Numa-o, the Marshland Ogre
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The coolness of the fog and the beginnings of nature changing from the vibrant greens to more yellows and oranges signified the autumn season upon the living world. Dressed in no more than her black bodysuit, utility packs, and fur belt, the doctor enjoyed the cool breeze on her exposed skin. She was actually quite nervous. It had been some time since Homugi left her side to run to the House of Inu. Something had happened over there that claimed her immediate attention. Not wanting to pry, Meioshi let the blue merle beauty go on to prove herself once more on her own and wished her luck on her journey. If Homugi still felt ashamed, the doctor told her to follow the scent of the peach tree ink on her person. She could only hope that the girl had made it in time to stop Rakuyama and her minions.
Meioshi was on her way to the next part of her journey since the fight in the Mujina Woodlands. Bonitas and Caritas returned to Kako Seigi's side while she went on to address the Commander Oni after she was able to get the mask from the kyonshi. Experimentally, she placed the mask on her face to see why the kyonshi wore such a thing. Behind the mask's eyes, she saw something incredible. The doctor was able to see the temperatures of living things! That was the key to Shanwang's second part of the riddle. A mask that could see body temperature! The map was much easier to find after obtaining the Kyonshi Mask, especially once she froze the lava in the foundry for a moment. The map's markings and legend key solidified once cold air hit the smoke. Afterwards, she had to put the pieces together like a puzzle and the map appeared like a scroll in her hands. She never saw the supposed blacksmith Homugi spoke of, but she promised to return to unfreeze the foundry when requested. Perhaps the man would like dinner for his troubles. If not, she was sure she could accommodate for the trouble some other way. After all, blacksmithing was his livelihood. She understood what it meant to have that taken away.
Leaning on the back of Genso ShuShu-Sen, Meioshi closed her eyes to think of Shanwang's words as her boat sailed across unknown waters. She had to find something armored but not a soldier, snapping but not a twig, drifting doth the home, round water doth it live. Just as Meioshi was going down a list of marine animals, a bell rung and someone landed on her boat. Calmly, she looked up to see the trademark white, cuffed hakama pants and descending fur pelt. Sesshomaru. Well, shit.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your mug again this time?" Meioshi asked sarcastically. By now, she knew what it might be.
Sesshomaru kept his composure as he looked down on his prey and said, "You are a threat to the House of Inu and the lands occupied within the Western territories. Involvement with these creatures of hell itself has cost the lives of many innocents, and it will continue to be costly as long as you walk on this fine line between the world of the living and the world of the dead. It has been ordered that I kill you."
Meioshi was silent for a moment, lightly chuckled, and then said, "Pity that. You see, my mortal enemy has immeasurable strength and skill that would wipe out this wretched world, and I need to 'power up' if you will in order to defeat this particular being. Unfortunately, that means I can't let you kill me, so you and the House of Inu will have to kiss my ass, you silly old dog."
SLICE! CLASH! Poison and frost meet between blades before Meioshi and Sesshomaru leap away from each other and land on the murky shore. The doctor's armor materialized and her eyes turned to that predatory orange coloring. Summoning her roningasa hat, Meioshi placed the item on her head and looked Sesshomaru directly in his eyes with a distinctive frown.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you don't like my boat," Meioshi spat, earning a wicked smirk and dark chuckle from Sesshomaru. "What is the meaning of this, Lord Sesshomaru?"
"I've no reason to repeat myself," he replied, lifting a claw to crack his knuckles. "Your punishment has been decided by the House of Inu."
More inu soldiers appeared to surround Meioshi, forcing her to look around and evaluate each demon and their level of energy. Seeing no way out of this fight, she hissed, "Shit!"
'Come on, Meioshi, think of something!' the doctor thought, exchanging glances between Sesshomaru and the three other inu soldiers surrounding her.
