"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" Ohta roared with a disheveled appearance and wild blush on his face.
Meioshi flinched at his tone comically and made an interesting face at the teen. She decided against explaining to Ohta that she was in a holy warrior village with the Shigochiyo family. Unfortunately, the former patron of the onmyoji spared none of the clan in her final attack before Sojuro helped her escape, so she motioned herself home to prepare a funeral for the bodies she could find. She only knew a clansman died because their strings were visible. Those with invisible strings had their souls taken elsewhere. She couldn't bury them. She had to speak with her overseers about them before the day was over. The most she could do was move all of the bodies someplace else. She decided to let the Shigochiyo family decide where everyone should go. Kinzo preferred her funerary home and grounds for the dead, but Meioshi wanted to show Ketsuki Shirudo to Kinzo as another option. Hasumi wasn't quite ready to do the same for her clan, but Meioshi had shown her the funerary space. So much work to do! Surely, Ohta could understand this.
Well, the reason for Ohta's frustration wasn't anything to do with her absence or her work. Squeaking was heard in the youkai district of Heiwa. The good doctor turned to the noises to see huge rats walking through town. The demons and very few humans living in the district were struggling to get rid of them or chase them away. Even Emperor Kunimatsu was speaking to them! Or... at least trying to figure out how they made it way the hell over to his kingdom... Reijiro walked up to Meioshi with his arms folded before he looked behind her to see the Shigochiyo family visibly confused and then Sesshomaru and Jaken trailing behind them.
Reijiro said over Meioshi's shoulder, "You won, Maru-sama."
"Huh?" the doctor questioned.
"Mama Mei-Mei!" Chiura called, waving her hand cutely.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Kijiro cheered, running up to his lordship. The other grapple bears ran up to him as well. They were covered in flour and jelly but had big smiles on their faces. The little one then said, "Those big fire rats smelled your cookies! That means you won the compe - uh - compi - !"
"You won the big bake-off!" Juba finished, throwing her hands up. "Everybody's trying to shoo them away, but they ate all the sweets. So, we're trying to lure them away with bait."
Sesshomaru's features softened just a hair at the news, but he turned to see the damage of the district and proceeded to that direction quietly. Reijiro followed after him. Apparently, he was allowed to call Sesshomaru by a nickname temporarily since the situation called for his attention. Jaken took note of this, however, and watched the dark inu soldier follow his lord. While Jaken tried to convince himself that he should be feeling jealous at such a luxury, he was more interested in the doctor's reaction and stayed behind to see what she would do. What he saw made him gasp very lightly. Meioshi's eyes had widened from shock at first, which was a normal response to the imp, but then her eyes did something that he couldn't quite read. The pupils changed for a brief second like they were threatening to dilate and the hazel started to glow before her eyes just snapped back to normal. It was like the flame of a candle had passed over them before it all disappeared. She then turned to the grapple bears for an explanation, but the little ones chased after Lord Sesshomaru and Reijiro with exception to Ohta. He and Kirameku Ha wanted to speak.
Kirameku Ha started first, "You are far younger than I thought, young Kinzo."
Kinzo rushed to bow low with respect to the elder and greeted with a blush, "H-he-hell-hello again, Lord Kirameku Ha! I'm sorry for the trouble I may have caused you! I didn't - !"
"Your child seems fine," the elder interrupted, looking at Kishi hopping on one foot towards Kinzo.
He spotted her hopping around her parents with a bright smile before going over to Kinzo. Unfortunately, Kirameku Ha had seen enough children in Meioshi's care to know that this was only the beginning to a painful loss. If what Kinzo had told him was true about whatever demon had hurt this young teenage girl, then it was only a matter of time before Meioshi delivered the news of her condition. For now, though, the elder decided to be positive. After all, the pugnacious Lord Sesshomaru wound up being the one to make the village burst with excitement at the sight of not just one but five fire rats consuming the demons' baking goods for the heritage festival this year. Even he was delighted at such a record-breaking appearance! Kirameku Ha was worried about one thing, though. The emperor's maids started screaming in the distance. It looked like the rats ate up the food she offered. At this rate, the village was going to go hungry. He thought he heard Hasumi yelling out a capture spell, too. Wonder if it worked this time.
"Bakagari!" Kishi cheered, patting Kinzo on his head. She was about to introduce herself, but her eyes widened with fear, and she ran behind Kinzo with a blushing face. Not understanding what was happening, she clutched at Kinzo's clothes before pulling them to cover her face. Her body started shaking and she started pulling more aggressively at Kinzo's clothes to get him to hide her. Her heart was racing, breath faltering, and she noticed her long, brown hair suddenly became too heavy and stringy for her liking. When everyone turned to her for an explanation, she developed a sudden fever and she panicked more until tears started forming. She whispered ever so quietly, "Kinzo..."
"Kishi, what's wrong?" Kinzo asked with concern, putting a hand on her forehead.
"Boy..." Kishi replied with a soft mumble.
