'That scent...' Sesshomaru thought.
The familiar blending of spice and freshness from the doctor's blood was in the air some miles out. He sensed no pain or death lingering in that fragrance, but it stayed in the wind currents like her blood was calling out to him. Not long after Jaken and Kirameku Ha had started packing some supplies for the new journey ahead did Sesshomaru start planning out his next steps. The old man had returned as promised to complete assessments of Meioshi's home after the lunch hour had passed. As much as Sesshomaru didn't like the idea of asking anyone to join him on his own quest, the western lord knew he wasn't going to be able to simply convince Meioshi to be his ally again. Not if Homugi was protecting the doctor the way she has been. Sesshomaru was very careful in explaining his reasons for wanting Kirameku Ha to join him, however. He had a point to prove to Meioshi, and that point was for her to stay out of his business. She was tasked with finding the Meido Stone because of this nonsense with the Netherworld. She will adhere to his demands whether she likes it or not. That was their agreement. She either faces death or faces him. He had no time for cowards.
The old man was surprisingly cooperative after Sesshomaru explained himself, but the western lord did take notice to this peculiar twinkle in his eye like a glimmer of amusement was there. Kirameku Ha didn't chuckle or grin, though. He only asked that he continue to inspect for further damages before packing away things he would need on this new journey. Lady Uo and the others promised to work together on fixing what they could until Meioshi had returned home to evaluate what could be done to her belongings. A decent chunk of the house was blasted off, and the clinic was too sacred of a place for anyone to truly touch. Sesshomaru may not have volunteered to help in rebuilding the home like the others had, but he did chaperone and help the children and was able to learn more about Meioshi's youngest apprentice, Kyoko. She was training to be a nurse like her beloved teacher, but she wanted to specialize in detective work and often studied the anatomy of many creatures to get a better understanding of what she'd be focused on. Though Sesshomaru didn't like the idea of a young girl working in that kind of field, he was also inspired by her determination to be a detective. She wanted to help others heal through periods of grief and give them closure for loved ones that were lost.
He also learned about Musuko and Shotaro. Musuko wanted to be a master chef and hoped to serve food for Meioshi's clinics as a type of nutritionist from what Sesshomaru could understand. The western lord questioned the boy on what he would do with his taxonomy talents, feeling such a gift would be wasted if he abandoned them, but the boy surprised him in saying he would continue taxonomy as a hobby and perhaps use his creations as decorations for his restaurant. He hoped to make a restaurant that invited humans and demons alike in honor of Meioshi's work with all living creatures. Shotaro, surprisingly, was very fond of observing marine animals and loved making aquariums for them. The Bestiary Museum actually had an indoor to outdoor pond leading out to the woods behind it. The pond was much smaller than the one behind the doctor's home and was only meant to be used as a display and water garden. The marine animals were suspended in the air via wiring and replicas were made from glass or crystal to accommodate their colorful scaling. Shotaro said he had a hand in building the marine life room near the pond and considered building water features for landscaping as a hobby, but the boy ultimately wanted to become a politician of sorts. The grapple bears had dreams of their own as well. Most of which he knew when they told him in Shinju o Tateru.
Before he could ask them how their respective "parents" were treating the grapple bears or even how they felt not living with their Mama Mei-Mei, the adults were wrapping up on their daily tasks and the children were marking off places where they would continue the following day. They were even making plans to play at the estate some more before school started up again. The grapple bears would be finished with school in the winter and adjusting to their new lives until school picked up again the next year. Sesshomaru was partially curious about this, but he asked no more questions. He simply ensured no one was hurt or tripping over statues. Once all was complete, everyone headed home for the evening and simply waited for Meioshi to possibly return during the night or the following morning. Kirameku Ha escorted Sesshomaru and Jaken to his home, where Ah and Un took up residence under his trees and went to pull out a wagon to strap to the dragon's back the next morning. The old man seemed intent on travelling by foot.
