"You're sure this town will help me?" Meioshi asked with much trepidation.
"You doubt my greatness?" Tadamasa questioned, popping his head up as he played in the water.
He was floating next to Meioshi as they were riding across a gorgeous freshwater lake. Perfect for sailing boats! The air was colder now. Fall was officially here. The reds and golds of the trees and bushes were coming into full effect. This was Meioshi's favorite time of the year. She loved collecting leaves and having feasts at home during this time. Even having sleepovers at her friends' houses was a treat! She wanted to return to the big bake-off after giving Sesshomaru his little water pebble, but... Oh, how she hated his bipolar antics! Just when she thought they made a breakthrough, he goes and disrespects Tadamasa! Her inner fury made it hard to appreciate the warm hills and cooler breezes passing by. Tadamasa was having the time of his life just wadding in the lake like it was a giant bathing pool, and she was in her head cussing at Sesshomaru from the top of her lungs! Letting out a sigh, she took some deep breaths to calm herself down and folded her arms to look out at the world. Being angry wouldn't solve anything. She trained too hard and for too long for some demon warlord to have this kind of effect on her emotions. This simply will not do. Hearing Tadamasa dive into the water like a duck made Meioshi look at her Netherworld friend.
His bouts of innocence were so odd... but she appreciated it. Demons really weren't that bad just like her forefather, Bichisutomu, had said. They just needed to be shown how to see the beauties of the world the way that she sees them. The way that her family trained to see them despite their adversities. Smiling at the goblin master's butt poked out into the air with his feet waddling happily made the doctor take a seat herself. Since this trip was going to be a fairly long one, Meioshi reached into a compartment on her boat and pulled out a long box that her grandfathers had made for her. Though the ladies of her family hated this vice she had, the men understood why she might've needed to indulge from time to time. Her life was not an easy one to live. Not counting the pressure and stress that a simple life can bring, being a doctor and a holy warrior were two ends of a scale that never balance out. Remembering the times when Viswamitra, her paternal grandfather, caught her taking Arimasa's smoking pipe, she stroked her box and opened it to pick her precious smoking pipe. She was supposed to quit. She hadn't smoked in some years. It was easier to break the habit once she focused on something else.
"Betee... tum dhoomrapaan kyon kar rahee ho?" Viswamitra would ask, looking at her with a fragment of disappointment in his eyes. His smile would often decrease to a smirk when he was displeased with something.
"Am I too weak, Daada?" Meioshi questioned, curling up into a ball and gaining Viswamitra's attention. "Those girls in the barn... they were so scared... I was scared... I... why did those men try to burn them? Try to burn us? I don't - !"
Meioshi didn't continue when her grandfather held her in his large arms and whispered, "Mere yuva yoddha roo. Tumhaare aansoo unakee talavaar hain aur tumhaaree chintaen unakee dhaal hain. Tumhaara dil bahut pyaar se bhara hai, betee. Unake lie roo."
With those words, Meioshi just collapsed and allowed herself to cry. She felt like such a child in her grandfather's arms, but she was afraid of the men who attacked her. She hid away those girls, hoping they wouldn't be harmed, only for her to be the target of a potential group rape had not one of her grandfather's men heard her screaming. That was the weakest she ever felt - the most powerless she ever felt. No matter how hard she fought, she just didn't have the strength to escape four to six fully grown men. Yet... it invigorated her. She knew what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to be a better protector to girls like the ones she harbored. She wanted to be strong enough to cause a problem for men. She wanted to heal others both medically and emotionally just like her grandfather was doing now. His sleeves had the sweet orange oil on them and soft cloth to wipe her tears away. Viswamitra and Arimasa were strong fighters. She would fight harder and get stronger to honor them... to protect herself... and to protect life...
"Karuna koee kamajoree nahin hai, meree nanhee bachchee. Aap bahaadur hain. Aisa hee bane rahen."
