"I wonder... what could Lord Sesshomaru possibly want with this woman?" Jaken questioned with some mumbling as he led the way to the village. It was fairly easy since all he had to do was sniff the air. The scent of different foods wafting in the breeze was enough to make him salivate for a taste of the enticing dishes being prepared. When he heard the lumbering stomps of the dragon, Jaken continued as though he expected an answer from the beast. He continued, "Now that I mention it, that demon from before was after women but the herbs didn't really have a smell. At least, not a very strong one. I didn't see what happened but a sword being stolen or taken from hell was mentioned. Maybe that's what got Lord Sesshomaru curious. A missing sword, a woman who owes a debt to hell itself, and an unfamiliar world? He must have many questions."
Rattling and ringing echoed through the woods. A hymn was being sung by numerous voices. Jaken shushed himself and creeped to some bushes to see priests walking in a line, singing a hymnal chant. Aa and Un slowly followed behind Jaken, not entirely sure why it needed to hide. The men were walking briskly in a single-file line and wearing different colored robes. The leader, who was tapping his staff on the ground and rattling the rings on either side, was dressed in orange robes and a tall brown hat. He paid no mind to the footprints in the ground that belonged to no human. The rest of the priests, or more appropriately monks, had their eyes closed as they followed their leader. The one in the middle was dragging a stick along a rippled metal pan, and the one at the very end of the line rung a small gong. Two of the other monks were predominantly singing. A drum was being sounded from somewhere, but it wasn't among the monks. Jaken watched them as they passed, entering the village through the side gates apparently, and creeped out of the bushes.
He hummed in thought then came up with an idea. Jaken then looked at Aa and Un and said, "You'll have to stay put, dragon."
Jaken ran off, leaving the dragon in the forest, and adjusted himself at the side gate where the monks entered. No guards were at the side gate, however, so Jaken harrumphed at this information and simply waltz in without a problem. The side of the village was practically empty! No houses, no inhabitants, nothing. He questioned this with a scratch of his head and looked around to see that the population wasn't gone. The people were just a little distance from him. As he walked forward, a bright light flashed in front of him, and he abruptly felt pressure hitting him in his chest. Without missing a beat, a gust of wind blasted him out of the village, and he plummeted to the ground behind the dragon. All Aa and Un heard was the familiar scream of the imp before flinching from his descent to the ground.
"Ow!" Jaken yelped from his crater, disguise completely ruined and disappearing. "What the hell happened?"
A rustling in the bushes was heard. Suddenly, two boys who looked no more than ten popped out to investigate. Aa and Un were curious about them since they were now used to being around children. One of the boys had messy, black hair and wore a white gi top and burgundy hakama pants; in contrast, the other boy who had longer, straighter hair was chubbier in the face and wore a black gi top and green hakama pants.
"A-ha! See, Shotaro, I told you something got hit by the barrier," the messy-haired child exclaimed. "Alright, already! You were right; I get it!" the other child argued, regretting having to admit his partner was right in seeing a dragon. "Should we tell someone about the kappa monkey there?"
Who is he calling a monkey? Jaken thought, preparing to argue that very same notion.
"What was that?" Jaken questioned.
"You're the idiot that tried to sneak in our village, not us," the messy-haired child retorted, looking down at Jaken with his arms folded. He walked up to Jaken and Aa and Un and stopped when he inspected the dragon. He hummed in thought and peeked around the dragon's shoulders before saying, "Nice dragon, though. He must take good care of you. This reptile must have been around for a while. He's not old like human old but he's used to people. He didn't attack us. What do you think, Shotaro?"
Shotaro walked up to the dragon, hummed with thought, and reached into his pocket for a stick of meat. He held it out for Aa and Un, watching both heads inspect the offering through sniffs and light growls, but the dragon didn't take it. Shotaro then replaced the meat stick with a fruit one. The right head, Un, took the stick and chewed lightly while Aa, the left head, leaned down for a pet. Shotaro lightly chuckled and gently pet Aa.
Shotaro then said, "I think the dragon is harmless enough for us. They like the fruit sticks, too! I don't know about the kappa monkey, though."
Aa and Un mewled then turned to look at Jaken's angered face. It was their small way of laughing at him. Jaken growled furiously at the name before shouting, "I am not kappa monkey! I am Lord Jaken to you! Jaken! Jaken! How'd you brats know we were back here anyway?"
"Hm?" the messy-haired child gestured, placing his hands behind his head. "I saw the barrier go off and you being shot in the air. Our purification barrier is very specific to outsiders. Unless your name is written within the scroll of the villagers, you'll get sent into the clouds. How can you not expect to be seen like that? You're lucky we found you and not the royal guards. You'd have been executed or jailed, especially with you being a demon."
"Well, you - !" Jaken started, growling from lack of words.
"You know, you could've just landed your dragon in the village. Someone would've given you a pass so the barrier won't hurt you. We're not scared of you," Shotaro said, placing a hand on his hip. "All the other demons walk around like a fine kettle of fish. What's stopping you from doing the same, Kappa Jaken?"