Sesshomaru and Jaken did help the doctor's sensei when there were heavier items he had to lift. At first, the western lord felt there was no need for so many things if they could just visit an inn in demon territories for a night or even a human village, but he realized that demons could try to eat the old man or challenge him to a fight and demons weren't necessarily welcomed in human villages. This was going to be different than the days when he traveled with simply Rin and Jaken. Once they were done, the old man went to cook dinner and showed the two to the guest rooms and the washroom if they chose to use them. Sesshomaru was fairly content with sleeping on the engawa facing the courtyard, but he would consider using one of the rooms before they left. He had half a mind to ask why the dragon was so fond of being in Heiwa other than the food, but he wasn't sure if it really mattered to know the reason.
"You are staying out here for the night?" Kirameku Ha asked, placing some writing material down for later.
"Here is fine," Sesshomaru replied, watching Un pick at some loose scales. "You are writing for your registry?"
"A letter to a friend, actually," Kirameku Ha answered with fondness in his voice. "The registry is being updated currently. Our involvement with it is going to be much more taxing than previously thought. The ladies will be busy at the funeral home to give tours of their workshops and displays while we're gone. My pupil will have to refrain from showing the bookkeepers her estate with it in this condition. We may have taken preventative measures against the weather, but it's not fixed completely. Only evaluated."
"Is your friend part of the registry then?" Sesshomaru asked in a quiet voice.
"No, she isn't," Kirameku Ha replied. "She would have been if she had married her man those years ago, though, but a person can't be forced to marry when they feel guilty about a past. Letting go of her guilt was going to take time, especially when she had a constant reminder of such guilt within reach."
"Why did she feel guilty?" Sesshomaru asked.
"The same way I felt when I lost my wife," Kirameku Ha answered, looking up at the moon and earning Sesshomaru's attention. "That I wasn't there when she needed me. I wasn't strong enough, fast enough, or wise enough to stop her fate when I could have at least tried to do something about it. But, I had to learn the hard way that, despite how much I believed I failed her, I couldn't have possibly known how much danger she was in. There are simply some things in this life you can't possibly know will happen. If you could see all of the events in the future, you would cherish the past so much less. You would lose those most precious of memories that define recognition of character, personality, or even traits a loved one should have when you think of them. You might even try to pinpoint perfect moments in the present to reach a perfect future rather than enjoy the gifts that life bring you as the day goes by. My friend needed to understand that for herself before she could make the step to marry. I did not push her to do it because I understood her the most, but, if she can look to the memory of that man with fondness in her heart, I am happy no matter what she chooses to do."
When he spoke those last words, Sesshomaru's face changed to one of sadness and he thought to a time when he, Takamuku, and Homugi played at the dojo together in complete bliss. He didn't think there would come a day when he would lose his friends within a single moment of his life. An inu's first hunt was a moment of triumph and accomplishment, but, in his world, it became one of heartbreak and soon heart loss. There was no point in having friends if they were only going to be taken or used for some political advancement in his life. There was even less of a point in having a heart or caring about anyone if he was only ever going to be betrayed or used himself. Though Rin helped him reconsider the value of life, she wouldn't have been influential or strong enough to change his mind about friendship. After all, she hardly put a dent in the court's views of humans. She only convinced his mother that she made him happy, and Rin did make him happy. He was able to remember what it was like to be innocent and carefree, but it's only been recently that he had to remember why his innocence was lost in the first place. He lost his heart during a coming-of-age ritual once he entered his teenage inu years. That loss was both an emotional and a political one forever marked in the annals of history and serving as a reminder of his true moment of weakness. That ritual alone aided in the doubts of others that he would make an effective leader. He had to stop caring so that they could stop remembering.
Sesshomaru stood up slowly and looked to a blossom that had fallen from one of Kirameku Ha's trees and said, "Eat without me."
"You don't like kabocha curry?" Kirameku Ha asked, salivating a bit from the smell of his food about to be done.
"I don't deserve to be looked at fondly... but she deserves to be happy," Sesshomaru said almost subconsciously. "My wishes were snatched from me during a crucial year in life, but hers should've remained untouched regardless of what I decided. She shouldn't have been involved at all. I should've stopped them."
'I should've been the friend you needed...' Sesshomaru thought. 'Not the shadow you have to run from...'