Once again, in spite of her anger and confusion towards her rival, Meioshi found herself thanking him... if only in her mind. She missed her family so much, and... somehow that mean, old dog was able to remind her of simpler times. Viswamitra, the tallest man in her family who always had a smile on his face and always picked a fight or joked most with Arimasa, was what some would call a gentle giant. Meioshi never let the moniker fool her, though. Her grandfather was not to be messed with whenever she got into trouble. None of her grandparents messed around with their disciplinary skills really! The doctor could recall many a spanking or flying shoe that came her way in her youth. Viswamitra just had the biggest shoe or the heaviest slipper! Umehana had the smallest and the quickest shoe or slipper! Those two often went on shifts for who should spank her.
Taking the bit of flint out of the box and lighting it, she lit the last bit of kizami in her kiseru pipe and puffed. Tadamasa stopped waddling upside down to lift himself up and watch Meioshi smoke with undeterred interest. He had never seen her smoke before. He only remembered her not being bothered by the hell kings' smoking sessions. Now, it made sense as to why. Watching her lean back and simply enjoy the brisk air was a better sight for him. She simply couldn't seem to stop intriguing him.
"Don't your sprites detest you doing that?" Tadamasa asked.
"Mostly Bonitas. He's my little nurse!" Meioshi replied, taking another puff.
"Will your prince approve of such unlady-like pastimes?" Tadamasa questioned, making Meioshi give a shrewd smirk.
"He doesn't approve of a lot of stuff I like," Meioshi responded, reaching into the waters to feel the crispness. "I can't enjoy the beach, I can't paint, I can't sew lingerie, I can't talk too loud, I can't talk too softly. Absolutely no gases must leave my body in his presence. Heaven forbid I chew my food or swallow too hard. A doggie toy would fix all of that!"
"He seems to like chewing you out. Dogs chew out of boredom or for play most of the time," Tadamasa joked, making Meioshi giggle a bit.
"Meh, he'll find another chewing toy once this stone of his is returned. I'm just a temporary fix," Meioshi joked, playing along with Tadamasa. "Think of me as a doggie biscuit!"
"Humans don't really taste that great. That's why the big animals choose 'em as a last resort," Tadamasa joked. "The village we're headed to might offer you a better clue on this Meido Stone you mentioned. It's the home of a group of holy warriors much like Sozosora."
SPLASH! Choking. Meioshi popped up, alerted to the noise of something falling in the water and saw an old man struggling to stay afloat. He shouted, "Boatman! Help!"
"Oh, my goodness!" Meioshi said, rushing to her feet. "Tadamasa, a bit of snow!"
The goblin plucked a small grain from his ball and gave it to the doctor. She purified it then threw it close to the elder where his flailing arm would hit it. When he realized it was solid, he clung to the patch of snow and ice and tried picking up his large bag that was strapped to his back. Meioshi eventually made it to him and scooped his bag onto the boat before lifting him up out of the water. She checked his vitals to make sure he was fine while the man inspected her in between his staggered breaths.
"Thank you, my lady. What on Earth is a beauty doing way out here?" the elder asked.
Meioshi looked at him sweetly before replying, "Actually, I'm on my way to a village that Tadamasa there knows."
"Egads! You work with demons?" the old man questioned, flinching at Tadamasa's glowing eyes.
"Sometimes. I'll take no offense if you wish to leave me once we reach shore. How did you wind up out here, elder?" Meioshi asked.
"There are demon slave masters over there! I was trying to escape by boat, but it was attacked and sank. I was trying to row to you to stop you. They'll hurt you, young lady," the elder answered.
"... I just so happen to be in a very foul mood against a particular demon. Where is this dangerous place, old man?" Meioshi asked, eyes glowing a bit.
"Are you a holy warrior? Like the ones that lived up there?" the man asked, backing away a bit.
"No... but you are..." Meioshi said, narrowing her eyes at the man.