That's it? Meioshi thought, giving Sesshomaru an incredulous look.
Maybe incredulous wasn't the exact word for her circumstance since it was more akin to disbelief, but this man (whoever he was and assuming he was in fact a man) waited for her to come out of the forest to pick a fight with her. Surely, he was jesting. Why would a high-class demon like him want to even trifle with a mundane - ? Oh... Meioshi considered his words very carefully and took only a few steps forward. She wasn't a simple girl anymore. She didn't train all these years for nothing, least of all to back down from an opponent who could help her in a different way. She tilted her lantern upwards and then to her right before stopping in front of the man. His eyes held an unearthly gleam from the lantern's radiance, and he seemed to be expecting something of her. Reaching underneath her lantern, Meioshi removed the paper cover from the small gas lamp and whipped it out to create a roningasa hat made of woven bamboo and wood with iron lining the brim.
Sesshomaru was almost taken aback by this, curious to know if Lady Meioshi was perhaps the daughter of a ronin samurai, and watched her twirl the hat in her hand before placing it on her head. She held her free hand above the gas lamp, taking some of the flame from its hearth into her hand, and guided it to her side. The fire swirled about her arms, licked the exposed skin on her body, and crackled and popped on her kimono. Bits of armor appeared on her hands, forearms, shoulders and hips. Crimson red bandages appeared on her feet and a crimson red leather high collar appeared to connect the shoulder armor. Her kimono changed from a flattering, light green color to a more vibrant orange and a deep brown resembling the smoldering ashes of burning wood. Sensing her power increasing significantly, Sesshomaru lifted up his claw and took a step forward to ease into a battle stance. Meioshi then pulled her kimono open to reveal her long leg covered in armor and bandages strictly to remove a piece of stone sticking her. Dropping the stone into the flame, she allowed the gas lamp to become her weapon and telekinetically lifted it while sending the staff that was holding the lamp to another dimension of existence.
Charging at each other, Sesshomaru and Meioshi clashed in a powerful burst of yoki energy and fire magic. At long last, both man and woman could finally confirm the rumors surrounding each other. Sesshomaru's being a handsome warrior and Meioshi's being a powerful warrior. Though Sesshomaru didn't show it, he was excited to have found a new opponent with potentially greater strength than presented. Brute strength alone wasn't going to be enough with her. Meioshi, on the other hand, was looking at this fight differently. She had a very clear goal and an enemy practically written in stone for her to fight. This man was getting in the way of her conquests if all he wanted was a fight.
Curiously, the doctor hummed with the thought then spoke up as Sesshomaru added more power to his strike, "Your might is impressive, young man, but I've no interest in fighting the strongest opponents of the world. Only one. Why are you seeking to be another?"
"That is my business," Sesshomaru replied, feeling the woman adding more power to her own magical shield.
Meioshi let out a sigh then tilted her head to say, "Very well. I suppose this will be our relationship then. What is your name?"
"Sesshomaru," he answered, silencing Meioshi and earning an odd look.
Energy becoming too overwhelming for either fighter, they jumped back and readied their next move. Well, Sesshomaru did as he pulled out a sword. Meioshi was wide-eyed in a hunched position, flabbergasted that the man before her was Jaken's master and the one Yuko tried to make her gush over. This was the Lord Sesshomaru? That made her get a good look at him just to be sure. The long, silver hair, big fur pelt, white clothing, and several swords all matched the description. His eyes weren't light brown like hers but they did match Yamashi's with the yellow, glassy appearance. Pointing out those main details (and mentally taking note of others) made Meioshi's mouth drop and hands curl up and twitch in realization. Even her gas lamp and roningasa hat tilted from lack of balance and power! That meant this battle was futile. She couldn't kill someone, or at the very least harm someone, who had family and friends. Seeing Sesshomaru's annoyance at her face and body language, Meioshi shook her head violently then pinched the bridge of her nose and stuttered aloud.
"I-I-I c-c-can't hurt him!" Meioshi whispered to herself, putting a hand on her hip. "Jaken would have a fit!"
"You are delusional," Sesshomaru said in response to her mumbling. He could hear it very clearly. The distance did nothing to reduce her sound. He then positioned his sword and summoned a burst of wind before saying, "I would never let a mere human best me."
Meioshi merely pinched the bridge of her nose tighter and said with sarcasm, "And he's persistent? This is splendid!"