Weapons drawn, each one more unique than the last, radiating with yoki energy. Grinding the back of her teeth, the doctor had to tread lightly here but surrender was a strong option. Being outnumbered wasn't the problem for her. She had been outnumbered before, and she lost - both to fair and unfair tactics - in those fights before. Losing and being sentenced to death was nothing new in her line of work. The problem was that she was being apprehended by four inu demons when she was already told by Shanwang that she wouldn't be able to handle a True Inu at max power. She was going to lose miserably in this fight if it came down to it and she had something important to do at the moment. She still had to deal with this elusive Numa-o and his mysterious bodyguard, Kiyonobu, in order to try to figure out what they wanted from her. She didn't have time for this! Of all the things for Sesshomaru to be, she hadn't anticipated him being this petty about the events between them. She thought that... well, maybe it was simply in this demon's nature not to care, after all.
In truth, she thought about him from time to time when they were in Shinju o Tateru. Though their time together was always short and turbulent, having someone at her side to listen to her motivations of advocacy was pleasant and being able to respond to questions in an unorthodox investigation kept her on her toes. Those nightly conversations between them, though few, helped her to think clearly and to properly cope with her nightmares. She valued those small moments. Even when she returned home to Heiwa with Ohta, she admitted to herself that she was worried about the western lord. She wondered if she should have gone back to find him and help him the way he did for her, but... she wanted to honor his wish and remain on standby if he chose to bite back his pride and ask for assistance. To see her regal, silent helper act this way was so confusing. He had the potential to be a great friend and a healthy rival. Why all of this? What more did she have to do to prove that she had nothing to do with what happened in the Mujina Woodlands? She didn't bring Rakuyama from hell with her! Did he just want to see her give up or - ?
"Why do you fight?"
Meioshi gasped at the familiar voice of her beloved Shishou entering the forefront of her mind. Hearing him ask that fabled question was startling enough to render her motionless. Instead of moving into a defensive position, Meioshi merely loosened her body into a relaxed stand. The action confused Sesshomaru but only made the soldiers grow suspicious. She could remember everything very clearly on that day. A year had passed since her return to the living world. She had finally become human enough to speak and to feel emotions. It was a grueling journey. One that required so much perseverance and so much outside attention, but she had the support she needed from her real friends and real family to succeed at this arduous task. She had shaved her head bald perhaps three to four months prior to meeting Shishou and kept it cut low during that time. If her hair did grow out more than an inch, she at least made sure to shave the sides. The top of her hair from crown to edge was permitted to grow for a short period of time before she cut it off again. On that day, she must have had the top no more than a quarter inch at length.
She only wore a sleeveless top of varying neutral shades during those times. Every now and then, she would go fully naked at the top until someone covered her bosom with a sash, but she either tore it off or pulled it off if the sash had a long tail. Her eyes were permanently orange throughout the year until she made the trek to Ketsueki Shirudo to meet Shishou again. That pilgrimage on foot was during the cool, crimson autumn season just like this hunt for her supposed challenger was during the foggier, grayer start of autumn. Change was only just beginning. As the red sumac leaves and vermillion wax tree leaves were falling down, she was sitting before Shishou, who was dressed in olive green robes, in a hunched over position. Fists balled up on her creamy lap, eyes in the transition phase of going from predatory orange to seductive hazel, brow furrowed, speech slow with a monster's growl lurking in between her soft, feminine voice. She only wore a top, fundoshi, and bandages on her ankles that went up her shins but didn't quite reach her knees. She didn't care about anyone's opinions on her appearance during that time.
"Peace..." she replied with a hiss then a growl. Her eyes narrowed before returning to normal, lips tightening to hide her teeth before they plumped out, body rocking slowly back and forth.
"Only for peace?" Shishou asked.
"I'm... not back," she said, struggling to voice out words and not roars. She took her fist and pressed the knuckles firmly against her chest until her ribs could feel them pushing. She then said, "Know this. Hell's grasp... still here. Voices... still here. Can hear them... day, night... Hate pity. Can hear truth. Things... you cannot hear, thoughts... you cannot read, souls that are silent... as the body emotes. I can hear all of you. Your thoughts... like scribble on scrolls. Your souls... the loudest, the clearest, the honest. You, Shishou... no pity. Have love abundant. Them, Shishou... them hate... them pity... them laugh. Of mind... want peace."
