Rekkonji joined Sesshoumaru and Kintsuke almost a week later near the mountainous territory of the Hebi tribe. Truth be told, he was looking forward to the battle. In his mind, they were deserving of every ounce of pain they would now suffer after having ousted Hiken and his tribe from their ancestral home here. Territories belonged to those strong enough to defend them, true, but it was the way the slimy bastards had gone about it that sat ill with the jackal. This was the price for their dishonor.
The plan was simple. Sesshoumaru would wait for the fighting to begin so he could identify those loyal to him, who would be fewer in number, while Rekkonji and Kintsuke would manage anyone fleeing the territory. Once the dust settled, the survivors would be sorted through, and any remaining vassals of the dead Council members executed. It was the best way to ensure the sentiments of their masters did not fester.
"I wonder if Tsukina will be among the members that have to die," Kintsuke mused.
Rekkonji rose a brow.
"Why does it matter?"
"It doesn't, I'm just curious. From what I remember reading, only certain lines are permitted on the Council of Nine. I can't imagine someone capable of shattering that ancient tradition would be stupid enough to oppose Sesshoumaru."
Rekkonji hummed in agreement.
As the sun peaked, the sounds of combat began echoing through the ravines and crags. Sesshoumaru left them to find an inconspicuous vantage point. A plunging dip between two peaks had been leveled out and served as the meeting area for the Council. Ravines branched away from the dip in several directions. Gathered in them were higher-ranking members of the tribe, watching their nine leaders, who had come to blows. One by one, they unfurled into their demon forms. Eight were brightly colored and bore elegant designs. The last was a bit smaller and colored in drab earthen tones. They slithered and coiled and struck at one another, and soon, two groups were clearly defined.
Sesshoumaru quickly memorized the colors of the six who opposed him.
As soon as the first serpent fell, several of the demons waiting in the ravines tore away to flee. Sesshoumaru saw now that the colors and designs of their robes match that of the dead serpent and understood.
'How kind of them to mark my prey so blatantly.'
Flashing fangs quickly culled three more, leaving only two supportive of him. Dancing colors caught his attention, and Sesshoumaru glanced to find the tell-tale dark light of Kintsuke's fire. When he returned his gaze to the battlefield, only four serpents remained. One of his enemies had slithered off. Sesshoumaru's brow twitched. The mess of the fight left no visible trail, but their absence presented the opportunity Sesshoumaru had been waiting for. He could hunt the other after.
In a single graceful leap, he introduced himself in his own snarling demonic form. Enormous paws crushed one of the opposing serpent's skulls. The second he batted into the mountain wall as it struck at him. The remaining two, one colorful and one drab, curled back onto themselves defensively, tongues flicking furiously. He growled low at them. They both shrank into humanoid forms and eased toward a ravine.
The remaining serpent recovered itself and struck at him again. Sesshoumaru dodged and snapped his jaws around its neck. He shook the thing furiously, slamming its body into the ground and walls until the head broke off. Momentarily lost in his bloodlust, he crushed the head under a paw and tore the rest of the body to shreds. His point made, he turned again to his two remaining supporters, and resumed his own humanoid guise. Cautiously, they came to meet him.
"One escaped," he said.
The drab-colored female spoke.
"Haka, ever the coward. Hiding with hisss vassalsss, no doubt."
The female indicated one of the ravines on the other side.
Sesshoumaru noticed as she spoke that the Hebi retained more of their animalistic features than other greater youkai. Initially, he'd thought it an illusion of their clothing, as he'd not seen one this close before. Their faces were narrower with eyes set a bit further apart, their 'hair' was a series of layered hardened scales, and instead of ears, there were only holes with a single protective scale they could move.
"I will allow you this one chance to gather your people and leave. Do not return until the moon is full."
Her bow was exaggerated, her tone almost mockingly sweet.
"How very kind of you, Lord Ssesshoumaru. Kofu and I will be out of your way quickly."
'Kofu,' he thought, memorizing the male in reds. 'Then, this female must be Tsukina. How amusing.'
Sesshoumaru left the pair to their task and started down the ravine Tsukina had indicated to begin his hunt for Haka. A single serpent, demon form or no, would be no match for him.
Over the following weeks, Sesshoumaru, Rekkonji, and Kintsuke rooted out the last vestiges of opposition from the Hebi tribe mountains and the surrounding area. Kofu and Tsukina rebuilt the Council of Nine. After making himself well-known to the new members, Sesshoumaru departed with Kintsuke, and Rekkonji returned to his home in the North. The upset balance of power in the West gradually righted itself under Sesshoumaru's merciless ministrations, and as the snows began to melt, he felt confident he could leave them for now. It was time to visit his Rin again.
***
As Sesshoumaru reclaimed his hold over the Western lands, Inuyasha was fighting a battle of his own in the East.
"Kagome, you do this every time Eiko leaves. She always comes back fine. What's got you so worried?"
The aging priestess continued braiding away her greying hair to hide it as best she could.
"She's still so small, Inuyasha. What if something goes wrong?"
Inuyasha smirked.
"Well, then I guess I'll just have to kill Kohaku and Mirohizu for failing to protect our daughter."
Kagome shot him a scathing look.
"I'm kidding," he insisted.
Kagome huffed, fingers tangling her braid in her frustration. Inuyasha moved to sit next to her, gently untangling her fingers and giving them a kiss before fixing his mate's hair.
"Listen," he said kindly, "if she wants to run off to learn to fight demons like Sango's family, then you gotta let her. Eiko's mostly human, but she's still part demon. You can't tame the wild streak that causes."
Finally, she sighed, reaching back to place a hand over Inuyasha's.
"I know you're right. I guess I just can't stop remembering what our journey was like back then. We had so many close calls."
The hanyou abandoned the hair and wrapped his arms around his beloved. He held her until she calmed completely, then left her to finish readying for dinner. Outside, the sun had long disappeared, leaving the moon to reflect off the thinning snow.
Inuyasha followed the path through the frozen rice patties to his old forest, going farther than even the Bone-Eater's well. He would have continued on, but the one he sought was already returning. A boy no higher than his chest, human in every visible way, save for his silver hair, raced through the trees from wherever he had been playing and stopped short to meet his father. Inuyasha crossed his arms.
"Thought I told you not to leave this forest once it gets dark..." he scolded.
"I know, dad, I'm sorry. I was trying to find that flower mom was talking about."
The boy scuffed his bare foot at the snow a bit.
"Yeah? And?"
"Um..."
His son wouldn't look at him. Inuyasha knew what that meant. He tried to sound understanding.
"Touzen, you know you can tell me if something happened. Was it a demon?"
Touzen shook his head.
"Then what?"
"I... You know the little creek that runs off from the river? I think there's something over there."
Inuyasha knew he wouldn't get much more from his son tonight.
"Oh yeah? Why don't you show me tomorrow."
Touzen nodded and fell into step beside his father to return to the village.