Inuyasha/Feudal Japan AU

“Aira-ty!”
The green striped golden tiger paused as it swam in the crystal blue waters, turning its great head towards the shoreline where a little ogre girl was calling to it.
“Aira-ty!” the purple skinned girl cried again.
The tiger growled in annoyance at the interruption but nevertheless swam towards the shore. As it reached the shallows its form shifted from that of a great golden cat to a beautiful woman with long golden hair. She stood and walked out of the water, taking the clothes the little orgre offered her as she dressed and dried herself.
“What is it Hanabi?” Aira-ty asked idly, her eyes golden and cat-slit.
“There are three humans in the forest!”
Aira-ty's eyes flashed wickedly.
“Oh? Are there?” she smiled hungrily. “Humans, in my forest? That is bold of them.” she licked her lips as she turned and walked towards the trees. “Let's go see what they want shall we?”
Hanabi smiled as she followed after Aira-ty, bobbing her horned head eagerly.
“Okay!”

“I hope you know I hate both of you.” Guo-Jia said as she walked ahead of her two travelling companions.
Kahan and Sehan exchanged exasperated smiles. This was without a doubt the umpteenth time they had heard the shrine maiden complain about their company. However that had yet to stop her from continuing on with them despite having passed through multiple villages since they had begun their journey.
“I mean really,” Guo-Jia continued heedless of her friend's smiles. “Who drags a helpless shrine maiden out into the wilderness like this?”
Kahan stiffled a laugh alongside his brother. Guo-Jia may be a shrine maiden but the naginata and yumi she carried upon her back boded ill for any that assumed she was helpless. Kahan looked besides him at his brother as his staff chimed whimsically with each step he took. Sehan's dark robes bespoke of his monkish vocation which went well with Guo-Jia's own attire and left Kahan the odd man out in his armor and carrying his katana at his side.
“I'm glad you're here brother,” Sehan said quietly with a sad smile. “This would be hard to bear by myself.”
“How could I not be here?” Kahan said in reply. “We are family, and it is family we are here to address.”
Sehan nodded somberly. “Yes, I only hope we are not too late.”
Kahan frowned. “You still seek to save him?”
Nodding, Sehan smiled at Kahan. “Do you stop fighting even when it is hopeless?”
“No, I suppose I do not.”
“Nor will I keep trying to save our brother then.” Sehan asserted with conviction. “He is a part of us.”
Kahan nodded in silence, his expression unreadable as he retreated into his own thoughts on the matter and the trio continued on in silence through the forest.
“HEY!”
The three of them turned around in surprise at the shout. They found a purple skinned girl wearing a yellow tunic with red butterflies on it. Her features were as strange as her skin color, silvery eyes and stubby little horns atop her head served to assure them that there was no way this girl was human.
“A girl?” Kahan asked as his hand dropped to the hilt of his sword.
“An ogre.” Sehan corrected. “And a child one at that.”
“Are there more?” Guo-Jia asked as she looked around them. “I don't fancy being made into a stew.”
“Oh there's far worse than ogres out here,” purred a dark voice.
Guo-Jia stiffened as she felt strong hands take a hold of her wrists, holding her in place as a slender chin rested itself on her shoulder.
“It's been a long time since I've eaten a human,” the voice purred. “And I've never had shrine maiden.”
“Uh, guys?” Guo-Jia called as she struggled against the inhuman strength holding her. “Help?”
Kahan turned to find Guo-Jia being restrained by a woman with golden cat's eyes and lustrous blonde hair.
“Demon,” he murmured to Sehan who was still watching the orgre-child.
Sehan sighed heavily. “This could not be easy could it?”
“Apparently not,” Kahan replied. “Do you want to talk to her or should I?”
“I'll do it,” Sehan said as he turned and pushed past Kahan with a smile. “I'm not carrying a sword.”
Kahan snorted, stepping aside to let Sehan come forwards as he held his hands out in peace.
“We mean neither you nor your companion harm.” Sehan said.
The demon's eyes flashed with amusement.
“And you think that means I will not harm you?”
Sehan bowed his head. “Please great lady, what can we do to appease you?”
The demon chuckled darkly as her sharpened teeth traced Guo-Jia's neck.
“What are you doing in my forest?”
“We've come seeking our brother.” Sehan answered without hesitation. “He has done something terrible and we are here to correct him.”
“You mean kill him,” the demon said.
“No, I mean redeem him.” Sehan replied. “He has taken something upon himself that he should not have.”
“You know that's really sweet Sehan,” Guo-Jia said in a panicky tone. “But could you get her off of me please?”
The demon chuckled. “Afraid little maiden?”
Guo-Jia swallowed. “I have a demon running her teeth over my neck, what do you think?”
Again the demon chuckled, the sound dark and filled with foreboding mirth.
“An honest human, now that is different.”
“Will you spare our friend?” Sehan asked.
The demon turned her golden gaze on Sehan, her amusement fading.
“What in exchange for her life?”
Sehan frowned. “Must we resort to this?”
“You are in my forest,” the demon said. “I am lord here, I make the rules.”
“Then take me,” Kahan said suddenly as he stepped forwards. “If you are lord here then accept me as your servant in exchange for our friend's life.” he bowed deeply to the demon. “Just do not harm her, and you may do as you wish with me.”
The demon canted her head curiously, looking at Kahan with sudden interest.
“You would pledge yourself to me? A human serving a demon?”
“I am ronin,” Kahan answered. “I have no lord, if you will have me then I may renounce that title.”
“Kahan,” hissed Sehan besides him. “What are you—“
“—let me brother.” Kahan urged him in a hushed whisper. “It is the duty of a samurai to pledge their lives to others, a demon lord is little different than a human one.”
Sehan sighed. “Why must my brothers both be fools?”
Kahan smiled tightly. “It must run in the family.”