"You've been training relentlessly for some time, young one," Shishou responded. "Your movements are swift, precise, fierce, and harsh. You have an enemy on your mind who transcends those of the day-to-day civilians you've come across since your return. Peace of mind is not the only reason you fight. It is the reason why you chose to embark on your pilgrimage alone. You took the necessary steps to rekindle your love of nature's beauty - something you valued in the past - and to purify yourself. Your love of humanity has been shaken because you have become infected by hell's sight. Your eyes, your ears, and your mind are what hell sees, hears, and thinks. Remember the principles of your family, Meioshi. Do you think those you who condemn you would survive where you've been?"
She looked down at Shishou's necklace of red beads, then to his hands resting on his knees, then to the space between them, and finally to her own fists. She rocked back and forth very slowly as a sort of response. She wanted to shake her head to emphasize an answer but the motor skills to do so were quiet.
"Why do you continue to fight if you know your powers are naturally going to be misunderstood? If you know the inner workings of the foul human, why do you continue to trust the few others? Why did you protect Yuko while still in that other form? Why did you stay with Bokushi as long as you did?" Shishou then asked.
"Innocence... justice... proof," Meioshi answered, slowly picking her head up. Her posture changed in that moment. She was no longer hunched over, no longer seeking the nearest corner of shadows and safety, no longer in hell. She said with the most human voice, "I only have one enemy to fight."
Removing her roningasa hat, Meioshi let her hair fall and looked straight into Sesshomaru's eyes. One enemy to fight, one enemy to defeat, one enemy to kill. It wasn't him or his men. No matter how much she didn't like his behavior or his attitude, Meioshi was choosing to love Sesshomaru. Not for romance or for friendship or for this unjustifiable rivalry he seems to want but simply because he was a living being. What she and her family had to endure in their short lifetimes wasn't something she would wish on anyone. The life of a hell traveler was harsh. One day, he will become someone who others can look up to if his ancestry was as noble as Shanwang said. She could find solace in that. There was nothing good for him in hell. He may never like it, and his pride may always forbid it, but she will ensure that he stays away from the things she had seen in that miserable place. If he could honor the memory of her wards' estate the way those woodland elders said, she could honor his memory through an act of respect. She had no ill will towards him or his men. She didn't have to surrender. She just had to choose.
Dismissing her Netherworld powers, her eyes returned to their hazel coloring as she locked eyes with the western lord. Sesshomaru's eyes were narrowed, anticipating her next moves. He knew what she was capable of with a hat in her hand, but he didn't expect her to drop it on the ground. She took a step forward then another one and a few more. As she got within thirty paces of him, she peeled off her armor piece by piece until only her battle clothes were left. The inu men watched as Meioshi lifted her arms and summoned an inconceivable amount of power from her core. Surrounded by an orb of blinding light, the men watched as she materialized a silver staff shaped like the branch of a snowbell tree into her hand. From it were twelve pairs of hands hanging from the flowering twigs and glowing bright white. As the staff touched the ground, the men were met with a different woman. Meioshi stood before them in an orange manto lined in silver and decorated with the names of different people in white kanji along the bottom of her sleeves and garment and a dark indigo kesho-mawashi with a beautiful display of the three worlds (heaven, earth, and hell) guarded by a shield made from a dragon's scale. A silver medallion hung from her neck housing crushed rubies being orbited by three different flames to represent the three worlds. The heart made of crushed rubies was positioned at the center right while pulsating rings beat out to the edge. Earrings made of dark indigo tassels were flowing like water as she remained still.
Sesshomaru was silent at this transformation. He knew Meioshi went by many names, but he didn't realize that the hell travelers were marked by a sacred and regal duty. He was under the impression that the doctor's family line was driven by acts of selflessness. Meioshi stepped another ten paces towards him before touching her medallion and looking down.