"Nothing's stopping me from doing anything!" Jaken shouted, making the boys turn their attention to him. "I thought you, humans, wouldn't appreciate demons landing on your property!"
"Doesn't bother us," the messy-haired boy said, shrugging his shoulders. "A lot of demons live here. Some are pretty rich. You'd blend right in. If you want to meet one of them, you just have to tell a guard."
"Hey, Musuko, we'd better get back to school. Katsui-sensei will be checking on our work soon," Shotaro said, hearing the school bell ring. "You know how he gets when work isn't done."
"Yeah, you're right!" Musuko said, rushing through the bushes. "If we don't finish, we won't be able to see Lady Meioshi tomorrow. I think she's supposed to be back in town today."
"Hey, wait a minute!" Jaken shouted, stopping Shotaro from following Musuko. "I'm looking for Lady Meioshi. She lives here?"
"Yeah?" Shotaro questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Lady Meioshi is the village doctor. You can come back tomorrow to see her. She'll probably be in town until nightfall to check on all her patients. We'll write you a pass so the barrier won't hurt you. Be back soon, Kappa Jaken!"
Jaken growled loudly at this and screamed, "I'm Lord Jaken! Lord Jaken! Little brats...! Maybe we should walk further up this road. It doesn't look like it's been walked on much, but someone has made a thinner trail and the grass is cut. The eastern lands aren't that far from here. Maybe this village stretches out to the border. Should I investigate that way? As long as those children write us a pass for tomorrow, we'll be able to enter the gates. That barrier was stronger than I thought. It didn't hurt me per se, but it did a good job of kicking me out. I'll just set up a camp nearby to mark our place. I don't know where Lord Sesshomaru took off to so I can't follow him. Maybe... I'll keep marching further. There must be something up ahead worth investigating. Huh?"
Jaken turned to his right to see a group of kappa demons walking towards him. Two children and a mother and father were dressed quite cleanly as they walked together with their smaller wagon. It had a few items in the back like blankets and pillows from what could be immediately seen, but there were also some magical artefacts that caught Jaken's immediate attention. Some intricately designed pots of water were also part of the cargo. The family waved to Jaken as they would a new neighbor then turned to their left in another part of the village. This inspired Jaken to push forward and investigate some more.
He walked up the beaten path until he reached the taller grass leading into woods. Though intimidating because of the woods and the knowledge that the eastern lands were within a few miles, the grass was surprisingly soft, and the blades were thin. Aa and Un followed Jaken to this new territory and purred when they heard different noises from the village and the bordering lands. Its ears were twitching as it captured each decibel and note of the foreign land. The laughter of the children and the voices of the parents soon led the two to a rather large pond. This part of the village seemed to be further away from the hustle and bustle, and it didn't seem to be protected by the barrier. Now, that was odd. Passing through two looming columns of stone and vine, Jaken and Aa and Un walked upon one of the most peaceful landscapes they've seen in some years. The pond that Jaken thought he heard the other kappa demons walking towards could almost be confused for a lake given the size in diameter! The kappa family were also walking around the pond (excluding the children who were swimming in the water to chase the ducks), but they were headed for a fairly large home. Curious himself, Jaken followed the family until he felt too much like a stalker and instead called out to his fellow demons.
"Excuse me!"
"Hm?" the mother kappa hummed. "Oh! A brother, Moeru. Hello there. How are you today, brother?"
Jaken bowed in greeting before jogging over to the family. He took notice to their clothes and begrudgingly accepted the boys' claims that the demons here were fairly well-off. They also seemed very friendly. Jaken wanted to take note of the property as well. Just in case Sesshomaru needed to know just how expansive the village was in its location. A cliff was overlooking the pond and the village as it reached outward, and it appeared to have stairs and a docking area at the base. Someone must live on it. The actual home that the family was approaching could have been theirs, but it didn't seem like it from the way the father was pulling the wagon. It looked more like he was making a delivery to the house.
"Good morning, madame. My name is Jaken," the imp introduced, folding his arms. "My apologies for disturbing your stroll, but do you live here on this estate? It's beautiful!"
"Oh, it's not our land!" Moeru, the father kappa, replied with a soft laugh. He smiled brightly and said, "This is Doctor Meioshi's estate. We're delivering some supplies for her clinic and guest house. She's a very loyal customer of ours, and she healed our son when he was quite sick."
"All of this belongs to her?" Jaken asked with some amazement. This woman lived quite well! He then asked, "Even the cliff there?"
"Why yes," the mother kappa responded with a light chuckle. "She is quite kind. She'll be out until tomorrow, but you can stay in the guest house if you need to rest. It should be vacant. It's directly to your left there just passed the gardens. We're bringing these things to her guest house. Apparently, an old pot she had was broken, so we offered to fix it and refresh the paint a little. The pot is sentimental in value."
"What are the pots for?" Jaken asked out of curiosity mainly.
