“What happened here?”, Kumari demanded to know, but the fox demons remained in silence. They were small and apparently fragile creatures, no taller than Soji. And they were scared.
Ichimaru walked by his side amongst the small wagons. It was a mess. One of them had the wheels broken, others had their covers torn apart. And blood... The smell of blood was all over the place.
“We were attacked by bandits”, and elderly voice explained. They turned back to meet the leader of the Tamaya: an old fox, who proudly displayed her golden fur and nine long tails, a sign of her age and wisdom. “You are the lord of these lands, I assume. I’ll tell you what happened.”
While Soji and Sazume helped Yume taking care of the fox demons’ wounds, the old leader explained that, during the night, a sentry had shouted a warning when he saw someone breaking into the camp. They tried to resist, but they were no match for the enemies, who managed to take one of the wagons with them, but not before injuring many of her kind.
“You said the bandit problem was solved”, Jaken mumbled.
“It was! The humans were scattered right before my eyes! My soldiers just reported that they ran away from my lands!”
“No, the attackers were no humans”, the Tamaya leader warned. “For some reason, they were immune to our fox fire.”
“Did you take a look on them?”, Sesshomaru asked.
“No, it was too fast, and it was dark… There were few of them, but they were too strong for us. We’re lucky that nobody died.”
“And what did they steal?”
The old fox sighed, and all the foxes hang their heads.
“The cart with the fireworks… All of them.”
Sesshomaru’s family spent the next few hours with the Tamaya, helping them recover. At the middle of the afternoon, Kumari was standing at the roadside, looking toward the direction to which the mysterious thieves were seen making their escape.
“Nothing is ever easy, uh?” Ichimaru said, stopping by his side. “Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. To be honest, I’m wondering if it’s not mine. Mom keeps saying I’m a trouble magnet.”
“Not my fault... But my responsibility. We’re still in my lands.” Resolute, he turned back to the camp. “They can’t be far! Ichimaru and I are going after these cowards, and by the festival you’ll have your fireworks back!”
“Good sir, with all due respect, your concern is pointless. The festival is supposed to take place in less than two days”, the leader of the Tamaya warned. “Even if you manage to find those thieves, I don’t believe you’ll be back in time!”
“You have my word, nonetheless.”
Ichimaru smiled wildly, thrilled by his confidence. A hunt! And, if they were successful, they’d be the heroes of the festival. Could he want more?
“We’ll meet you in Senzaikyu in two nights”, Kumari told Sesshomaru, and turned to Yume. “Would you mind taking care of Soji until I return?”
“Of course not! It’ll be like when we traveled around with Rin. Remember that, Jaken?”
“How could I forget? My feet still hurt from having to keep up with that pest.”
The bear demon knelt down before the boy.
“Behave, will you?” Soji assented in silence.
“The same goes for you, sister!” Ichimaru yelled to Sazume. “Be a good girl and obey mom and dad!”
“Stop being funny, Ichi. I’m going with you!”, she answered firmly, her arms folded in resolute determination.
“No way, sister! A hunt like this is no place for a girl! This is a task for a lord and his trusty vassal!”, he said proudly, his eyes on the distant horizon.
“Huh, so now you’re taking this seriously?”, Kumari asked.
“Shush, my dad’s watching”, Ichimaru whispered.
“He’s right, Sazume”, Sesshomaru intervened. “You stay with us.”
No protest from her had any effect on the lord. As he walked away, Ichimaru laughed at his sister and left the camp with Kumari by his side, under the fox demons’ thrilled yells. The bear demon looked back to her, uneasy, a silent apology. Her discreet smiled was enough to tell him it was alright.
“The cart with the fireworks will slow them down. If we run, we’ll find them in time”, he said, his mind already focused on the pursuit.
“Are you kidding? There’s no way you’re keeping up with me on a run!”, the dog demon replied.
“Go ahead, then. I’ll reach you when you stop to catch your breath, and I assure you, I won’t be even sweating.”
“It’s a bet, then.” Ichimaru grinned.