"Death is a harmless consequence," Meioshi said softly. "It is only worth its weight in rocks for your growing problem, but..." She removed her necklace and held it in her open palm for Sesshomaru to look at it before he returned his gaze to her and watched her say, "Servitude is a fate much worse than death, especially to the likes of someone who has proven to be unworthy of this honor."
"You dare insult our ruler!" an inu soldier remarked, holding up his sword to strike. "No human has the right to disgrace the young lord!"
"How little you know, soldier of the west. Are you as loyal to your lord as you are to the blade in your hands?" Meioshi asked calmly, unmoved by the soldier's words. "Why should we serve a man we don't understand? Least of all, a man who hardly trusts anyone - human and demon alike? He barely trusts you. If I understand things correctly, your men have been decimated in number by someone who wore your face. You were suspicious to your lord before he even started the investigation."
"Then you admit you have something to do with this!" another inu claimed, readying his weapon to attack. "A human shouldn't know of our affairs in detail!"
"Lady Homugi told me as much," the doctor said, turning to the soldiers before lifting her gaze to Sesshomaru. "I placed the repelling ink on her mace to stop those creatures. If helping you thus far for this long and for this much is not enough to prove my innocence, then I will make an offer to you, Lord Sesshomaru. You want my life to compensate for the lives lost? So be it. This necklace is my life. My power is harbored within the silver that makes every link in the chain, every fragment of the ruby that forms the heart, and every divine bead in the arcs and ripples of time. Each of the three worlds is linked to territories that I have influence over either through my work as a medical practitioner, demon expeller, or through completion of tasks in accordance with my family's purpose. If retribution is truly what you seek, you have my power at your command, lands potentially uncharted on your maps, and villages sheltering resources aplenty. Putting all of this in the hands of someone unworthy is a dishonor to my entire existence. What's left of my life will be better spent serving the House of Inu than shedding blood as a true and capital punishment. Death is a saving grace for the untrusted. Answering the beck and call of a demon lord, by my family's standards, is equivalent to public humiliation. Choose what you will. Put me through your trials. See the truth for yourself if my word and your men are not enough to please you."
Speechless. Truly. Sesshomaru expected Meioshi to put up more of a fight than this alternative sacrifice. He wanted to unleash some of his anger out on her if a fight couldn't be avoided. No, he was ready to lash out at her. She had no right to strike him for Homugi's sake. She had no right to treat him like the outcast. She had no right to call him unworthy. He didn't make all of this progress for some human woman to tear him down like he was nothing! This was more of an outrage, yet... the distant look in her eyes and the displeasure in her voice and stiffness of her movements showed that making this offer was hurting her in a different way. Was serving him truly so painful? Jaken and Rin were more than happy to serve him. Other demons marveled at the opportunity to be at his side just for the clout that came with it. Why would such a heralded position at his side rip the life out of the doctor? Were his actions against her Code of Honor so grossly?
"If I fought you alone, would that be better?" he was surprised by his own question, not paying attention to the smallness of his voice.
"That is up to you," Meioshi replied, making Sesshomaru look at her. "Would battle qualify as retribution of loss for you?"
Sesshomaru was silent at this, but the truth was he knew it wasn't. He just didn't want to see his rival be so lifeless. She was so full of energy, adventurous, nurturing, and still maintained an air of precaution and wisdom. He didn't want to see that taken away, but the court wanted it taken away. He knew that. He intended to kill her as ordered. He knew that. This alternative, however, made him hesitant.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" a soldier called out.
Sensing a high amount of yoki energy, Sesshomaru just barely dodged a blow to his head from a large club. He wasn't able to block the blow to his chest, however. Meioshi and the others went on the defense until fog formed a bulky marshland ogre. It was Kiyonobu.
"Kachan oni," he called, lifting a hand to summon a small boat the shape of a canoe made from cypress log. He then said, "Waste not your time with the unworthy. If a lord has no faith in his own men, then his authority has lent no credence to his people. Return your power to the bodice of its home."
"Kiyonobu?" Meioshi called, tilting her head to get a good look at him. The ogre turned to her and nodded before returning his attention to the group of inu. She then asked, "How on Earth did you find me way out here?"