"She uses them for many things, actually," Moeru replied, rubbing his chin with his finger and looking to his upper right. "I suppose it depends on the size. She might warm towels, sterilize medical tools, or carry water with them as she often does. We do have some cooking pots she can use for rationing her rice and vegetables on her travels. You never quite know with the doctor! She keeps us on our toes!"
"I suppose I'll return tomorrow to speak with her then. I've been looking for Lady Meioshi for some time, you see," Jaken explained, furrowing his brow. "We came across her name at a nearby farm. A powerful demon might be after her."
"That's terrible!" the mother kappa replied with a gasp and a hand on her shell necklace. "I hope she's not in trouble because of us. We are from the eastern lands, but we intend to continue doing business with her. She has been nothing but kind to us as opposed to other humans."
"So, this village is part of western territory?" Jaken confirmed, looking out into the pond.
"It's hard to say for sure," Moeru replied, scratching his temple. "Neither the western lords or the eastern lords claimed this land so it's only part of western territory because of the location, but the eastern lords could easily claim it as their own and push the border forward if they truly wanted. This village is situated closely to the border. Heiwa was once a safe haven for those who sought to escape the war between the lords. That was many years ago and Heiwa had a different name then. With time, the village evolved into a hub of sorts for trading and refuge. It serves as a landmark for those crossing the border and a marketplace for tradesmen."
"Why is there no barrier to protect Lady Meioshi's property?" Jaken then asked, satisfied with his answers so far. "Couldn't an enemy sneak in here and seize the village?"
"Ha!" the mother kappa laughed, startling Jaken a bit from the reaction. She then said, "Well, they could try, but I wouldn't dare commit such an act. While she is sweet, she does not tolerate violence on her property. Her medical practice is why she has no barrier. Her Oath of Medicine permits her to extend her services to all creatures even ones like us."
Jaken nodded, looking out to Lady Meioshi's home again and saying to himself, "Tomorrow, it is."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jaken returned to the cherry blossom tree, where Sesshomaru had stood to view the village, and contemplated on his next move. Although he wanted to relay the information he managed to gather from the kappa demon family to his lord, Sesshomaru didn't say where he was going or what he was going to investigate. Jaken had a hunch that Sesshomaru was going to make certain that Heiwa was actually part of the western lands that he inherited, but he also began to wonder himself about Heiwa due to its location. The kappa demon family he had the pleasure of meeting came from the eastern lands and proceeded to do business in the western lands. Certain travelers seemed to have no prejudice against the western civilians or the eastern civilians, and this Lady Meioshi he had to identify also bore no prejudice against demons seeing as though she healed the young son of the kappa family.
As if he tempted fate, Jaken and Aa and Un felt the air grow cold a second time. A portal to the Netherworld may not have reopened but one of a different nature had, and the atmosphere became much more ominous than before. A thick fog rose from the earth with no seafaring origin to explain its sudden birth and made Jaken nervous. The summer months were still upon the living world. Fog had no reason to be until fall and winter. Something was wrong. The barrier surrounding Heiwa glowed in the afternoon sun before it hardened at the base of the village gates like stone and glass. He knew he wasn't getting in anytime soon if the barrier was getting stronger. What of the family on Lady Meioshi's estate? Would they stay there for safety? There was nothing protecting them, was there?
"I want to return to Lord Sesshomaru, but..." Jaken started, looking into the sky to see dark clouds slowly approaching him. He thought his sight was going bad when he saw light snow dropping from them. No way there's snow in the middle of summer. Impossible! Jaken rubbed his eyes with his sleeve one good time before confirming there was indeed snow coming from the dark clouds. The Netherworld wolf must be close by! He then continued, "I'll protect the others for now until they return to their home in the east. You'll have to find Lord Sesshomaru without me, dragon."
Aa and Un merely looked at Jaken as he hustled to the back entrance of Lady Meioshi's estate. At least, he wouldn't need to worry about the barrier. Irregardless, Aa and Un followed Jaken's instructions and left to find their master. Something truly was wrong. The air was wet and cold, yet it had a prickling sensation disturbing the dragon's skin. Jaken was surprised when he saw there was no snow or cool air infiltrating Lady Meioshi's estate; in fact, it still felt like summer and the other kappa demons had begun to deliver their items on Lady Meioshi's front porch. They didn't miss a beat despite what was disturbing the land outside of Heiwa. This left Jaken confused if not more suspicious than before. What sort of barrier was actually protecting Heiwa? He could safely guess that perhaps many demons and probably some humans have tried to conquer Heiwa in the past, which would validate the need for a barrier, but why does Lady Meioshi not have a visible barrier when she is essentially and practically a back gate connected to Heiwa by less than maybe seven miles? How do his fellow kind still remain happy on her estate?
"This safe haven is almost too perfect..." Jaken mumbled, narrowing his enlarged eyes and furrowing his brow. "But Moeru and his family appear to be staying here for the night. He must have sensitive cargo with him. I thought I sensed magical items earlier, but are they for Lady Meioshi to use or inspect? This doesn't hold any viable reasoning for her visit to hell. If all is well here, I may have to find Lord Sesshomaru first, after all."