She stood her ground. He stood his. Eyes locked, stance strong, shoulders back, feet apart, breathing calm. They were as statues in the wind, challenging each other quietly in this battle of wits. Meioshi, with her calm demeanor, was resolute in her words and merely waited for the western lord's next choice of words. Sesshomaru's glassy eyes held the sun's glow in them as though they were trapping the light within their mortiferous depths, reminding the doctor of his demonic origins, but she held no fear of him. Her only concern was his potential lethality against Morihei and the others. She had to ensure their safety first and, if a fight was what the young lord wanted, then she would take care of it. Seeing the doctor's patient stance sent Sesshomaru off the edge. Forget her antidote! Jaken will be fine without the medicine from her. Surely, Jaken's tribe will have a cure for the poison.
She dared to say that he, Lord Sesshomaru, wasn't worth the time of a lowlife? On what grounds? Meioshi closed her eyes to sigh then pivoted away from him with displeasure. She walked to Morihei's crate of wood, bent down to pick it up, and then walked to some other location of the funeral home in silence. The doctor found no threat coming from him. All the more reason for him to be angrier and reach for his sword, but Bakusaiga would not respond to him and Tenseiga was only curious in its silence. Morihei watched Sesshomaru very closely, taking note to his brow tightening and his jaw clenching. He was angry and his hand on his sword's hilt, but he wasn't attacking Meioshi. All of his swords were as quiet as he was.
Twice. Twice! No, this was actually a third time. Thrice? First, it was the kids at her estate; second, it was Homugi at the lagoon camp; now, it's Morihei at the funeral home! Sesshomaru had been cast out of a place three times by this one despicable, infuriating, holier-than-thou woman! This back and forth annoyed him. His hesitance even more so. He recognized the scent of metal and oil coming from no one other than Kirameku Ha and slowly turned to the man who was holding Aa-Un's reins.
"Your pet is weary," Kirameku Ha said, earning a yawn from Aa. "Have they a stable? They've been occupying my pupil's barn in your absence fairly often. Apparently, they don't mind the bedding."
Sesshomaru looked at the dragon, removing his hand from his sword, and said, "Often? They are supposed to return to their stable when they are no longer of use. They should know the way."
Kirameku Ha smirked then chuckled gently, making Sesshomaru's ears twitch at the sound. He turned to the twins and said, "It seems they have a preference at the moment. I probably should stop feeding them."
"... Melons are a favorite," Sesshomaru replied, watching Un sniff Kirameku Ha's clothes for something.
"Oh, that explains everything," the sage said, placing two fingers on Un's nose to stop him from digging in his pockets. "Those are my snacks, sir. I haven't been selling much produce lately. Least I know the harvests won't go to waste with them around. They pull their weight, though. I left several rosters at my home during the commotion this morning. I must retrieve them. The ladies will be busy with their designing for now. I can show you to my pupil's barn if you wish. Your pet has eaten itself to sleep."
"What did that dressy, old woman mean by a talent?" Sesshomaru asked, holding back a small laugh at the dragon yawning. Though, by and large, the laugh would have been no more than a short chuckle. "The one with the ornate headpiece."
"You must mean Morihei. She crafts the vessels that the urns are carried on and designs the tombstones for those that have passed on. My pupil gave her another task in making new names for the dead. Meioshi purifies a soul throughout her entire funeral rite down to the person's name. To give them fair judgement, they are made anew completely but she can only entrust Morihei with the granting of a new name," Kirameku Ha explained. "Anju and Nakasone also have special roles beyond just making the urn and rosary, respectively. Talent is a skill or gift that not just anyone can do, and, if it is not used to its prime capability, it can be lost overtime. Talents are often mistaken as glad gifts or joy gifts. A glad gift is a skill that one is happy to do with or without compensation; unfortunately, a true talent is not always a glad gift. You can work your talent to misery if it is not something you've a passion for. I had to learn this the hard way myself and through observation of others throughout the years. What Morihei was probably really asking of you was whether or not Meioshi was considering you for hire here. She's seen you twice in this area, specifically."
"I work for no one," Sesshomaru responded, narrowing his eyes. "Least of all, her."
Kirameku Ha raised an eyebrow then asked, "Why did you want her to serve you then? Sounds like you don't particularly like her. Unless you're like the other demons she comes across. Don't like humans at all."
