The scent of her blood was strong. He could practically taste its freshness as she stepped away from him with fierceness in her eyes. The black wall demon merely grinned excitedly as he was finally met with the Netherworld predator lurking inside Meioshi. Though he preferred devouring Sesshomaru first, the demon had no problem waiting for his final meal from the living world if it meant claiming Meioshi as his servant. After all, he would be able to feast on the strongest forces in hell after killing the western lord. Forming his limbs and strong chest again, the black wall demon stretched across the sky like a monstrous spider gripping at the treetops. He let go of the trees and landed atop the sea of hills with a loud thump. Creepily, he crawled on the slow currents of the hills like they were as still as the ground until he came face to face with the doctor. Her blood smelled so good, but he didn't want his beauty harmed. She would be the new wielder of the snow sword, after all. In a dismissive sort of gesture, the black wall demon kept his moonlit eyes locked with Meioshi's and took his large, stony claw to gently nudge Sesshomaru away from her. This matter would be between them now.
Further angered by the insult, however, Sesshomaru summoned a daring amount of Herculean strength and grabbed the creature's claw to toss him aside with the intention of distancing the beast from them. He supposed he could say that he felt some level of guilt for a human being harmed due to his recklessness, but the way Meioshi's eyes were focused on the black wall demon told Sesshomaru that the situation was far more serious and that he couldn't let his guard down even for a moment. The beast only hopped back after recovering from the sudden toss before looking at Sesshomaru with some amusement. This one was stronger than he thought! Good! An excellent choice of dinner! But, he had to speak to his beauty first. The black wall demon purred a little, exchanging glances between the two warriors before him, and cautiously crawled in front of them again before sitting in front of them on his haunches. This confused Sesshomaru greatly, but Meioshi was unmoved by the politeness of the beast. It was preparing to negotiate again.
He then said, "You had me worried for a moment, my beauty. I was beginning to think you didn't care about the safety of those others."
"Apologies for the delay," Meioshi replied, nodding politely but keeping her eyes on the beast. "I had some thinking to do. Why are you resorting to tricks with the young man here? This is unnecessary stress for his lordship."
"Quite right," the demon responded, looking at Sesshomaru. It then did the unthinkable and bowed low to the western lord before saying, "Pardon my offenses, son of the Great General. My temper is conducive to nothing."
"Your apology is neither wanted nor acceptable," Sesshomaru said coldly. "Where is Jaken?"
"With the others, of course, little one," the black wall demon replied. "You were so eager to save the day that you didn't consider my words before. You see, when you attack me with sword energy, I convert that energy into an attack of the mind. Unfortunately, you're killing your imp servant little by little without knowing it. What you heard earlier was not far from the truth. Your poison is potent."
Sesshomaru growled from a place deeper than his own gut at this new information. He was killing Jaken? Nonsense! He would never - ! Then, it all made sense. He wasn't fighting an average opponent anymore. This was a parasite able to infiltrate corners of the mind no ordinary demon or otherwise could reach. Jaken was hurting... because of him. He was being too reckless here. Even though Yuko was with Jaken, he didn't smell her burning or bleeding. He didn't even hear her voice pleading for mercy. Yuko was safe. The way the doctor was handling this demon, even though she only knew him in certain details, was exceptionally different. Coupled with her lack of a natural scent, her method of protecting others from monsters like the one before them was a bit more understandable. Any rash action could be the sudden death of another, but not knowing how to fight back was a powerlessness no one could handle. The black wall demon merely watched Sesshomaru put the pieces together before returning his attention to his person of interest. She wasn't looking at the Great General's son or thinking about him for another planned attack. As close as he was now, a planned attack would be too dangerous for the both of them.
"So, then..." the demon started, lowering his head to meet Meioshi's head level, "have you changed your mind about my offer, my beauty?"
"I've only one lingering thought that has me most puzzled," Meioshi replied, making the creature hum in response and tilt his head slightly. "Why did you spare the previous wielder of the snow sword?"
"I spared no one for the sword," the demon answered.
