The council room was distinctly….off, not just that the temperature had dropped tens of degrees but also the once amicable atmosphere they once held was now fractured. There was no soft chatting, banter going back and forth across the room. For all but two of them, everyone else was simply watching on with bated breaths. Either worried that things might blow up or silently hoping that it would.
Despite not looking at each other or even being remotely close, the hostility radiating off the two council members was nearly palpable. Tinging their Ki with flickers of something dim and rancid. From the far end of the seating, Kiyo sat without their usual bottle of saki. Their small forms ramrod straight with eyes trained forward, tiny paws hidden under the small kimono. In that.moment, they looked more like a dressed up stuff toy than an actual living creature.
And sitting on the very right of the lead seat, Akiko sat with a frozen expression. Lips pursed into a neutral but hard, thin line. Her silky black locks expertly cut and fashioned to not allow even a single strand to be out of place. To the world, she looked the same as ever. There was no way anyone would be able to match the pool of boiling anger that had almost split blood just the day prior.
But Yasaka knew differently, and just because their emotions were so easy read through their Ki alone. She knew how Yuki-Onna worked. They were slow to anger but once that line was crossed, you earned an enemy for life. Being vengeful and having a massive lifespan was never a good combination. There would be no way for her to help repair that relationship between the two. This had gone above politics, this was an enmity. One that would only be solved by them alone. The tanuki had grown too proud to 'debase' themselves in a thorough and public apology.
So with neither side willing to take the first foot forward, she decided to let her opinion of the matter stand clear for all to see. Hence why the raccoon Yokai had been forced far down and away from her during official meetings like this, and why Akiko was positioned just besides her. It was to show her support and make her displeasure known of how things went yesterday.
Sure, Kiyo had been crossed but they'd been wise enough not to make a big fuss about it...at least not in front of the other elders.
A knock on those paper doors sounded through the tense room before a maid, who looked to be just barely standing on her two-no-one foot as she positively shook in place. Her cute features froze, lips pulled back as though to speak but whatever words she'd been about to say seemed to have caught in her throat.
"Let them in."
Yasaka decided to spare the poor girl from this unearned displeasure, she'd done nothing wrong after all. And with those words, the maid bowed deeply before hoping to the side while pulling the doors open fully.
Through the entrance way, an entourage of around six people came strolling in like they owned the place. All dressed in finery and strutting around like peacocks. Charms dangling openly on their sashes and each carrying some unique artifacts that pulsed heavily against her senses. It wasn't as if the enchantments placed upon them were so powerful that anyone could, it was simply due to the fact that every last one of them were specifically designed to deal with Youjutsu.
But even with those items and any number of Shikigami they had in reserve, that wasn't the only source of their absurdness. Before them all, middle and old aged alike, stood a girl appearing no older than Kunou. A bob of short silver hair and large purple eyes looked out quietly to the room of centuries old monsters. That casual wear from before was nowhere in sight and was instead replaced by a dark blue, ceremonial kimono a few sizes too big.
In that silence, it was the same smug old man from before that spoke up first.
"Good morning, Council of Yokai." That same smarmy smile was back in place as he took center stage, leaning heavily on a deceitfully simple looking gohei. A mass of paper charms packed and stacked upon each other, the scent of their Kami's heavy in that moment. "Now that we are properly rested up after our strenuous journey, we are now more than willing to begin negotiations with you...But before we begin, my young mistress wishes to ask something of you personally, Kitsune."
He hadn't exactly spat out the last word but it was pretty damn close. Nonetheless, the man bowed low to the girl who instantly became the center of attention once more. Appearing completely unfazed by the collective attention of some of the most powerful Yokai left alive and free today.
"First, I wish to thank you all for allowing us to stay on your land." The ever polite Doumon bowed low to the Council as a whole, which was reluctantly followed by her entourage of elders who only dropped a mere fraction of their young mistresses. "And for providing us time to recuperate."
"It was nothing. Basic hospitality rights." Not even worth bringing up to begin with and now with Yasaka's base crumbling, all she wanted to do was get these priests out of here before they could begin to gather a more keener insight on the effects of their little cheap shot. But from the abject excitement she could feel from the girl's elders, she didn't think things would be going so smoothly for her. "What is it the Five Principal Clans want?"
"Forgive me, Yasaka-sama, we cannot begin quite just yet."
"Oh?"
She quirked a brow, but inside she knew things were about to turn for the worse.
"Yes," The heiress nodded simply. "Recently, we have detected a spatial influx within our territory. And when we sent agents to investigate, it turned out an asset of Tsukuyomi-sama's had born fruit. An inheritance has been opened."
Flashes of shock slammed through the auras of the Council, only their centuries of self control stopped it from showing across their face. Everyone knew how big such a discovery was, back in the day, Clans would form blood feuds with one another just for a chance to enter an inheritance and loot it for all it was worth. Fates could completely overturned, for both the individual and the organization.