"All Oni know when danger is near another. You will learn of this when you mature," he answered, narrowing his eyes. "Continue on your journey, Kachan oni."
Meioshi's eyes softened before she smiled at the ogre. She wasn't aware of how protective ogres were of each other until now. She had only ever known Shanwang and his constant teasing or gluttonous behavior. It was nice to know that ogres did have a sense of guardianship in their nature. She looked at her necklace and caressed it before looking at Sesshomaru again.
"My offer still stands, Lord Sesshomaru," she said, making him relax a bit. "I am responsible for releasing hell's minions on your homelands. I am sorry for this. I should have been more careful. I wasn't. If you do seek retribution for my actions, I will serve you to make things right. I may not like it, and I might annoy you to some degree on purpose just to be petty every once in a while, but you don't deserve to suffer for my carelessness. You still honored my estate for other children despite the fact that we're not truly allies. For that, I will honor you. Unfortunately, I have to meet with someone very important, so I must go. When, and if, I return, you can tell me what you have decided to do. Jya! 'Til then!"
With that, Meioshi bowed in respect to Sesshomaru and hopped on the ogre's boat. When the vessel set sail, Kiyonobu dispersed into a wall of fog and barricaded the inu from following the doctor.
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Several thousand years ago...
She was walking through fields of tall grass, dragging her hands above the tops of soft blades. It was calming. Fireflies were being disturbed but they played and glimmered about in the air. A soft wind blew. She was close to the flower fields. A rustling sounded behind her, but she didn't bother looking. She didn't want to look. She didn't want to know anything else for the night. Down a beaten path to her destination, she took in the fragrances of wildflowers and freshwater creeks. She sat down and watched the sunset and the moon rise. Undoing the obijime cord of her pale orange yukata, she allowed her dress to loosen before retying the cord and comfortably picking at different flowers. Sweet lavender was among them.
"I thought 'making yourself at home' was meant to be done at home," a familiar voice said.
She took out her hair pins, letting her hair fall, and said, "This is my home."
It was Toga, supposedly her betrothed. He sat next to her and looked around to inspect his surroundings. He was wearing deep blue attire similar to his battle armor and clothing, but he was going with something more casual to match her it seemed. He then said, "No wonder my bouquet of flowers didn't impress you."
"Gifts won't impress me if you don't take the time to make them yourself," she remarked, plucking an orange flower to add to her smaller bouquet.
"You prefer handmade things then. Okay! I'll give you things like that instead," Toga responded with a more reassuring smile.
"Don't bother," she said, picking a white flower and making Toga sigh.
"Jeez! You don't have to be so difficult! I'm not a bad guy, y'know," Toga remarked.
"It's not in your nature to be bad," she said, smirking and picking a blue flower. "You're too likable. Too... unique. That's what'll make us fight all the time. I'm not interested in marrying someone I'll always butt heads with."
"That's the most contradictory thing in the world," Toga commented with a flat face. "You don't want to marry someone you're gonna argue with but the one you're going to be with is likable. Don't you argue with people you don't like?"
"Your relationships with others are questionable now," she said, turning to him. "I don't waste my energy on people I don't like, and I'd rather spend time doing things I enjoy than spending it around someone who drains my happiness. Why do you argue with people you don't like? That can't be fun."
"That seems so dismissive," Toga replied, looking down at his ankles. "Shouldn't everyone be treated the same?"
"If someone is costing you your peace then no," she answered, picking a pick flower. "You'll continue to exhaust yourself for people who know they can get whatever they want out of you whether that's your attention, protection given your power, or resources given your growing status. It's not dismissive. It's protecting your peace, your sanity, and your value as a living being. You are not a tool for everyone else's mess. Unless that's what you enjoy being, I've no use for a misused tool."
