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In her 3,000 or so years walking the earth, Lady Yoshiko had seen it all. Towns rose and fell, roads wore down mountains, and then floods washed them both away. For her this was simply how the world worked; a constant waxing and waning like the moon embossed on her forehead. A sign of her people and a reminder that everything comes and goes eventually. A little bleak perhaps, but Yoshiko chose to view it more as exciting: watching and waiting and willing these changes to happen.
But there was one constant in her life for the last hundred years or so: Touga.
Touga didn't view life in terms of eons; his attention span could barely reach to the next decade. And centuries - Yoshiko's preferred time marker - were abstract to him. Too far in the past to matter, too far in the future to bother planning for.
It was no surprise to Yoshiko when he lost interest in their union. Their son was grown and she made it clear she had no interest in having more. Children changed too quickly for Yoshiko's liking and she was more than happy to have one grown child with vaguely predictable patterns and significantly fewer accidents on her antique carpets. So when Sesshomaru left to make his own way in life, so too went Touga. She didn't blame him; change was in his nature and she would always respect that. Why Touga went so far as to chose a mortal, though, was beyond her. She could appreciate the romanticism in fiction, but the reality was like a tree falling in love with a flower.
Pretty, but foolhardy.
But he did choose a particularly lovely flower in Izayoi. She was bright - both in intellect and personality. Her voice was rich and soulful, and she was happy to talk about any subject for hours. She was well read without being snobby, excitable without being loud, and was more than happy to trade barbs over tea with Sesshomaru - an unexpected hobby she picked up during one of their many visits to Yoshiko’s home.
And their son was unique. Even as a baby he was strong, beautiful, and full of the unexpected. After so long a time withering away at court, seeing the same handful of demons month after month to win favor and build alliances across the West, she couldn't fault Touga wanting something unique in his life. And even though she didn’t envy him watching Izayoi age, she respected his choice to enjoy now and suffer later.
Not everyone was so understanding.
While Yoshiko made it abundantly clear that she would tolerate no ill will or rudeness towards the father of her child in her own home, she knew most of the powerful houses in the West were filled with wagging tongues and unkind voices. Yoshiko had lost her best cook due to the ignorant woman’s refusal to serve a “half-breed and his whore of a mother” - as if anyone could look at a hungry child and turn their nose up. A maid who had put dirty linens on the guest bed and a guard who had picked - and lost - a fight with Touga were also quick to go. But by the time Inuyasha’s first birthday came her staff had either accepted the extended family or learned to hide their prejudice more effectively.
When an invitation to a local warlord’s eldest’s wedding made the rounds shortly after Inuyasha's birthday, Yoshiko was less than pleased to hear that Touga would attend with his wife and child in tow. While she knew they would have to enter society at some point if Touga was to maintain his seat of authority and make it clear Izayoi was a wife and not concubine, she worried that this particular wedding might not be the time or place. Haru and his son Haruto were fish demons, and less welcoming than most to the idea of hanyou. Their family - according to their own lore - were worshiped by humans in the not too distant past and the idea of marrying them and “elevating” them was repugnant to the whole clan. While they weren’t foolish enough to snub Touga with no invitation, or make a show of refusing him at the door, that didn’t mean they couldn’t make it a deeply unpleasant evening for the unwelcome guests.
But after years of hiding Izayoi like a dirty secret, Touga had had enough and this would be his chosen battle.
Though Yoshiko felt it was Izayoi and Inuyasha who would be fighting it.
Yoshiko detested the smell of fish.
When she arrived at Lord Haru’s expansive “manor house” she should have known it would be built on the surface of a lake. While some fish demons built on the edge of their waters, or encircled their lakes with dry buildings for guests, Haru and his clan made as few accommodations for non-aquatic folk as possible to still maintain their place in society. There were no roofs built to cover the exposed walkways, and each room was built independent of its neighbor, creating a village of huts on stilts that covered the entire lake.
As she was led by a maid down what was supposed to be a corridor but was more accurately a bridge, she hated how the smell of fish and seaweed overpowered everything else. For all Yoshiko knew, there could be a thousand other demon’s in residence, or she could be entirely alone. When they arrived at the guest room, a standalone hut at the farthest edge of the lake, Yoshiko’s mood soured even more. The maid was gone - leaping over the rail and into the water before Yoshiko could even open the door to the hut that was small, damp, poorly lit, and worst of all, already occupied.
Finally prying the waterlogged wood open, Yoshiko was less surprised that perhaps she should have been to see Touga, Izayoi, and toddling Inuyasha already in the hut. Inuyasha was of course unphased by the obvious snub and was exploring every corner of the little room by sniffing the pillows, candles, and floorboards. Touga was fuming in the corner, pacing as wide a circle as his expansive frame could in the small, single room. Izayoi, though, looked the most distraught, sitting in the middle of the bed and combing out her long black hair while staring unblinking at the dramb bed linens.
At the opening of the door they all jumped, clearly having been too lost in their own heads to hear the creaking walkway or the small splash as the maid made her quick exit. Touga growled low and threatening in his throat.