Releasing the bridge of her nose, Meioshi regained control of her titled lamp and strengthened the fire. Sesshomaru merely wanted satisfaction out of this fight, right? Right! She'll entertain him with her firepower, he'll get bored, and they'll part ways peacefully. That should be enough to end this, right? Right! She chose not to use any formal weapon, which intrigued Sesshomaru, and instead assumed a different fighting stance now that she was sure of Sesshomaru's hidden power. This time, Sesshomaru charged at her with more careful strikes to test her, but Meioshi's fighting stance proved to be the indicator of a more challenging battle. Meioshi used her knife hand to redirect Sesshomaru's sword strikes in other directions and her fisted hand to gather a high amount of fire magic to punch Sesshomaru directly into his stomach and force him back several feet away. With unexpected agility, she was able to reappear behind him and forcibly turn him around to punch his arm several times. This was just enough to disarm him briefly so that she could take her roningasa hat and swing it like a sword. Unfortunately, she just barely missed him and had to quickly set the hat aflame to create a flaming shield to protect herself from his powerful strike.
Sesshomaru was hardly ever taken by surprise, and it pissed him off that a human was able to do it with her bare hands. He hadn't anticipated her speed being a factor in her strength. Moeru and Mizu Hoseki spoke truthfully of this woman. She was training to fight someone with a higher level of power. She even admitted there was only one person she intended to fight. Unfortunately, the presence of another demon stopped their battle and the smell of the Netherworld's fire resurfaced. Meioshi and Sesshomaru turned to their side to see the intruder. They jumped back and went on the defense, watching the demon become infected with ice. Meioshi gasped at this, recognizing the demon as her last patient in the clinic. The new challenger didn't stay long, however, and bellowed a distinctive roar before embracing himself in an aggressive manner.
"Bring me back the sword, thief!" the demon barked with a possessed voice. "Or watch this world burn!"
"Tsuyoi! You have to fight it!" Meioshi called out. "The wolf's ice will either devour you or make you crazed!"
"I'm... trying," Tsuyoi struggled to speak. "Help... Yuko."
Meioshi's heart stopped. Yuko was still at the clinic watching over Tsuyoi while she was gone! So was Lord Jaken and the dragon! Tsuyoi let out another roar before disappearing in a burst a wind and ice that cut into Meioshi's skin enough to make her bleed. The freshness of that spot of blood in the atmosphere made Sesshomaru realize something of possible value. Lady Meioshi didn't naturally have a smell before. He could hear her walking out of the forest and smell the fire burning from her lantern, but he couldn't pinpoint a moment when he caught her scent or her perfume or anything for that matter. Any living being held some recognizable odor to identify themselves. The divine guardian of Meioshi smelled of the forest and some sweet berry lingering underneath that. The demon named Tsuyoi smelled more malodorous than the divine guardian, especially with the scent of hell and ice on his person. Up until Meioshi was cut, there was no smell for her. She didn't smell of death but... there was nothing to compare her scent to since her blood just smelled like the traditional saltiness of the substance. The freshness of it proved she was alive but that was all.
Meioshi approached what seemed to be Tsuyoi's remains and went to investigate what was there. She took her dress between her teeth and ripped at the fabric to tear her dress and create a bigger slit. She used the torn piece to gather the leftover ice and coagulate. The ice fragment spiked up immediately when she tried to touch it and nearly pierced her forehead. She merely let out a sigh and bowed her head low. There was nothing she could do to appease this guardian's hatred for her right now. She needed to approach this creature differently.
"I'm sorry, guardian," Meioshi whispered gently, feeling cold mist on her leg and face. "I never meant to anger you, but... if you can give me a few days, maybe there's a way I can give you more than your sword. If there is someone that you lost, is there a way I can find that person?"
Sharpness turned to blunted edges as the ice spiked and churned into a blossoming crystal flower at the base. Meioshi was silenced by the responsiveness of the ice. So, the guardian was trying to find someone! Meioshi nodded and made it her mission to find the souls connected to Baohu qi Voluptatis. The doctor reached into her dress to pull out a familiar item that made Sesshomaru narrow his eyes at the offensive piece. Revealing the golden sun trinket that bound him, Meioshi applied her divine fire to the trinket and pushed it against the aggressive parts of the ice. Within a few seconds, the trinket made the ice hiss and melt away until it was embedded in the cursed ice prison.
"Until I find who you're looking for, hold Chen-bi and use its power to punish me when we meet again," Meioshi said to the ice crystal. "I will lend you my power should I fail this task. Do what you will with my remains."