"Unfortunately, I do not believe that statement," Meioshi said, fighting the urge to look at Sesshomaru. If she was going to help him as promised, she would have to be careful about leaving any subtle clues for the black wall demon to detect. This had to be flawless. She then said, "You can read a curious, frightened, or suffering mind. It's what aided you in your kills, what helped you feed, and how you're able to remain hidden from the world. You went through great lengths to be able to wield this one weapon for your own gain. But, of everyone involved with this blade, you spared the previous wielder until the very end. He was able to make it to an older age. You didn't feed off him like you did the others. Through your negotiations presently, you seem to be sparing me as well. I don't quite understand this part. Why are you sparing us?"
The black wall demon narrowed his eyes and closed his mouth to show only the reddened line of his lips. The line looked like it was going from ear to ear, but the creature had no visible ears so the line took the appearance of going to the temples of his head instead. This was a reaction Sesshomaru didn't expect. There was a reason for it all? Sesshomaru turned to look at the doctor and took notice to something changing within her. The hazel eyes she once had were turning more of an orange color like the base of a flame on a piece of coal. Her scent was even changing from the fresh blood to the Netherworld's burn. Was she... transforming? He thought she was a human. Is this what the demon meant by her being a predator? What is she? Is her real identity or form related to her not having a scent? No, she said that she hides her scent as a defense, but she seems different. She's not possessed by anything this time. She seemed genuinely curious about the creature before them yet ready for another battle with it. What is she thinking about?
"Did I not explain my reason well enough for you, my beauty?" the black wall demon asked, creeping up quietly to Meioshi until he was practically lying on his belly. He seemed far tamer than most demons when he did such small things like this.
Bulky arms folded under his chin, eyes locked on the doctor, and a gentle purring dancing from his chest made him seem almost gentle. To Sesshomaru, the menace in the sky almost looked like a child discovering a new thing. He seemed more observant as he watched, waited, and slowed his breathing. To Meioshi, the black wall demon looked like how she remembered him, but he now had a face to his name and a smile as wide as the crescent of the moon. Finally, to the beast, this was how he remembered seeing Meioshi in the past. Her kimono may have been gone, her hair may have been cut shorter, and her lovely face may have aged into a gorgeous adult woman, but she was just as small and quiet as the day he followed her to that cave. She wasn't backed into the corner this time, gripping at the wall or quieting her breathing to hide her fear. She stood firmer now. She was stronger than before.
Again, the creature ignored Sesshomaru's presence and asked, "Would you like me to sing to you again? Those arrows went in pretty deep. I'll heal you."
"You are kind," Meioshi complimented, equivalently soft. The creature's eyes began to glow like the moon before it widened them and made the arrows in Meioshi's back wiggle about. She winced just barely when one of them stirred in place before being pulled out in a swift motion. One by one, each arrow fell to the ground and returned to the creature's body as merely shadows. A bit of flame raced to the open wounds on her back and began the healing process. The creature remained still at this, fascinated by her newfound abilities when before she had next to none. She then surprised him with an innocent question, "When did you learn to sing Dreamy Wonder?"
Is she...? Buying us time? Sesshomaru thought, turning his attention to the black wall demon again. We don't need more time...
The creature huffed as though it were a chuckle and answered, "Many centuries ago. Long before you and the Great General's son there were born. I was surprised you knew of it. Many have come to favor more modern lullabies. I prefer the older ones. Much more calming. Your eyes are so different now, my beauty. You no longer fear me. Your time of cowering has ended. I wonder if your singing voice has changed since your escape from hell. Is your voice stronger than those soft whimpers?"
"I haven't sung in years," Meioshi responded, smirking. Sesshomaru visibly perked up at this tidbit of information. The beast seemed to know the doctor more than he originally thought, and Meioshi seemed to mind the black wall demon's presence less and less. Though he could sense her cautiousness, she was calm and had a tenderness to her voice like she was speaking to someone familiar. She then joked, "My voice is probably terrible now."
