Of all the people in the world to go on a kidnapping mission with, Homugi could easily say that she never expected for Meioshi to take part in such a thing. Least of all go so far as to politely (or impolitely, depending on how she goes about doing this) take Sesshomaru's most trusted attendant from his side. Would she be sneaky about it? Would she just ask Sesshomaru for Jaken's presence on this new development? What kind of princess kidnaps people anyway?
They were on a crunch time to save Hasumi from the clutches of Azumamaro. The blue merle beauty couldn't deny her curiosity of Meioshi's "plan", and Yuko was more or less just interested in Meioshi's abilities to make other men crumble. The young apprentice always had been. Liuxian was... just down for the ride as is often the case around his childhood friend. He could probably count out the number of times when he or Meioshi snuck around to play together, especially when Shishou specifically said they were punished for some silly thing they had done. This mission had a similar feel to it. While Liuxian didn't know much about these new allies that his friend had, he was interested in seeing their reactions to what his friend was capable of. Hiding on the boat overhead, the small crew watched as the doctor walked over to what looked like an old gazebo. The shrubbery was dying off a bit too early in her opinion, but Sesshomaru and company had gotten pretty far since the last time she joined them in battle. Though short-lived, they still managed to trek it a couple of miles after the ambush. Narrowing her eyes and looking to her side, Meioshi could feel an alarming amount of yoki energy and proceeded with caution.
To show she was harmless, Meioshi only dressed in her medical attire and carried her lantern to light the way. It was still night out. She smirked a bit at herself. This was almost exactly how she met the western lord in person for the first time. She had just left her family's shrine at the base of the cliff after receiving her new mission to purify the Netherland wolf. She felt his presence just outside of the forest, and, lo and behold, there he was. The demon that everyone described to her as being powerful or dangerous was as calm and poised as a whooping crane in water as he waited for her to come out. A laugh threatened to come out when Sesshomaru stopped her in her tracks with the gazebo a good running distance away from her line of vision. Wood was being burned over there, so the men were setting up a camp to probably go over some things in the coming morning. Although the western lord wasn't smiling or anything relative to show pleasure in seeing his rival again so soon, he was calmer in her presence and looked at her questioningly.
Meioshi finally did let out a giggle once Sesshomaru said, "Woman, stop spoiling the old man. He's fine."
"Why can't I spoil my sensei? He's done a lot for me, you know," Meioshi replied almost playfully.
"He'll get lazy. The situation is serious and requires him to be on alert," he answered with some annoyance. "You're going to make him dawdle."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you enjoy his company," Meioshi said, settling her weight on one side so her hip pokes out more. "I thought my lordship didn't particularly care for humans."
"I don't," Sesshomaru said, narrowing his eyes.
"Then stop sounding so impressed when you speak of him," Meioshi responded, earning something that was akin to a pout almost. His lip wasn't poked out like a traditional pout, but his brow did furrow and he leaned his head down with displeasure. She lightly chuckled at him before saying, "Didn't expect the 'old man' to be able to hold his own in a fight so well, did you?"
"You owe me a fight for lying to me," Sesshomaru growled in reply.
"Lie? What lie?" Meioshi questioned, standing straight.
"You said the old man had no powers. He is clearly able to control water regardless of who taught him how to do it," Sesshomaru answered. "Water can take the form of any volume that contains it. He was capable of killing those demons in the Mujina Woodlands if he can control water to make it resemble a snake or something else to that form. Ere go, you lied. He will serve out a punishment under my supervision until he provides evidence of his innocence. Azumamaro is obviously not connected to that incident. You both can be spared of this crime, but you are not absolved from the prior one."
Meioshi was quiet for a moment, not giggling or smiling at his words, until she did something that he didn't understand. She looked at him fondly like her heart had suddenly opened up to reveal a shiny treasure. Her eyes were softer, lips rosier, skin almost more delicate and richer, hair more silken. Every good quality she possessed opened up to him, and it crafted a smile unlike anything he'd seen from another person. The western lord didn't understand why his rival looked at him like this at all. Wasn't she going to yell at him like before? That was her normal response when he threatened her or someone she was close to. What was this... lovely response?
"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Sesshomaru asked as if it were to himself.
"Will I ever see the day when you will be honest with your emotions, Sesshomaru?" Meioshi asked, earning some silence.
"What are you talking about?" Sesshomaru responded in the same confused, personal tone.
"Maybe not today... or even tomorrow... but some day, I'd like to earn a chance to hear you say what you really feel towards us. If I am so worthy to be your rival, or even for you to admit that there is a sense of competitiveness between us that we haven't quite reached an understanding for, will you give me a chance to know what you're thinking about when you see us?" Meioshi asked gently.
Sesshomaru was so frozen in his rival's gaze that he may as well have been suspended in time. Her request... was a simple one, but it was one that he didn't understand just like her smile. Why did she want to know what he was thinking? Kirameku Ha demonstrated a use of power uncharacteristic for a human who wasn't a holy warrior. Yes, he was interested in the man's life as a soldier, but he never formally asked him about the details. Jaken did. He merely listened. The elder didn't complain about anything while in his presence or try to run away like Meioshi had. He simply engaged Jaken in conversation or allowed the imp to complain about things. The two soldiers, Reijiro and Sanraku, were a different story. He didn't know much about them, but he did take notice to Sanraku's enthusiasm to getting to know more about Kirameku Ha. The maroon inu took an interest in the old man's knowledge of the warrior code and asked him little things about it as they were setting up camp. While Sesshomaru found that annoying, he'd paid special attention to Reijiro the most. The dark inu behaved more like a punished child than anything. He was more attentive to Kirameku Ha's movements. It seemed like it was out of fear or possibly shame. Kirameku Ha surprised everybody when he was angered by Reijiro's dismissal of the ruling power within the House of Inu. There had to be a reason for it, but Reijiro took to Kirameku Ha differently than Sanraku had. That made Sesshomaru a bit more tense for whatever reason.