“This is beyond insulting,” he spat, “it’s one thing for Haru to force us to stay in these conditions but it is quite another for him to room us together like a harem. I’m putting an end to this - now!” He squared his shoulders and Yoshiko watched his stripes darken and his eyes redden.
“Oh, put it away, Touga!” she hissed, snapping him out of his testosterone fueled rant. She took the few small steps into the room and sat on the bed next to Izayoi, opening her arms so Inuyasha could clamber up and sniff her too, as was his custom. He would learn inuyoukai manners in time, but for now he was a curious boy surrounded by fish and equally foul smelling emotions and she would indulge his need to insure she was who he thought she was.
“Going and swinging your sword around will do nothing but prove to them they got under your skin,” said Yoshiko. She turned to look at Izayoi, who was clearly distraught and attempting not to show it, but honestly only Touga could be so tunnel visioned not to see it. “And besides, the slight is not to you, but to Izayoi. By rooming us together it's saying they don’t view her as your wife, but a mistress, and that I am still your official companion in society. Which is nonsense,” she patted Izayoi’s hand, “but you can’t teach an old fish new tricks.”
“So what do you suggest? We stay here as if nothing was wrong? As if these insults were acceptable?” He scoffed, clearly not even attempting to see ‘do nothing’ as an alternative to manslaughter.
Yoshiko did her best not to roll her eyes. She understood his frustration, but his shortsightedness could be exhausting. “No, I’m suggesting we all get as good a night sleep as we can before tomorrow’s festivities. Then after the ceremony, spend the next week telling everyone who will listen how cheap Haru is, that he can’t even hire enough maids to ensure his guests are roomed correctly. And honestly the state of this room isn’t going to win him any favors. Even staff quarters shouldn’t look like this.”
A small smile finally graced Izayoi’s pale face. Being a hime even before marriage, she knew the value of weaponized critique. While opinions may be split on her marriage, the rules of etiquette and hosting were absolute and unyielding.
“Haru may be trying to shame you into leaving, but staying and having oh so much to say to anyone and everyone who will listen will hurt his reputation much more than yours. It’s one thing to be scandalous, it’s quite another to be rude.” She slapped her palms down onto her thighs and stood again, clearly announcing the discussion finished and the topic closed.
“Now, we need tea. I’m sure there’s staff around here somewhere.” She shouldered the door open again and went to hunt down a maid.
It took much longer than it should have to acquire refreshments, and by the time she returned it was clear a lengthy conversation had been had in her absence. Instead of sulking in the hut, the little family was out on the bridge. Izayoi was dipping her toes in the water while Touga - now free of his bulky armour - was holding Inuyasha steady as the toddler tossed leaves and small bits of fabric that looked suspiciously similar to one of the uglier pillows that had been on the bed into the lake. Touga would then shoot out small bits of youki, splashing and swirling the water around as the boy shrieked in glee.
For the first time that day Yoshiko was glad her scent was hidden as she carefully leaned her hip against a support post and just watched. It had been too long since she’d seen Touga so carefree, and Izayoi deserved a moment to enjoy herself after such a horrible day. The loud arrival of the maids with tea and snacks ended the moment too abruptly for Yoshiko’s liking, but the way Izayoi’s eyes lit up at the prospect of food kept her from feeling too terribly upset at the broken peace. The poor girl probably hadn’t eaten since dawn.
Though it was a warm day, the early spring dusk came quickly, forcing everyone back into the damp hut to answer the one problem not yet addressed: the single small bed for three adults and a toddler.
There were a few options. Yoshiko could be gracious and let the married couple share the bed - though Touga would take up the vast majority of the space - while she took her true form for Inuyasha’s benefit and acted as his blanket. Letting Izayoi sleep on the damp floor was of course out of the question, though Touga was more than a little hesitant to let both women share the bed as their combined smells would surely set off the harem rumors Haru was hoping for. But the room was simply too small to allow both inuyoukai to transform, and while Izayoi blushed beautifully at Yoshiko’s playful wink it was decided the ladies would share the bed while Touga kept Inuyasha warm with his fur.
This arrangement lasted until barely midnight.
Like all demons, Yoshiko was a light sleeper, and the tap tap tap of tiny hanyou toes across the floor roused her just before Inuyasha began his conquest of the bedcovers. She heard Touga puff out a breath in frustration, but she quickly shushed him. Even in the dim light she could see the calm that overcame both mother and son as Izayoi unconsciously placed her hand on top of the pup’s ribs and settled him quickly back to sleep. It would be a long day for everyone tomorrow, and if this helped ensure both were well rested, then Yoshiko would not begrudge them this small comfort.
As she closed her eyes again, she found sleep much more quickly than she had before. Taking a deep breath and a rather unladylike yawn, she was pleased to find her senses no longer overwhelmed with fish, but the warm contentment of a sleeping pup. Maybe she still didn’t entirely understand Touga and Izayoi’s relationship, but in that moment she knew she would do everything she could to protect them.
(art by @kaorimizunya )