After Sesshomaru's defeat...
Sniffing the ground for food, Aa and Un trundled back towards the forest while Jaken ran down a pathway that was angled to reach the valley below where Sesshomaru had fallen. Though defeated, the master wasn't dead, and the doctor had run in a different direction. Catching the scent of a sugared berry, the dragon walked over to where the doctor must have been sitting. Her perfume scent of wild orchid, sweet wood, and spice still lingered in the air along with the scent of a small bit of rice that she probably dropped by accident. They ate both the rice and berry. Hearing Lord Sesshomaru taking flight, Aa and Un merely walked back to the edge of the cliff and saw Sesshomaru and Jaken already at a grand distance away from them. The bells of ships rang, and the sea waves were crashing against the shores. Taking in the scents of berry pies, Aa and Un decided to simply return to Heiwa with the doctor. Knowing she had food in two special places of her home: her rather comfortable barn that they took refuge in and her fenced off orchard. However, while she was away to battle the black wall demon, they discovered a secret stash next to her kitchen. It was a sizable treasure chest of sorts. They could smell the contents in it and picked the lock of the chest to discover an absolute gold mine. Homemade fruit and nut bars, jerky, and dried vegetable sticks!
Settled on letting the master be on his journey, the twin-headed dragon took his stroll to the doctor's estate. It didn't take long for them. They knew the scent of the doctor and her estate. If they ever got lost, they could easily pick up the scent of the doctor's apprentice, sensei, or her children. The doctor's sensei had bountiful amounts of food for plucking. They just had to watch the sensei's flowers. He didn't like it when they stepped on them. Finding the back entrance to Meioshi's estate, the dragon wandered near the pond's shoreline and spotted the feed machine known as Lady Meioshi. Well, it was her, a divine spirit, and a little girl gathering crates, pots, and skillets. The little girl was the doctor's youngest apprentice. Kyoko, the dragon recalled hearing.
Meioshi turned sharply, hearing Aa and Un's footsteps, and said, "Huh? What on Earth is he doing here?"
"Hey, it's Lord Jaken's dragon!" Kyoko said, waving to Aa and Un.
"The one we saw from before?" Bonitas, the divine spirit, asked. He was in sprite form with his brother, Caritas, floating to a wagon to load something onto it. Bonitas adjusted his glasses and asked, "What is it doing here?"
Aa and Un walked directly to Meioshi until it was close enough to gaze into her eyes. She looked at them quizzically until it huffed and picked up its large claw before scratching at the ground.
Kyoko tilted her head a bit at it and asked, "I think it wants something, sensei."
"That's humorous," Meioshi said with a smirk, placing a hand on her hip. She held out her hand in an inviting manner, waiting to see the beast's reaction, and was pleasantly humbled by the twin heads purring and nuzzling against her hand for a pet. "Your master can't stand me, but it looks like I got your approval. Your tracking abilities are quite impressive! How'd you even know I was here?"
I know your scent, Aa and Un said to itself.
"Do you think that scratching means anything?" Kyoko asked.
"Chickens and some burrowing animals scratch at the ground for food," Meioshi replied, finding a sense of peace in petting the twin heads. "I suppose he's asking me to feed it. Actually... would you call it a singular he?"
We are different, Aa and Un said to itself.
"I think you have to call it 'they,' sensei," Kyoko replied, hopping over to the dragon.
"Well, I suppose you're tame enough to leave unattended while I pack," Meioshi said, letting Aa nuzzle into her neck. She felt something wet on her neck and noticed the dragon's snout glimmering under the evening sun. It was scenting her. She then said with a light laugh, "Claiming me as your servant, majesties? I suppose you can stay for the night, but just so you don't go nibbling on everyone's fruit, we'll bring you to the barn. Besides, I think Kyoko could do with another taxonomy assignment while I'm away."
"Really, sensei?" Kyoko questioned, stars in her eyes showing her excitement. "Can we stuff him?"
"Oh, heavens, no!" Meioshi replied with some apprehension. "Lord Jaken would have a fit! If not him, Lord Sesshomaru will be most displeased. We'll make a sculpture instead. I think they'll make quite the addition to the herbivory museum."
"Leave it to me, sensei! Great Detective Kyoko is on the job!" Kyoko cheered, banging a fist on her chest with pride in her title.