"Doubtful," the creature said, inching closer to the doctor. He then hummed like he remembered something and said, "I never answered your question, it seems. The previous wielder was a lot like you. Unaffected by my voice or appearance and truly pure of heart. He was the ideal wielder until his general did something to change him. Something that I myself didn't understand. It made getting close to the previous wielder difficult, but I was able to watch over him as I did the lost boy."
"... is that why you possessed his son?" Sesshomaru asked, making the creature growl in response and turn to him. "Because he was being guarded otherwise, it was easier to feed off those closest to him or the sword. The previous wielder had a son who hoped to someday wield the snow sword as you've been calling it, so you trained him nightly and drained him slowly until he became a man. The village the previous wielder lived in was ruined by your arrows. You possessed the archers the son was able to command and sent away another to track the sword down. Akarui."
Abruptly, the black wall demon rose up on all fours and roared at Sesshomaru with a deafening volume. The sea of hills stopped moving entirely and sunk to the level of the ground. Eight globs of snow appeared near the resting place of the snow sword where the bird once slept. The scrolls that outlined the dome of the forest drew back rapidly enough to gather wind from the ground and air and sucked up the air surrounding the warriors and beast. Being pulled upwards from the strength of the wind, everyone tried to get a firmer footing to remain grounded but it was beginning to prove difficult with the ground shaking as well. Trees were getting ripped up at the roots and sucked in to the scrolls. Above them shone a bright light in the shape of a star that revealed the faces and bodies of the fallen villagers that the black wall demon had slain. Meioshi chose then to look at Sesshomaru and search for her divine bead. It was pointing to his left and behind him.
"Meioshi! Get down!" a familiar voice ordered.
The doctor rushed to tackle Sesshomaru down on the ground and covered him with her body as divine arrows shot at the beast. One particular arrow caught the black wall demon in his ankle and the pain that traveled through his body made him let out a pained bellow. Angered by Sesshomaru's words, the beast punched the earth to direct his arm to snatch the western lord from under Meioshi and devour him quickly, but the doctor silently called the divine bead to her hands and formed a stronger barrier around Sesshomaru by solidifying it. This stopped the beast from getting the western lord for now, but it made him look at Meioshi a bit differently. If she wasn't going to be his new wielder by agreement, she would have to be it by force and he would have to feed on her instead. Pity. He would have enjoyed her more as a loving mate. Their intimacy was now dirtied by the interferences of the living world. Suddenly, a bright light came from behind them and three familiar voices rang out.
"Doctor, help!"
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
"Meioshi!"
Sesshomaru turned to look behind him and was relieved to see Jaken alive and running towards him, but the danger lingering was going to be too much for the imp. Smelling the sweet orange and wild cherry fragrance from the doctor, Sesshomaru looked at the doctor protecting him and spotted her tanto. He then ordered, "Meioshi, drop the barrier."
"I can't! The scrolls above will take us up and leave you at his mercy! He'll try to devour you!" Meioshi responded, feeling the crushing blows the beast was putting on her barrier.
"If you don't, he'll devour the others," Sesshomaru said in a softer tone.
Thinking of something, Meioshi then responded, "Do you remember how to get to Heiwa from here?" Sesshomaru was quiet at this before he nodded. She then said, "I know we're not close, Lord Sesshomaru, but I said I would help you protect Jaken. In return, I only ask that you bring Yuko to safety at the village. I am willing to put my trust in you to do this. Will you put your trust in me?"
Sesshomaru was silent for a stale moment. It wasn't a common question for him to answer, least of all one from a stranger. Was this parasite so strong that neither of them could handle him? Trying everything it can to break the barrier, maybe the doctor knew the extent of the black wall demon's might. He was punching the crystal barrier with a force that was making the barrier form a crater where they were kneeling. Sesshomaru wanted to refuse the help. Running away was beneath him. He knew he was strong enough to fight the creature, but the black wall demon was behaving like it was desperate for them both. If he tried to attack it again, the demon might go after Jaken more severely now that the imp was out in the open as leverage for Sesshomaru's surrender. Jaken still had the smell of his poison mixed with the Netherworld burn on his person. He didn't want Jaken harmed twice because of him.