"And what does that have to do with me?" She even through an aloof look as if all this was beneath her notice. But she knew. After all, what were the chances that the moment her master leaves, an inheritance pops up out of nowhere?
"A man by the name of Yamato Iori has been stopping any of our agents from investigating further." Yep, turns out her thoughts were true. It should've just piled on the stress of everything falling apart, but just hearing her master's name was enough for her to feel those worries slide off her shoulders like water. The girl continued shortly after, "Before we begin, as we know he is associated with your faction, it would be a good show of cooperation if you could ask him to stand down from the inheritance. Anything in there wouldn't attract the attention of someone as powerful as him, so we feel that this is being done purely out of spite."
Yasaka probably would've believed the girl, just from how earnest the girl looked and knowing how vindictive her master could be but there was something being left unsaid. Maybe even the heiress didn't know the full story but it seemed her elders did.
That's when a very mischievous idea came to mind, her vulpine nature rearing it's beautiful head.
"That is true." She agreed readily. Tapping a finger on her chin theatrically. "Master is a very spiteful man and there's no way any surviving scraps from all these years would be of any interest to him. What in the world have you done to anger him so?"
"We've done nothing to him!" One of the elders snapped, their fingers brushing against a short sword wrapped tightly in paper charms. "And how dare you even ask that? You should be asking how you can repay the life of one of our Gūji after he viciously murdered her!"
"The man I know wouldn't go on a killing spree for no good reason." He just needed a cause, even if it was petty. But the elder's outburst had provided her with some very important details, particularly it narrowed down which of their territory held the inheritance. If a Gūji was killed, it needed to be somewhere close to one of their shrines. They were like her in that way, minus the Dragon Vein of course. Most of them were in capable of leaving their designated shrine without slowly losing their power. But since she knew she wouldn't have heard about this if it was within their heavily fortified bases, it meant this inheritance was located somewhere in the country side. With all that said, she was slowly getting a better picture as to what was going on. And with a small smile full of venom, she pondered alloud. "Now, if he found out that some Kami was meddling with the descendants of one of HIS disciples, that would just enough cause for him...You wouldn't have done that now, would you?"
Doumon Genbu never looked so confused as in that moment, her head snapping back to look at her entourage with a clear question in her eyes. And judging from how none of them were willing to meet her gaze, it seemed that little fact had been hidden from her. Purposefully so.
"Be that is it may," Befitting the stature of a future Clan head, she turned back as though that conversation hadn't happened. But the kitsune knew differently, she'd just shaken up their unified front. Whatever came of it, they would no longer have such an easy time. "We still ask that you intervene in this. We wish no to escalate things further, if not...I fear we will be forced to take action ourselves."
You and what army?
But even that didn't seem like a good enough of response, unless those Kami came down themselves there was nothing the Five Principle Clan could do against her master. If they tried anything, he would slaughter them. Simple as that. Maybe they could accomplish something by sending all the Sacred Beast hosts over, but even that wouldn't accomplish much. They would lose at least two of them and he could always flee, coming back later to finish the job.
"We know of his strength. The defeat of the Strongest Queen has passed readily to us. Everyone knows he is not one to be trifled with. Our people wouldn't survive a clash with him. All that is true. But we feel that us acting out against him would damage our alliance with you and the Yokai. That is why we're asking you to resolve this peacefully before anything happens."
"Like what? Humor me."
"We're not strong enough to go against him ourselves." That looked like it hurt the group of priests more than any blow they ever took in their lives. A strike against their pride that five entire clans of divinely empowered mages wouldn't be able to fight a lone man, but they bit their tongues. "But we do know this. Slash Dog has been seen within that area and if you won't tell Yamato Iori to stand down, we will not try to cause the two to simply pass by."
A threat, cold steel against her neck. It seemed like they were done playing around and finally decided to show their fangs. And from the reactions of her council, the threat was enough to shake them up.
Grayfia had been an Ultimate Class being, someone who could single handedly overturn the flow of battle. A sovereignty built on her own strength alone. But this was different. TobioIkuse or better known as Slash Dog was a Longinus holder. Sacred Gears that had the power to slay gods. A power to be watched and monitored, so there was no way this person could just 'mysteriously' show up in the same location as her master. He had to have been called.
But that didn't make any sense, last she heard Tobio Ikuse was an agent under the Grigori. Not apart of the Five Principle Clans. Unless...unless the rumors of the relationship he had with his cousin, was true.
"You will have until tonight to tell Yamato Iori to stand down. After that...I hope we still speak on the terms of our alliance." With that said, Doumon Genbu turn on her heel and excited the council room. Followed shortly by her elders who shot the blonde a mix of glares and sneers.
But Yasaka was already lost in thought, a small smile stretching across her face. Her master would come out on top even against a Longinus.The power to slay gods? How paltry of an ability in comparison to someone who could single handedly overturned the Heavens themselves? Did they really believe his title, The Heavenly Demon, was just for show? Mortal foolishness...but she wouldn't judge these humans too harshly. They did possess such short memories after all.