"How's Reijiro? Still upset about his teacher?" Meioshi asked, changing the subject and looking more concerned now.
"Who?" Sesshomaru questioned, distracted by the shift in conversation. Once he remembered the dark inu's name, he then said, "You must mean the sulking one. You cannot spoil him just because you feel sorry for him."
"Your relationships with other men have soured over the years from what others have told me about you, but this is no reason not to have empathy for the man. He lost someone he looked up to - someone he was close to. Was there no one you ever wanted to make proud? Who you saw as your light in a dark place?"
Sesshomaru turned to the camp for a brief moment and heard Kirameku Ha chuckling at something. His ears shifted at the sound. He hated when the witch tried to get personal with him. Moments like these when it's one-on-one irked him because it made him think of the past. He didn't want to revisit anything that forced him to look at times of true weakness. He hated them. Somehow, she always made him do it whether it was through battle or simply an argument. Idolatry was a weakling's disease that threatened self-confidence. It was a sin he learned to never commit twice, but... hearing Kirameku Ha's voice in the distance brought him back to a time when he gathered rabbit feed in his childhood. It was a simple gift he tried to obtain in his youth: a rose gold carrot.
He cried all night when he couldn't retrieve this one vegetable for the man he looked up to the most as a child, but he refused to give up until he got that carrot. He was even nearly killed and fussed at for going into dangerous territory alone. Despite his parents punishing him or having a guard with him, he snuck away from it all and went after this "sacred" produce. One day, his grandfather had noticed his absence and went after him. By the time he found him, the rose gold carrot was in his hand and a demon was chasing him. He had never seen his grandfather's true form before, but there he was in his full glory. Roaring furiously at the beast as he practically hovered over Sesshomaru, Hikozaemon II was protecting his "young one" from danger. When his grandfather returned to his more human form, he kneeled before Sesshomaru and took his chin in his rough hand to silently question why he disobeyed his parents from revisiting this one place. Sesshomaru feared Hikozaemon's wrath more than anything back then, and he remembered shaking violently out of fear of what punishment he would inflict on him for his disobedience. Instead of striking him or yelling at him, Hikozaemon merely asked what Sesshomaru was so hellbent on trying to get from that place. When the little one replied that Junibun was unsuccessful in obtaining another rabbit's attention, he wanted to get this particular carrot to help Junibun gain that friend. Sesshomaru hadn't met Homugi or Takamuku yet, but he had a friend... in his grandfather. He wanted to give Junibun a chance at friendship since Hikozaemon had given that special relationship to him. When Toga and Milady arrived, Hikozaemon was already carrying the boy in his arms to return home to the rabbits. More puzzle pieces were made for Sesshomaru to build a bigger bunny house. Junibun got his friend.
He hadn't really been around his grandfather as much as he used to be since he started school at the dojo. A couple of years in was when he met Homugi and Takamuku. Hikozaemon was still a very silent supporter of his grandson, but they drifted apart over the years. Sesshomaru was being trained to take over his father's place, and Hikozaemon was personally asked to be part of the Court of Elders. The night of the betrothal was probably the last time he truly engaged with his grandfather as an old friend again. He never thanked him for allowing his law to pass for an entire inu year. His grandfather was too smart of a man to let such a crime slide for that long.
Feeling a soft hand graze against his arm, Sesshomaru snapped out of his thoughts before stiffening up immediately. He forgot Meioshi was a quick one, even forgot she was there in his musings. Somehow, she was able to get close enough to whisper sweetly yet seductively in his ear, "You're cute when you're distracted like that."
Instinctively, Sesshomaru swiped at her with his claw, but he just barely missed her as she backflipped away from acrobatically before dashing past him. He growled at her angrily, eyes red and fangs bared, and tried to swipe at her again. Leave it to the doctor to turn around, wink at him, and shoot a love bullet from her fingers as she positioned her hand like a gun. That witch!
She smiled brightly and mischievously before shouting, "Sorry, Maru! You were facing the wrong direction!"
"What the hell were you doing?" Sesshomaru demanded, watching his rival run at top speed.
"Needed a distraction!" Meioshi replied, waving a hand behind her as she barged in on the camp. "Hey, Jaken, think fast!"
"Wha - ?" Jaken started before getting snatched up from his seat and being thrown over the doctor's shoulder. "Ack! What are you doing?"
"Hey, good news, old chap. You get to witness my death if I can't escape quickly," Meioshi replied, smiling deviously.
"Help, I'm being kidnapped by a witch!" Jaken screamed, kicking about.
"Wait, that actually worked?" Homugi questioned, mouth dropping from shock.
"How? She barely touched him?" Yuko questioned, pointing a finger at Sesshomaru, who was now fuming at being had so grotesquely.
"My girl's still got it," Liuxian replied, hopping up to steer the boat after her.