"Then, the barrier stays up until I - " Meioshi started.
"Yes," Sesshomaru interrupted, looking down at the ground. He wasn't particularly pleased with the situation. He wasn't particularly fond of the doctor either, but if he could get everyone to safety then so be it. He then said, "Don't let it go to your head, witch. This is temporary."
Meioshi smirked then gently chuckled at him. She then said, "To be quite honest, it's already gone there. Oh, if I don't make it out alive, sorry about the comment on your voice. It was necessary to get the information we needed."
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes for a moment before he softened them. So, there was a reason for it that he couldn't see right away! Before he knew it, Meioshi took both of her hands and pushed the barrier up to make it extend. As though in unison, she and the black wall demon drew enough power into their final strike before they punched at it and broke the barrier into pieces with an explosive blast. Sesshomaru was nearly blinded by the blast before he was picked up and pushed to leave. Meioshi hurriedly drew her tanto out and leapt into the air to strike the beast in his face. Landing with a thud, she was hit with enough force to break a rib or two and sent flying into a tree, but she recovered quickly enough for her feet to land on a tree trunk before she leapt at the beast coming for her with the Dai Fubuki blade again. Sesshomaru had rushed to Jaken's side while Meioshi fended off the Netherworld monster.
"Lord Sesshoma - whoa!"
Not wasting any time, Sesshomaru picked Jaken up and flung him over his shoulder to hold onto his Moko Moko. Grabbing Yuko's wrist, Sesshomaru tried to make her grab his Moko Moko, too, but Yuko snatched her arm away and held onto a little girl that Sesshomaru didn't sense or smell before. The child didn't seem familiar in any way, but she did smell of sweet orange like Meioshi's blade. Why were the scents similar? When Yuko backed away from him and he could fully see the little girl, Sesshomaru was able to recognize her once she opened her eyes and clung to Yuko's yukata.
"I'm staying with little wolf!" Yuko said, defiance radiating from her body.
Sesshomaru looked into the little girl's eyes and said carefully, "It's not safe for you to be here... Hon'no."
Unexpectedly, the little girl's eyes widened before a pillar of light shot out of her body and the golden sun trinket that Meioshi had bound the western lord with floated to the sky. It twirled rapidly once it reached a certain height, and Hon'no was soon floating in the air with Chen-bi. Her eyes were blank before they closed and a tear came from her eye. The light from Chen-bi covered the little girl until she disappeared into a ball of sunlight and went to the doctor's side. Meioshi was going in for another strike at the beast before she could feel light pouring into her hands and covering the tanto. Light was also coming from the scrolls above them and it also poured its energy into the divine dagger. Wind and sunlight gave the Dai Fubuki enough power to send the beast flying into the forest trees. When the creature didn't return for another strike, Meioshi hesitantly look at the tanto and saw Chen-bi on her wrist. She went to touch it, but it shone brilliantly first before a little girl was clinging to her leg and tightening her eyes. Meioshi didn't recognize the girl at first until she noticed Chen-bi responding to her.
The doctor kneeled in front of the girl before calling out quietly, "Little wolf?"
The little girl smiled at Meioshi and whispered, "Doctor."
"It seems the evil talking dog was able to discover her name and set her free," the pheasant said, walking up to Meioshi with his two eggs in tow. "An interesting turn of events, isn't it?"
"She's not Akarui, is she?" Meioshi questioned, looking at her friend.
"No," the pheasant responded, smiling gently. The father in him was coming out. He then said, "Akarui was her father and the starving youth who once carried the lantern that revealed the black wall demon. When the evil talking dog said his name, the light and winds above stirred to wake him."
Meioshi returned her attention to light above them and said, "He became the True North!"
"It was the only way he knew to protect his daughters from the monster," the pheasant said, walking up to the little girl and gently pecking at her leg. Hon'no hesitantly took her eyes off the doctor and reached down to pet the pheasant. His feathers were so soft! He then said, "The little one here has something to do, though, right? Doctor, the sword if you will. We need to close the next point."