Sesshomaru was quiet at this for a short moment and then said, "Years ago, I was. It took a little girl, orphaned and hurt, to show me that I was taking one human that caused me pain to represent all humans who walked the earth. Though I've met some humans who weren't worth a first glance, I met a few in recent years who were nothing like those wretches. The pain that demons cause to children like her made me look at my own actions strictly when it came to innocent lives."
"You believe Meioshi is not worth a first glance?" Kirameku Ha asked, hearing his pupil organizing things in her workshop area.
Sesshomaru's eyes did something that intrigued the sage. They didn't dilate or shrink but shifted. He started remembering the times that he spent with Meioshi from the first meeting up until now. He even took the time to compare his time with others to formulate a complete thought before responding to the sage's question. Kirameku Ha simply waited for Sesshomaru to speak and anticipated a short answer, but he was pleasantly surprised by the young man's words. He didn't expect for Sesshomaru to say his next choice of words.
The dragon went to lie down before his master responded, "I... don't... know. The day that I saw her, I just thought she was some girl on her first mission as a warrior or demon slayer because of the armor. She waved at us with this childlike whimsy, asked me for luck, and blew a kiss to me. I suppose you could have called her innocence as a form of charm, but we mistook her actions as flirting. She didn't seem important at the time. It wasn't until Moeru told us that the girl, who was smiling and being playful, was Meioshi and that her kiss was actually her placing a barrier over us. It confused me. Why did she feel the need to protect me? Why would she protect people or creatures that she doesn't formally know? Supposing I was there to destroy the village then what? It wasn't until much later when we had to fight that Netherworld demon that I realized her barrier had more than one use. It wasn't just for protection.
When I was sent away by that man, I was furious at having been cast out! Years of training against the strongest of purifying techniques felt wasted! Along the way back, I started killing demons again just to calm my anger, but her barrier expelled many of them. She was still protecting me even though I interrupted something she was doing. When we met at last, she accepted my challenge to do battle but not with a sword or staff or any other weapon. She fought me with a hat and a small lantern flame! I could have sworn she was insulting me, but... she said something to me that... set everything in motion.
That girl who smiled, laughed, loved her babysitter even though she was a fully-grown adult, and protected others... had one enemy to fight. She had no interest in fighting the strongest opponents of the world. Those words... were my father's before he died. When she was hit with that arrow in her throat by the wolf... it was like... I... saw him... and I... couldn't move. But... she wasn't my father. She stood back up. She wasn't killed. She made a bargain. Up until our alliance, before I met you at the estate holding this lazy beast the way you're doing now, I watched her all the way through. The innocent lives that she was determined to avenge and protect grew in number. No matter what part of the fight she was in, she kept protecting me... and she kept smiling.
Once we were face to face with the real enemy, she may have stopped smiling but she didn't stop protecting others. She trusted me to bring others to safety. She wanted to help Jaken regardless of what I felt towards her. She held herself accountable for what she didn't know. In those final moments... she won. She came back with greater power than where she started when it was just a hat and a bit of flame. She smiled again and her world - very much like this one - was at peace. I chose her to be my rival then because I knew her power was only going to continue to grow. It did. When I came back to get you, I was actually surprised by your combat affinity. I could see where her origins began. The same way she bested me with a hat, you bested me with a broom. The fight between me and her... was the real test. She didn't hold back that time, and it wasn't until she became her true self as a warrior when I realized that everyone was right. Whoever her real enemy was would have no mercy. But...
Why was someone so sweet plagued by guilt so immensely that she felt the need to be punished?" Sesshomaru asked, more to himself than anything. That question made Kirameku Ha grow eerily silent and tense his shoulders. Unlike the western lord, he knew the answer to that question. If Meioshi didn't trust him enough to tell him, then this would remain a secret. Sesshomaru then continued, "Did Naraku harm her in some way in the past? Our lives may have returned to some normalcy but did hers not? That day, at the ravine, she accepted me as her rival and made it purposeful. I can stand to be her rival... as long as she continues to win... as long as she continues to grow... as long as... she continues to smile. But..."
