"Lord Sesshomaru, are you sure you smelled the doctor's blood here?" Jaken asked.
They were flying swiftly towards Heiwa. Jaken had to clutch onto Sesshomaru's Moko Moko just for extra security. The western lord caught the scent of Meioshi's blood and assumed she was being bullied into something else that was bound to be unfavorable, but, when her scent suddenly vanished, he left his mother's private party without a word and raced to the doctor's home. Really, he had no reason to even bother with the doctor's affairs. It was obvious their relationship was going to be tense when it came to certain outlooks on life and honor in general... but his respect towards her made her sudden injury difficult to ignore, especially when it didn't seem like something small. She couldn't have gone to the Netherworld and returned back with an injury that fast, especially with her powers still being dormant. If anything, she's more vulnerable as she is, but... he had to be sure that the situation wasn't serious first. If all was well and it was just another stupid incident, then he would return to his mother's party. Else... Well, he wasn't quite sure. He hated the uncertainty that seemed to be a growing thing when it came to this woman. It felt like he wasn't in control or independent of the situation, and that was something he simply never liked or wanted to deal with anymore. However, all of the events leading to now seemed to be related to the consequences he presumed would show up at some point.
When he was within range of her estate, he smelled fire and smoke and it wasn't coming from the Netherworld. He caught the scent of cherry and sweet orange and immediately narrowed his eyes. Entering the back gate of Meioshi's estate, he saw glassy eyes all reaching to the surface of her pond and raced to the front of her home to see what the commotion was. That's when he saw him. A man with a sturdy body adorning a furry helmet and dressed in fine armor opened a portal from the heavens themselves and unleashed a rain of fire onto Meioshi's property. He was standing proudly, watching the doctor's home be hit and burned. Yamashi and Ichi, the demons from the funeral, must have just arrived before he did because Yamashi was engaged in battle with a large serpent while Ichi went inside to ensure no one was inside of the home. The man in the furry helmet didn't care if Ichi was burned alive or not from the emotionless expression on his face. Using his battle axe, Yamashi was able to suck up most of the flames to protect Ichi but at a cost to himself. He couldn't tolerate such potent purifying energy for a prolonged period of time. Feeling his arms burning as he drew in fire, he retained a slow drain of his yoki energy, but he was still agile and able to defend himself against the moonflower serpent's tail whips and bites. The unknown man was about to go in for a set of sword strokes until Sesshomaru intercepted.
The man tsked as his sword clashed with Sesshomaru's Bakusaiga and he said with a dark voice, "My, my, my. Dear Meioshi truly is one of the beasts, it seems. Four demons have come to her aid. That simply won't do if she hopes to gain her freedom."
"Who are you?" Sesshomaru demanded, summoning more power in struggle of balance with the man's divine energy. He was strong enough to decimate a small army of demons from the feel of his might.
"My love has called me Hidorobo," he replied, smiling darkly. "Who better to punish her for her crimes than the soul she is trying to save?"
Sesshomaru's eyes widened at this until Hidorobo unleashed devastating wind attacks that sent Yamashi flying or made the fire catch a bit of Meioshi's gardens and forests. He saved a special attack for Sesshomaru. Dashing at the western lord with a sweep kick then following up with a middle spin kick and a high spin kick, Hidorobo thrusted his sword into the earth and summoned a burst of divine flame to act as a spearhead and strike Sesshomaru's armor. These flames were the source of the yoki energy drain! Gliding his fingers across his katana, Hidorobo called to more divine power and went for both Sesshomaru and Yamashi with the moonflower serpent coiling up to rocket at them as well.
"Omni Ray Slash!"
Together, Sesshomaru and Yamashi retaliated by striking at both opponents in unison. Although it didn't stop the more damaging effects of the attack, it did stop them from being overwhelmed. Hearing a soft song playing from above, Hidorobo perked up at the sound and ceased combat to look up with a look of longing in his features. The song played a bit louder, stopping the moonflower serpent as well, and both simply looked up to see a ray of light cascading down to almost form a set of stairs. Sheathing his sword, Hidorobo summoned a small bit of fire from his hand and blasted the side of Meioshi's estate to destroy parts of it and her beloved clinic. Before any of the men could react, Hidorobo had climbed onto the moonflower serpent's back and fled to the heavens.
"Yamashi! The flames won't go out!" Ichi claimed in a panic.