Hon'no looked at Meioshi as she sheathed the Dai Fubuki blade and held her hands out so that the palms could face each other. Ice, snow, and divine light gathered into her palms before Baohu qi Voluptatis materialized in her hands. Grabbing the hilt, Meioshi positioned the sword to lay in her hands and held it out for the little girl to take it. Hon'no shook her head at the sword, however, and backed away. She seemed afraid of it now. Meioshi was confused by this and looked at the sword with some suspicion. What was wrong with it?
"What's the matter, little wolf? Don't you want your sword back anymore?" Meioshi asked, shaking her head lightly.
"I like Chen-bi better," Hon'no replied cutely. "Can I have him instead?"
"Oh," Meioshi said, not expecting her reply. She placed the sword down for a moment and held her wrist out for Hon'no to take Chen-bi. The little girl eagerly took the sun trinket in her hands and embraced it. The doctor then said, "Huh. Didn't think you'd be interested in the power of the sun."
"It's not the sun. It's you," Hon'no said with a gentle smile. "A light of hope and a new day. You and Yuko gave me that in an endless darkness. Your power is stronger than that old sword! Less cold!" Suddenly, a thought came to her and her eyes turned to dots. Blue lines started to cover her forehead and she shouted, "Oh no! I left Yuko with that mean man!"
______________________________________
"Let me go!"
"Kick me again and I'll drop you from this height," Sesshomaru growled, flying swiftly back to Heiwa.
"You'd better do as me lord says," Jaken suggested, wondering if he was going to leave Lady Meioshi behind.
Sesshomaru wasn't flying with his typical speed the imp noticed and he was awfully snippier than his usual. Moving quickly, his lord was trying his hardest to be patient with Yuko. Since she wouldn't come with them quietly, he took it upon himself to carry her over his shoulder regardless of what she felt. Yuko had been fighting with him since. In truth, he couldn't actually feel her kicks with the armor on, but her punches hit the back of his head a couple of times. That would've been the moment he dropped her from the hundred feet vertical distance, but Jaken took notice to the surprising amount of patience his lord was exhibiting with Yuko. It could very well be that he just didn't want to carry Yuko to safety anymore, so he was making his journey to Heiwa a lot faster. A small part of Jaken was telling him otherwise, however. That huge blast of power that Lady Meioshi used was enough to scare anyone off, but Yuko was even more determined to stand by Meioshi's side knowing that she was fighting that awful creature alone. She was brave to say the least. Both women were. That brought Jaken's attention back to his lord. This didn't seem to be his normal "rushing to the rescue" motion. He was more tense.
"Where are we going after leaving the girl home, me lord?" Jaken asked, suddenly feeling a drop. Sesshomaru was reaching Heiwa's borders but he didn't answer the imp immediately. When Jaken noticed the unresponsiveness, he questioned, "Uh, me lord?"
Sesshomaru landed quickly and quietly in front of Meioshi's back entrance to her estate. Tempted to toss Yuko on the ground like a sack of potatoes, he roughly put her down on her feet before turning to Jaken and ordering, "Stay with the brat, Jaken. Make sure she doesn't get hurt."
"Hey!" Yuko started, about to march up to Sesshomaru.
"Where are you going, Lord Sesshomaru? Let me go with you," Jaken said, clinging to Moko Moko.
"Are you disobeying me, Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked with malice in his voice and eyes.
"N-n-no, me lord, but - " Jaken started, silencing himself as soon as Sesshomaru furrowed his brow with displeasure.
Before the imp could get another word out, Sesshomaru had taken to the sky again. The western lord growled at himself as he started picking up speed. He completed her request. Yuko was at her estate again. She kept her promise. Jaken was safe. From what the imp could explain, the mental attack wasn't nearly as bad as it sounded. It just startled Jaken with how real it felt. The poison did burn Jaken quite a bit, but he was slowly healing already and probably would be fine if Yuko did him a favor and took care of Jaken's wounds in exchange for carrying her sassy ass back home. So why? Why was he going back? Their agreement was done. Why does he want to help the doctor?