"But?" Kirameku Ha probed, seeing Sesshomaru's entire body change. Something happened that actually triggered something between the two. It looked like it might have been division. Earlier, though the western lord probably didn't realize it, Kirameku Ha watched Sesshomaru's features soften as he talked about his first meeting with his pupil. Just then, when that pregnant silence came up, his eyes shrunk and his features hardened. The walls the young man must have had around him were reinforced and stronger than before.
Frowning, Sesshomaru merely closed his eyes and said coldly, "Nothing of importance. Show me this barn."
Something did happen. Kirameku Ha didn't pry, though, and instead clicked his tongue to wake Aa-Un up. The dragon mewled, not wanting to get up, until they heard more clicking. They rose and followed the men in silence, eager to return to sleep. It didn't take them long to reach Kirameku Ha's home, and Sesshomaru was quite surprised that it wasn't larger given his regal disposition. However, he took his seat at the engawa facing the courtyard and waited for Kirameku Ha to return. They had to pass up Meioshi's estate to get here. Why didn't they let Aa-Un rest in the barn for now? Watching the dragon rotate before picking they're spot to rest, Sesshomaru locked eyes with the beast before their eyes began to lower and their heads bobbled a bit. Whatever Kirameku Ha did put them to work, he did a fantastic job because they were beat. The sage returned a few minutes after Aa-Un let sleep claim them with about four scrolls in hand and a box with other items in them. He then went to retrieve a book from inside of his home and returned again to sit. Apparently, he wanted to read it first before going over one of the scrolls.
Curious, Sesshomaru asked, "Why are we here?"
"I just need to evaluate the registry," Kirameku Ha answered, not removing his attention from the book. "This will only take but a moment."
"Registry for what?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Many things, actually. It's a list of individuals associated with the military in some capacity including their family members. Meioshi is being returned to the registry, but she has different businesses linked to her profession as a doctor such as her funerary services. She said she received a letter mentioning that a few active soldiers took an interest in this. She's being evaluated for this service after a festival we hold annually. That's why she's preparing things at the funeral home. Some clan names I don't recognize, but I see quite a few that I do recognize. Weavings for them will have to be remade for display purposes. I have some cleaning materials left for weapons if needed," Kirameku Ha said, taking out a piece of charcoal to mark something in the book and on one of the scrolls. "Unfortunately, that boy from earlier did bring up something absolutely dreadful for me and her. Tsugahara will likely be involved with that."
"Why does it matter to anyone who she chooses to marry?" Sesshomaru asked, furrowing his brow. "They're not the ones who have to live with the other person daily. Having strong children is no excuse or reason for such unions."
"It doesn't matter," Kirameku Ha answered, making Sesshomaru turn only slightly to him. The sage could only guess that the young man didn't expect for him to agree. "Unfortunately, marriage became a sub-system of regulation within military statutes due to war's societal and economical effects. I've no doubt that such a beautiful union between two people will continue to be viewed poorly as long as war rages over the land. War need not be only physical to ravage a person's livelihood or choice freedoms. Meioshi will likely be the one to change such regulation if she continues to fight it on the basis of one's well-being and/or safety."
"How?" Sesshomaru asked softly.
"Do you know what the word bushido means, young Sesshomaru?" Kirameku Ha asked, earning silence as an answer. He then continued, "Bu-shi-do means military-knight-ways. The Bushido Code is a list of moral principles meant to be observed, required to be known, and instructed to practice in daily life by fighting nobles. The behavioral standard of a fighter is what birthed these principles to avoid a life and reign of savagery from military leaders. Meioshi... is perhaps strongest as a true bushi. She may not think it herself, but her journey up to this point is proof that she can change the code. A warrior must know through his failings where virtue springs. She understands this. The bushido is not a written law, but it is ironically of the vernacular. A list of ethical rules only as resolute as the mouth that speaks of them and the heart that has those rules etched into its bodice. Her oath of medicine is perhaps the only written form of the Bushido Code. That's how she'll inevitably change it."
"Hmph, then you see me as a savage," Sesshomaru said with sarcasm laced in his voice.
"I see you as incomplete," Kirameku Ha replied, looking up into the clouds. "But I look forward to the day when you are whole. And... I look forward to the day when you admit that there are people you would honor when they pass away. I think your way of doing that will be extraordinarily creative."
Sesshomaru looked at the man as if to ask who those people were, but his words caught in his throat when he caught the scent of his mother. She was on mortal soil again...