The ice glowed as if the wolf was resting on her words. The mist entered her wounds to heal her cuts and took a singular drop of blood from her cheek to perform a sort of blood pact between them. It considered the offering. The blackened coagulate, however, made a much more permanent pact with the doctor. The acidic sludge formed into an arrow and shot Meioshi directly into her throat. Sesshomaru's eyes widened at the sudden attack, seeing black veins crawling up the doctor's face and her shaking violently with foam coming out of the corners of her mouth, and he went to attack the ice but the Netherworld's mist spiraled around the woman and burned Meioshi's kimono at the top. Bulging branches of tree roots spread from Meioshi's neck to the center of her bosom and a gemstone with the wolf's eye formed on her chest. The arrow disappeared as mist and reshaped itself into a choker that matched the material of the roningasa hat. When Meioshi was able to breathe again and her breath became an arctic weapon, she huffed and slouched over to cough up her own blood.
"Five days will be given for you to find the true guardian of the sword," the wolf spoke through the ice. "You cannot speak to her. She must come to me of her own volition. Fail this, I will not only devour you, but I will also take Yuko."
Without another word, the ice ceased glowing and the doctor was released from her captive. She struggled to breathe and could barely suck air in until the mist disappeared and infected her lungs. When she let out a deep breath, ice came out along with the air. She had ice breath! Meioshi's eyes were also infected with ice as her irises went from the beautiful hazel color to an icy blue along the direct edges webbing itself toward the center pupil. With time, the hazel would be no more. Her eyes shifted with worry. Why did the wolf want Yuko? It didn't make any sense. The doctor was grateful for one thing, though. The wolf was just a protector of the sword. The guardian of the sword was a woman. Judging from the wolf's possessive behavior, the prior guardian must have looked like Yuko in a past life. Her assumptions were partially correct then. Now, she had to hustle to find the true guardian and convince her to go with Meioshi to see the wolf protector without being able to speak to her. How was that supposed to work?
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
Jaken ran from the side entrance of Meioshi's estate and was already at Sesshomaru's side. The imp took notice to Tokijin and its thirst for blood radiating throughout its bodice, but Sesshomaru easily silenced it and sheathed his sword again. Meioshi had stood up with determination in her eyes and bowed to the ice before running to her home. Jaken took notice to the doctor's silence and watched her briefly along with his lord. Sesshomaru only grew more curious about the woman he now deemed a rival. How far was she willing to go to save this life from hell? Would she really be able to find the wolf's supposed master in time? Wondering if he should monitor the doctor's progress in this new mission, he turned to Jaken to see what other information he could find about Meioshi.
"What is it, Jaken?"
Jaken turned to Sesshomaru and hummed in response before being reminded of his lord's presence. He then said, "Oh! I felt Tokijin's energy from Lady Meioshi's estate, my lord. I didn't realize you were nearby. What were you fighting that excited Tokijin so much?"
Sesshomaru was silent at this and only looked to the discarded gas lamp that Meioshi had left behind...
_________________________________________
Meioshi ran alongside the pond that was between her clinic and a hidden docking area to reach the broken bridge near the waterfall and cliff overlooking her estate. She hopped onto protruding stones and wooden boards to get to the marble docking area at the base of the cliff until she sighed to let out her breath when she landed on a slippery stone. Ice had come out and froze the water cascading down the cliff. Hearing the water freeze up and crackle made her look up and see the actual power she was given from the wolf's blood pact, but her usage of the ice breath came at a price when reckless. The branches solidifying on her upper body sucked up blood and mianyi in a searing and rapid drain. The pain was enough to disable Meioshi for a moment and send her crashing into another stone and bruising her ribs. She yelped from the pain but gritted her teeth to bare it.
To avoid using the ice breath uncontrollably, Meioshi sunk into the water and swam the rest of the way to the marble stairs. The pond waters provided a therapeutic pressure to her ribs and eased the pain somewhat. A young kappa demon peeked up at her and swam to her to investigate. Meioshi turned to it, seeing its eyes glowing and approaching her, and smiled at it before waving. The kappa demon waved and blushed at the woman's nearly exposed bosom and long legs. She swam upwards in seamless motion, the moon's glow accentuating the waves of her hair as she ascended. When she came close to the stone stairs, she emerged from the water and breathed through her nose. That same ominous feeling was behind her again, but she ignored it in favor of her new task. She would find the true guardian of the sword regardless of the consequence or the enemy.
Meioshi lifted herself out of the water, whipping her hair back to see properly, and picked up her drenched weight to kneel on the chipped marble base stair and crawl until she made it to the first long stair. She stood up and ran up the marble stairs, ignoring the temptation to look behind her. The ominous feeling would have to wait. Sesshomaru watched the doctor run up the cliff, curious of what was possibly up there. Jaken was behind him, holding the doctor's discarded hat and inspecting it. It seemed perfectly ordinary but smelled of burning ashes like it had been near fire.