___________________________________
Screaming at her before unleashing his rage, the black wall demon dashed at her before disappearing in a puff of black mist and reappearing to swipe at her with his stony claws. She blocked him with some struggle before dodging a vicious double swipe at her neck. Rushing at the creature, she missed her own critical attack when he gained some extra height by extending his limbs and running into the shadows of the trees. Meioshi learned how to be wary of his shadow attacks. That was how she wound up bitten in her shoulder and hip. She wasn't sure how long she was going to be able to keep this up, but she was facing a menacing opponent. One that no longer had any mercy for her. Leaping out at her, she just barely dodged his sudden attack and summoned Kaishi Novum to her hand just in time to hit his weak point in the ankle with a downward jab. This disarmed him enough for her to unleash a flurry of slash attacks with the silver spear. The beast retaliated by grabbing at her own ankle and slinging her around before slamming her body into the ground at least three times before dragging her and throwing her a good distance. Rolling around in the snow, Meioshi stabbed Kaishi Novum into the ground to stop herself from remaining stunned and used it to catapult herself into the beast again with Dai Fubuki cutting off his arm. Though futile without a follow-up attack, severing the demon's arm bought her time to think of a next move. Just as she was about to attack again, she heard a blast of power coming at her and suddenly saw the atmosphere turn a sharp, bright green.
Hearing the black wall demon roar in pain and seeing a familiar poison blast, she slid to a halt with a look of surprise in her eyes as the demon screeched, "You son of a bitch!"
"Sesshomaru?" Meioshi questioned, squinting her eyes before the beast dodged the western lord's attack. Sure enough, it was him walking towards the beast with a fire in his eyes that made them glow.
Sensing the western lord's growing power, the black wall demon took off in a flurry of snow and ran to a distant place for safety or recovery. Meioshi could only assume that Sesshomaru remembered his sword strike could slow down the beast's regeneration, but she couldn't understand why he was here. Did she offend him again somehow? Maybe that was it. Her apology had to be extended. No, that didn't make sense. Everyone was safe, right? Jaken should be fine if not a little shaken, and Yuko should be okay, too. Did something happen that required her attention? Marching up to the doctor until he was at a reasonable distance, Sesshomaru stood there silently like he was waiting for something. Meioshi stood her ground but wanted to quickly end this fight with the black wall demon. She supposed she could show the western lord her gratitude for now, but it wouldn't feel as authentic to her due to the urgency. She preferred a proper show of gratitude, but his standing there was making her worry a bit.
"You being here can't be a good thing," Meioshi finally said, squinting one of her eyes. "What happened?"
"You're bleeding," Sesshomaru answered simply with a huff. In all honesty, he didn't know what to tell her without her potentially getting the wrong idea. He then said, "You should leave the beast to me. A human can't kill that kind of demon."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's some concern in your voice," Meioshi responded, raising an eyebrow.
"There isn't," Sesshomaru said with a huff, walking around the doctor and following the black wall demon's scent. "That opponent is just stronger than you right now, and it has disrespected me for the last time."
"And how do you intend to fight it when your sword just feeds him?" Meioshi questioned, folding her arms and remaining in her spot. When she heard Sesshomaru stop walking, she only slightly turned and questioned, "Oh, did you forget that part?"
"Hmph! I did not fulfill your request from earlier. It is as simple as that," Sesshomaru answered, closing his eyes.
"Request? You left Yuko by the sea of hills?" Meioshi questioned, turning around with her attention fully gained.
"I should've dropped the little brat in a river," Sesshomaru remarked, opening then narrowing his eyes at the memory of Yuko's constant fight. "She is safe."
"If you brought her home, there's no other request to fulfill," Meioshi said, not understanding what Sesshomaru was talking about.
Sesshomaru let out an inelegant harrumph before closing his eyes, smirking, and saying, "You asked me to kill you."
"Wha?" Meioshi started to question, but Sesshomaru was already on his way to following the black wall demon.
"Let's go, witch," Sesshomaru said, leading the way to the next parallel point. "Don't dawdle."
He's... he's going to help me? Meioshi thought.