Toga was silent for a while, ruminating in her words as he watched her pick more flowers. With time, her bouquet became beautiful. It had a tall, soft tree branch as its tall background plant and gradually had other colorful flowers in descending order of height. Using a ribbon she had in a pocket of her yukata, she tied them all together and sat in front of him. She bowed in respect, placed the bouquet down, and turned to look at the flowing waters of the creek. He was confused by the gift but admired her gentle smile. She seemed pleased and at one with her surroundings. Perhaps this was what the inside of heart and mind looked like. It seemed like such a luxury when the toils of battle weren't laced together with existence.
"That's called temptation," Toga said with a slight husk in his voice.
"If gifts lead you into temptation so easily, you can be bartered to do anything," she responded, chuckling at a fish leaping out of the water. "I cannot be bought so easily."
"That's because you're difficult," Toga whispered in her ear.
"Flirting with me will only make your bed grow colder," she said, rising to stand. "When you learn how to make a proper bouquet, I'll consider liking you a bit better."
"I thought you said I was likable," Toga argued, feeling colder without her body heat nearby.
"You can be likable without me having to like you. If you want me to be less difficult, learn how to make a bouquet. If you want me to like you, learn how to protect your peace the way I've come to protect mine. I want to marry a good man. Be him so that I can be the woman you would never want to let go," she advised. She then smirked, closed her eyes, and parted her legs to bend down and straddle the upcoming general. She placed her hands on his cheeks, put her lips about a quarter of an inch away from his, and whispered, "Temptation is a woman's weapon and a man's excuse. Which one do you want me to be?"
He couldn't tell if it was his instincts or if she was just that dangerous, but Toga had a look in his eyes that was borderline suffocating for anyone who dared try to interpret what was passing across the golden plates of sight and reflection. Milady was a different kind of bride, one that wouldn't bow to him as easily. Interesting. The sheer amount of heat she could produce and take away was intoxicating. Her scent alone overpowered any fragrant flower or tree. There seemed to be more than one reason why she never competed for anyone's attention or felt the need to regard everyone else's. Why did the matchmaker put the two together? Was it because she provided a challenge or inspired his instinct to hunt and capture?
"I'm not looking for someone likable, Toga," she then said, releasing him from her grasp and rising to stand again. "I'm looking for someone lovable. Do you think you're a man worth loving?" He didn't reply to her. She chose then to turn around and only whisper over her shoulder, "Then you have more personal matters to attend to. It appears you are the one being difficult."
_____________________________________
She hadn't stepped foot on mortal ground in centuries. She didn't have a reason to anymore. Looking at his tomb, Milady could only sit in silence to pay her respects for Toga. A large bouquet of wildflowers was in front of her tied together by a dark blue and pale orange ribbon. A square tile with the imprinted design of a red rose, the symbol of love and temptation, was attached in the center. She heard rustling behind her. His scent ever familiar and filled with shock. She forgot that her little babe hadn't seen her on mortal soil of her own choosing in centuries as well. Milady didn't turn around or speak for a while. Sesshomaru had a couple of words ready to crawl out, but he allowed her to honor his father's memory in silence. Jaken was with him this time. The imp remained silent at the familiar place that marked the beginning of their journey to get Tessaiga.
"Why are you here, my son?" she asked with surprise in her tone.
"I could ask you a similar question," he responded coldly but the shock hadn't come down yet.
"I used to come here every year since his passing," Milady said, gaining his attention at this information. "The barrier around this tomb is capable of hiding my scent. He wanted to be buried and honored in a field with grass and flowers. It was part of his will. Once you started acting as lord, there was less of a need to visit. I needed to be your mother to guide you the rest of the way. I suppose you think you're all grown up now like most kids about your age. They're starting to think that way at even younger ages now. Guess that comes with the changing times. You have not answered my question, though, my son. You've no reason to visit this place or me."
"I know someone who might be able to find the Meido Stone. I will retrieve it if that is your wish," Sesshomaru replied, watching his mother turn to him.
"Why are you offering to locate it?" Milady asked.
"Because it is of importance to you," Sesshomaru answered. "And to me. But, I also have a point to prove to someone. This goes beyond father's intentions."
"It seems you have personal matters to attend to then," Milady said, smirking a bit. "Maybe his gift of that stone was meant to be for more..."