Tales Of Ayakashi

CHAPTER 18

If someone said that Ninetails clans is the most strongest of the four great yokai clans, then they would say that Shiroi Hebigami clan was the most mysterious. 

Unlike the Ninetails clan, Hebigami clan had many heirs per generation, and the process of selecting a suitable heir to inherit the mantle of the clan head was said to be bloody and merciless. From the moment they were born, upto the moment the heir apparent is selected, they were thrown into a race. And this did not distinguish between gender either. There were no sentiments like sibling love or familial love in the Hebigami clan. All that was there was power, power and more power. 

And the 15th head of the Hebigami clan, Shiroi Hebimaru was the most ruthless one of all. When he became the head, the first thing he did was to kill off all of his brothers and sisters, and even their families. It was a massive purge. One that left many quivering with fear. Of course, from a logical stand-point, one might say that what he did was a wise thing- killing off the competition. But from an ethical standpoint, one could say that he was immoral to kill his own siblings, not even sparing his nieces and nephews. 

But then again, they were yokai to begin with. Ethics and whatnot hardly mattered in the Underworld. What mattered was individual power to thwart off any naysayers. 

The 'Snow Prince' Shiroi Hebimaru... It was unknown just why this nickname came about, but one day people started calling him the Snow Prince and the name kind of stuck. Now, not a single individual not know who this mysterious Snow Prince is, and everyone wanted to marry their daughters into the Hebigami Clan as the famed Snow Prince's wife.

Ayakashi grinned. Unlike what most speculated, he knew that Hebimaru was a clean-freak. Let alone marriage, he doubted that he let any living being within ten miles of him. People had deified him within good reason. With the way Hebimaru kept to himself and didn't bother to give anyone the time of day, calling him a deity was much more comforting than the truth, which was he disliked all things living, with their sweaty bodies and ugly natures. 

Why such a esteemed personage chose to hang out with a wild fox such as him, Ayakashi would never know. But in the entire ninerealms, Ayakashi maybe the only one who could ignore Hebimaru's clean-freak ways and just chat with him like friends. 

It was rare for  Hebimaru to leave his lair, but when he did, it was almost always spelled trouble-so Ayakashi had a good reason to feel wary. It seemed Hanamari also perceived his threat, because she pressed herself closely to Ayakashi, burying her head in his chest. Ayakashi merely stroked her head, calming her down, while not taking his eyes off the white clad figure. 

Hebimaru jumped off the tree, his snow-white robes fluttering gracefully in the wind, his long hair trailing behind him in a silky trail. Descending down from above, with sakura flowers dancing around him, he looked like an celestial immortal who had stepped onto the mortal plane. 

Ayakashi didn't get distracted with the visual- if he did, he would just fall into his trap, because unlike how he appeared, Hebimaru's most vicious trait was using his appearance to cast an illusion over anyone who looked directly at him. Like a snake charming its prey. 

"If you're here, then it means something's up," Ayakashi said. With a nudge, he roused Hanamari and made a gesture for her to go inside. Understanding, Hanamari got up, shakily. She turned to bow towards Hebimaru then hurriedly dashed inside. 

Hebimaru didn't answer Ayakashi as he gazed at the disappering figure of the plant demoness. 

Displeased, Ayakashi scowled. "If you're that eager, get your own wife. Stop drooling after my own," he growled, falshing his canine. Only now did Hebimaru's gaze shifted and settle on his friend.