been pacing outside approaced her impatiently and asked, "Well?"
Mikaribaba's big blue eye glinted with joy. "Congratulation, Ayakashi-dono! Hanamari-sama is indeed pregnant!"
Ayakashi didn't wait but strode past her. He paused abruptly. Sitting on top of futon, with the screens pulled back, she was stroking her belly, a look of wonder on her face. Instead of the youthful aura she used to display, her figure now held a motherly aura that radiated from her.
Ayakashi feld his heart skip a beat as he took all this in. He was going to be a father! Suddenly he felt nervous and uncertain. Hanamari must have sensed him, because she lifted her head, and smiled. Suddenly he wasn't so nervous anymore.
That smile...
He thought as he went inside.
...will be what I would protect from now...
He knelt beside her, and kissed the back of hand. Hanamari didn't release his hand as she brought it forward and pressed it atop her belly. Warmth engulfed his palm and he imagined the little life they created sleeping inside.
Yes...Her smile, and this little one right here, I will turn the nienrealms upside down to protect them both... he vowed to himself silently.