And that is how Aa and Un, our twin-headed hero, received 10-star treatment for two nights from my sensei. First, we gave them a luxury bath to encourage shedding. Sensei said it was important for reptiles to have healthy scales to combat nature, diseases, and pests like mites. Sensei showered them with fresh water to test their ability to repel water and chose a hydrating rice milk shampoo to ensure the right amount of moisture could still be absorbed through the skin. We had to use the big stone scrubbers for them 'cause they're so big! Be extra careful of those spots, though. Un will snap at you if you're too rough by his hind quarter. Aa doesn't mind the scrubbing. He definitely likes his belly scrubbed. His eyes started closing and their tail wagged! Un loves being scrubbed by his ears. I think they like the shampoo part the most, though. Hehe! It feels like a massage! Time to rinse 'em down. The hardest part is getting them to keep still to clean their ears. Aa doesn't like that part, but it's super gentle and a quick clean. Sensei had to do it since he wouldn't stop growling at us. Un didn't seem to mind. He flapped them dry. Now for the wild honey conditioning treatment. It's mainly a sun protectant process so the dragon doesn't get too dry from the sun. It's still summertime, after all. Sensei gives them a quick dash of cologne. Probably to attract a mate... not sure for who, though. Dragons emit their own smell for mates. We walk them so they can air dry and let them pick out food to eat in sensei's orchard. It's not very big, but the trees outperformed themselves this year. They had a lot of fruit!
Our twin-headed hero, despite his size, controls the urge to devour too much. Being an aviary reptile, he can't be weighed down but his choice in meal isn't limited to strictly fruits. Certain insects are a tasty delicacy for our friend. Namely, ones that are opportunistic by nature. The dragon's hunting capabilities are impressive to say the least and makes it an apex predator. The rapid flapping of its ears when prey is nearby seems to be a form of global positioning system. From grand distances, the dragon can actually hear the vibrations of aviary prey. Oh, it's taking flight! Whoa! The beast of burden unleashes a stunning blast of lightning that paralyzes its prey. This burst of power is enough to down its meaty entree and consume its flesh. It seems to only require one of these insect demons for a proper meal. Satisfied with its hunt, it returns to sensei's orchard for a healthy side dish of fruit. The dragon, though not known to be nocturnal, seems to contribute to the ecosystem as one of the largest pollinators we've seen by far. For each fruit plucked, they seem to scratch at the tree's roots to promote stimulation and growth. Chewing minutely on the tree bark may also be stimulating for the tree, but it seems to be a mutual relationship in that the dragon's teeth can be cleaned. It then spits out the fruits' seeds and plants them at a perfect distance from the parent tree. Unfortunately, it destroyed sensei's fence. Guess we'll have to fix that later.
Our twin-headed hero seems to eat a mere half its weight in food, depending on the presence of other prey. This potentially makes it ontogenic. Lizards are typically carnivorous to omnivorous as juveniles. Once they reach maturity, sensei says something in them changes and they become herbivores as adults. Though unknown, it might be the same for our friend. They're diet seems to be mixed. They seem heavier than a horse, too, so Aa and Un probably weigh somewhere around 170 kan. If no meaty prey is present, it potentially is able to consume up to 85 kan worth its weight in food. That's a lot of fruit in a day! Good thing it ate that big bug! Satisfied with its dinner, our hero is given a nice bed of hay and blankets in sensei's barn. Told you they got 10-star treatment!
By morning, Lord Kirameku Ha surprised them. Scared by sensei's sensei, they received a big bucket of fruit from the elegant butt-kicker. I think that was the happiest we'd ever seen of Aa and Un! Aa started crying! Sensei gave them some fruit and nut bars, too. I don't think Lord Jaken's gonna get them back too easily. Yuko came to help us with sensei's packing for her trip. She's gonna take care of things while sensei's gone. I don't know why she was embarrassed to wear sensei's nursing clothes. Maybe she doesn't like wearing pants? Her haori is really pretty. Look at all the pretty flowers on the sleeves! I think Lord Yamashi spoils her a lot on purpose so he can get kisses. Look at him stealing one from Miss Yuko! Hopefully, Yuko won't mind gathering a lot of fruit. Aa and Un eat a butt ton! But she'll have help. Me and Lord Kirameku Ha will make extra sure he won't starve... at least, until Lord Jaken picks him up. I wonder if he knows they're missing.
Actually, I think Lord Kirameku Ha has a soft spot for the beast of burden. He may have put him work during the day, but he gives them treats for chores that are done and gives them walks. We even watched them go swimming in sensei's pond! For our twin-headed hero's final night with my sensei, we ate dinner outside with him. Too bad he can't speak in our language, though. I have so many questions for him. Oh, Un's leaning towards me for a pet!
"Actually, I can speak..."
"Aaaaaahhhhh!"
"Kyoko, why are you screaming?" Meioshi asked, rushing over to her. "What happened?"
"The dragon just wanted a pet," Yuko tried, reaching out to pet Un. He made a noise like he was... laughing. "Huh?"
Kirameku Ha merely looked at the beast and smirked before saying, "Interesting..."