"This hat does smell of fire, but it doesn't seem that special," Jaken commented, seeing a small circular metal piece inside of the hat. He picked at it a couple of times but couldn't get it out. He then said, "What's that in it? Smells like flowers. It's oily."
"It was a paper lantern," Sesshomaru remarked, sniffing the air for Meioshi's blood or the flower oil in the hat. He had to identify her somehow. She didn't smell like flowers before. He then ordered, "Jaken, use your staff on that cliff."
"Yes, me lord!" Jaken responded, dropping the roningasa hat and lifting his staff. When the eyes glowed, Jaken hummed in response and said, "Ah, so that's where her barrier actually is! Moeru said that the clinic and house below the cliff weren't protected because of Lady Meioshi's medical practices. Guests are allowed to use her secondary housing as an inn regardless of their species, so she doesn't put a barrier over it in case a demon would need to recuperate. Where was she when we needed her? Uh, not that you really need a human to heal you, Lord Sesshomaru! I only meant that her skills could have been used had we known of it! Just ignore that! I believe the barrier is too thick for anything to be seen. I wonder if those magical items that Moeru had delivered here are up there. If so, there's potentially more on that cliff, which would be a legitimate reason for having such an intense barrier over it."
"What magical items, Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked, turning to the imp.
"When I met Moeru, I sensed some demon energy on his wagon. He was delivering several lovely pots to Lady Meioshi. He wouldn't explain the nature of the pots beyond their use of holding water or miscellaneous items related to nursing. During my stay here, however, I could feel something that was neutralizing demon energy near the actual clinic. I wanted to wait until Yuko retired for the night to ask Lady Meioshi of this, but the doctor had left after lunch and Yuko knew nothing of the matter."
"Didn't know what, Lord Jaken?"
Sesshomaru and Jaken turned to the familiar voice and saw Yuko approaching them with worry in her eyes. She looked cute in her attire. It was a simple red and green yukata.
"Oh, Lord Sesshomaru is with you!" Yuko said with a polite bow. "Hello again. Thank you for helping me back at the farm. I'm sorry things are such a mess right now. I can't compensate you just yet."
"What is on that cliff?" Sesshomaru asked, ignoring the woman's offer. "You and the doctor are hiding something. What is it?"
"What do you actually want with my master?" Yuko asked, angered by the question and Sesshomaru's haughty attitude. "Lord Jaken made it quite clear that you don't serve that hellish wolf. So, let's hear it."
"What I do with your doctor is none of your business," Sesshomaru replied, narrowing his eyes at the girl. She was a lot spunkier than she let on, and she reminded him of Meioshi when she was serious. Since the arctic wolf was after Yuko anyway and Meioshi was doing so much to protect her, why not take her for himself to lure the doctor out? Or simply use Yuko as bait for both enemies? One of them is surely strong enough. He then said, "She shouldn't be this careless with your safety irregardless."
Settled on his next choice of action, he walked up to Yuko, who remained firmly planted even as Sesshomaru towered over her, and held a glaring match with the girl before swiftly grabbing her arm and holding her up effortlessly. Yuko didn't falter from this despite the pain her shoulder felt from the tension building in it to hold her weight. Sesshomaru was impressed by her bravery. The doctor taught this one well.
"Since the wolf is after you as well, I think I'll keep you," Sesshomaru threatened, hearing Aa and Un walking up to him. Perfect timing!
"Wait!" Yuko said, holding up her free hand in an act of surrender. "The wolf is looking for me, too? That's what you said, right? Did you or Lady Meioshi find it then?"
"That's why my lord was gone. What of it?" Jaken interjected, glaring at Yuko even though he actually took a small liking to her despite the personal questions about Sesshomaru's intimate social life.
"I want to help it," Yuko said innocently. This surprised Sesshomaru enough to loosen his vice grip on her wrist and listen to her reasoning. She then continued, "I know what it's like to be separated from someone. That loneliness can eat away at you until you lose hope and lash out at anyone who thinks they have some inkling of what it actually feels like. If the wolf wants a friend, I'll be there until Meioshi finds who it lost. I know she can do it! She won't give up until she does! That's what makes her a great friend. It's what Meioshi did for me. I'll gladly return that favor and buy her some time. Take me with you if you truly know where the wolf is."
"He doesn't know where it is, but if he doesn't unhand you and step back, I will tear him to shreds!"
The anger spilling out from behind them was unreal. Water was churning and swirling beneath her feet. Sesshomaru lowered Yuko down and turned around to see Meioshi fully dressed in armor, eyes glowing a vibrant, icy blue, and a silver spear in her hand...