"Yes, they will," a small voice said. It was Bonitas. He and Caritas joined hands and produced a small wind to gather all of the divine flames and hold them in an orb. Releasing each other, Bonitas then said, "Only one of divine power can dismiss the flames. They were meant to harm demons of any status. He was just sending a message."
"Who the fuck was he?" Ichi demanded, pointing a hand to the now closed portal.
"What'd he say his name was?" Caritas asked.
"Hidorobo," Sesshomaru answered quietly.
Bonitas held an interesting expression on his face before his features softened up and he responded, "Appropriate. You, three, had best return home. We'll take care of the rest from here. We have to assess the damage. Meioshi is in the farmlands at her shrine. We sensed another person with her, but we don't know who that woman is. She had spotted hair and a mace."
Homugi? Sesshomaru thought. You're... you came to save the doctor?
"It'll be a little while before you all can see Lady Meioshi. She's not in the best of states," Bonitas informed.
"What do you mean?" Yamashi asked with suspicion.
"It means she has to recover. She fought that man long before you did," Caritas answered. "He is one of her enemies."
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The Hell Travelers' Letters II
To my sons and daughters,
I am writing this to you as a warning of the consequences yet to come. The war between man and man will more than likely continue long after I have passed, but the war between hell traveler and man has only just begun. Unlike my father, I have no wife or son yet. I have my mother, my brother and my sister for now. Mother often says we are quite young, so I've no doubt that this... power will continue to be passed down to my children once I am properly wed. Father was right. Our family was chosen to protect life, but we are not here to just protect human life as previously thought. There seems to be more to this than what he was initially told.
My life as a demon expeller has made me an audience to some interesting people. Before father passed, he taught me what he knew when he noticed a peculiar marking appearing on my back. He described it as Gōsutou~ingu ("ghost's wings") as the marking's coloring was paler than my skin. It seemed to be a sign that power had passed on to me, so I was brought on a pilgrimage through the Forest of Lurking Beasts to be a witness of the sentry when I came of age. That journey... was a harsh one. It was a miracle that either of us survived. Those beasts are not like other demons. Nay, they are far worse. They are relentless in battle and possess powers that go behind a simple bite or scratch. These creatures are very specific in number. I don't know why there are a certain many, but I do know that these beasts seemed to have been formed from grief. They don't roar. They weep.
As we prayed at the sentry, father and I, a flaming gate had opened, and my name was called to a spot within the cliff near the forest. There, I came face to face with father's enemy. The one that imprisoned my uncle as father has called him. Shanwang, the king ogre, was a towering creature of immeasurable might! He was perhaps the only creature I feared the most. I had been proclaimed as his new master by a voice spoken from elsewhere. The beast chased us out in an act of fury, but he could not escape his confines from the base of the cliff. Father chose that day to teach me his ways. While studying father's methods of producing demon repellants, I met a large bird that appeared to be a green pheasant. He was a quiet fellow but also quite curious. It is he who has told me that the hell traveler has a grander purpose than what I believe. I asked the meaning behind his words, but he only said that Shanwang had to be stopped before he unleashed hell itself upon the world. Should the hell travelers ever ally themselves with demons like him, great grievance will fall upon us.
I've much to learn as the new hell traveler, but my journey seems to only be the beginning. For now, I have someone to meet. A woman among Shinto priestesses has... caught my attention, I dare say. Mother believes she may also have a mark similar to mine. Only she can see this particular one. Perhaps, like the hell travelers, the spouses receive a marking to ensure that this... power continues through the generations. Our fates, dear children, are not the only ones tied to the heavens and hell. I fear the day when a precious soul will be taken from me, but a true warrior as father has said anticipates death and worries not about the events that are surely to come.
I leave to you, my sons and daughters, a diary of the most potent demon repellants we have been able to make thus far. Anticipate death, worry not of the soul you will have to save for you will save it at the right time and with the right power, and be joyful of the spouse that bears the other marking. This other in your life is good. They will remind you that your fight is ongoing but purposeful. They will love you when the world turns its back on you. Have no shame in your abilities. You were chosen to fulfill a promise to protect life whether it is through your hope or through your love. It is true what father has said of us. It is a mystery how systematic our lives are to be, but this task is specifically and wonderfully ours.
Jigoku kara inochi o sukuu. Save a life from hell. Save the lives of the ones you love from their hell.
With eternal love and greater caution,
Saikaku