Aira-ty considered the samurai for a time as she held the shrine priestess firmly in her grip. It was an amusing notion really, having a human sworn to serve her. In fact it was a novelty. She'd never had a human servant before. Just minor yokai like Hanabi and Dio—wherever he had gotten off to this time—who sought protection in her forest from those that might harm them. To add a human to her service sounded amusing if nothing else.
She smiled, her eyes gleaming wickedly as she released the shrine maiden who promptly bolted forwards to her companions.
“Very well warrior, you are my sworn servant from this day forwards.”
The samurai bowed again, deeper this time.
“As you will my lady.”
Aira-ty beamed, already liking the human, he knew his place...but then wasn't that what these samurai were supposed to do? Serve their betters?
Her gloating was interrupted as a familiar voice caught her attention.
“Aira-ty!”
Frowning, Aira-ty turned to find Dio coming through the trees, the little fox demon scampering out into the path besides her. He glanced at the humans for a moment before turning back to her.
“There are some weird humans at the mountain shrine.” he said, pointing back the way he'd come.
Aira-ty frowned. More humans wandering in her forest? This was becoming troublesome.
“What's so strange about them?” she inquired in mounting irritation.
“Well,” Dio said as he glanced at the three humans standing in the path. “Uh, that is one of them looks like those two.” he pointed at the samurai and the monk. “And he has a big sword that he talks to.”
Aira-ty turned to look at the monk and samurai—her samurai.
“Your brother humans?”
The monk nodded. “That is so.”
Aira-ty snorted. “You are troublesome.” she turned back to Dio. “Any others?”
“Well, yeah, there's a whole bunch of them!” Dio said worriedly. “They're up there talking about some sort of seal...and a few of them don't quite smell right.”
Aira-ty let out a low growl, turning on the trio of humans.
“I assume you know what he's talking about?”
“The sword contains a very powerful demon.” the monk said. “If our brother is able to break the sword's seal then the demon will be loosed.”
Aira-ty snorted, smirking at the monk in amusement.
“What do I care if a demon is set free from its prison?”
“You'll care if this one gets out,” the samurai said. “Please my lady, we must stop them.”
Looking at the samurai again she smiled.
“Does my servant presume to ask a boon of his master so soon?”
The samurai bowed deeply. “Please my lady, I ask only this.”
Aira-ty sighed as she considered, then the shrine maiden spoke up.
“Look, if you don't want to help that's fine but we're going.”
Aira-ty eyed the shrine maiden, then the monk and finally the samurai. All of them were looking at her with great determination.
“Fine,” she sighed. “Do as you wish, and I will come simply to ensure that none of you causes too much trouble.”
As she turned from them she looked squarely at Dio.
“Lead us there.”
Dio nodded happily, jumping up for a moment as his body changed into that of a little gray fox which darted off into the bushes and trees in the direction of the mountain shrine. Aira-ty turned her golden eyes on the humans.
“Come along then if you're so insistent on finding your brother.”

As the demon and her minions walked on ahead of their party, Guo-Jia looked at her two childhood friends worriedly.
“So now we're not only chasing Trehan and his cursed sword, but we're following a demon that almost ate me as a light snack!”
Sehan sighed heavily, nodding his head.
“It would seem that way,” he looked at Kahan reproachfully. “I still wish you hadn't done that.”
Kahan shrugged as he set off after his new lord.
“It is done, now let us find Trehan before we are undone.”

Atop the mountain within the shrine, Trehan sat in quiet meditation a long odachi resting besides him.
When will you free me? A dark voice whispered.
Trehan's eyes opened and he looked down at the sword.
“As soon as I can. You know I serve you.”
I know that it has been a whole moon since you stole me from my captors and yet I still remain locked in here.
“Patience,” Trehan said. “Your seal is not so easily broken.”
The sword fell silent as hurried footsteps sounded from the shrine's entrance. Trehan looked up to see Skabeor coming towards him.
“Boss, we've got company, looks like the local demon boss and some humans.”
“What can you tell me of them?” Trehan said as he remained kneeling, his dark eyes boring in Skabeor.
“Cute shrine maiden with them, a monk and a samurai.” Skabeor smirked. “The demon is quite the looker.”
Trehan sighed, turning his head to look at the shadows of the shrine.
“You heard?”
“Yes,” a samurai with a blindfold over his eyes said as he stepped out from behind one of the great pillars holding up the ceiling. “I will deal with them.”
“My brother will be no match for you,” Trehan said. “But I would beware the demon. They can be unpredictable and if one is helping them they may prove more challenging than I thought.”
“It is little matter.” the blind swordsman said as he passed Skabeor.
“Well damn,” Skabeor said with a chuckle. “I was hoping you might send me, I kinda wanted to see if I could get a look down the demon's robes before someone skewered her.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Trehan said as he stood, clutching the odachi in his hand tightly. “Xierra, what have you found?”
The woman looked over her shoulder from where she sat atop the shrine's altar, a mass of scrolls around her.
“Nothing useful, just how it was sealed, not how to undo the seal.”
“Keep searching,” Trehan ordered. “Before I decide to motivate you.”
Xierra glared at him, her eyes flashing.
“You don't need to threaten me Trehan, I'm here aren't I? Go harass Hyacinth, your witch can certainly provide better insight than me.”
“Believe me I intend to,” Trehan said as he turned and left Xierra to her scrolls, Skabeor smirking as he followed him out of the shrine.