"There's a lot of kids your age here, Kishi. Are you scared of them?" Kinzo asked, kneeling down to her eye level.
"Boy..." Kishi replied, curling up to hide under Kinzo's chin.
Ohta had become strangely quiet until he started smiling. He very stealthily crept up to Kinzo and Kishi before he bent over and said softly, "Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you."
"Boy!" Kishi whispered, shivering.
"No, no," Ohta said softly, putting a hand on Kinzo to stop him from shielding Kishi. He kneeled down to show he was harmless, kept his warm smile, and introduced himself. "It's okay. I'm Ohta. I'm one of the doctor's children."
"Lady Tennin?" Kishi questioned with a small voice.
Ohta chuckled at the nickname and nodded. He then said, "Uh-huh! We call her Mama Mei-Mei. You made a great name for her, too! She's very special to us and has been by our sides for many years. Will you promise to help us watch over her? You have to be strong and be able to fuss at her sometimes, too. She can be too silly or inconsiderate every now and then."
"I am not inconsiderate!" Meioshi argued.
Ohta popped up at that and argued, "Oh really? How is it that within the span of a few weeks you got yourself hurt, carted away to heaven knows where without saying anything twice, and the next time I see you you're late to a part of the heritage festival that you founded? Hm? Let's hear it!"
"I'll have you know I work for a living! My duties as a doctor are equally as important as that of a holy warrior. That includes - !" Meioshi started.
"Your duties as a mother? Because it sounds like you forgot about that part," Ohta said very seriously and very emotionally. "I know you're a doctor and whatever the crap a hell traveler is, but that's not the name I called you. You're not an ant! I'm happy that you have the ability to help another and to even save a life. That's something I can't do on my own the way that you can, but that's not all you are to me. Don't you care that we might be worried or scared when something happens to you out of the blue? That's the part that's inconsiderate."
For whatever reason, Ohta's words broke through to everyone in that moment, not just Meioshi. Kirameku Ha thought about his sons, Kinzo thought about Kishi, and Kinzo's parents thought about their own children huddled together. While Jaken didn't have children, he thought about Rin. He also began to think that meeting Meioshi and being involved in her world was no longer a coincidence. There was a reason why they met her. He just didn't know why. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to know why either, but... somehow... what he was feeling when Meioshi raised up her arms to invite a hug felt the same as when Sesshomaru had saved his people in his forest. When Ohta didn't realize that Meioshi was waiting for him, it was the same feeling as when Sesshomaru was going to leave that day. When Meioshi cleared her throat and smiled at Ohta, the same feeling of purpose arose from his spirit. He supposed when Meioshi said softly, "Little one, I'm home", Ohta was chasing after a place to belong the way Jaken had chased after Sesshomaru. Something about these humans reminded Jaken of the very start of his journey. He didn't understand why that small exchange put everything into a different perspective, but he could feel a sense of purpose coming out of him. There was a need to follow Sesshomaru to the ends of the earth on that fateful day, but it appeared that there was another need on the rise for the imp. A need to protect. He just wasn't sure who needed it more now: Sesshomaru, Rin, or Meioshi...
_______________________________________________
"Lord Sesshomaru, you really listened to my advice!" Atasuke cheered from the border of the farmlands and youkai district.
The fire rat demon was most pleased with his sweets and food offerings. The grapple bears were hustling to make more bait to lure the fire rats out of Heiwa and closer to the ravine where he and Meioshi battled. Homugi ran into Yuko in the kitchen where chaos was ensuing. Yamashi was completely unimpressed with the effort to shoo the fire rats away, but he couldn't deny being impressed by Sesshomaru's success in drawing the fire rats to him. He seemed to be an expert herder, or at least had a very good relationship with the fire rats.
"There a reason why so many fire rats are enjoying your dog biscuits?" Yamashi asked rudely.
"Yamashi!" Yuko reprimanded from the floor. "That's an insult to Homugi! She's our friend!"
"Her pup treats drew attention, too," Ichi said from down the road.
His and Yatsumi's house wasn't far away. Their plot of land was marked by the Wild Boar kingdom's tapestry, and it looked like a proper palace ground to be honest. It wasn't as large as the kingdom of Heiwa, but it was a nice and simple home. Sesshomaru sort of liked the country aesthetic. It matched the Wild Boar rogues, and it made Sesshomaru realize that Yuko quite literally went from rags to riches. Yamashi had to be showering her with all kinds of gifts. Her kimono was elegant. She just so happened to be covered in flour because of the absolute chaos of the situation; otherwise, she looked like a proper princess minus the appropriate makeup, markings, and royal accessories. Sesshomaru then turned to Ichi and noticed his wife pecking his lips and rubbing her nose on his as a show of affection. He smiled warmly before nodding to her brother. Princess Yatsumi was a tall, muscular woman but it didn't take away her strong beauty. She had lengthy deep blue hair and light green eyes with ears as long as Ichi's. Yamashi was the more human-looking youkai. His ears were merely pointed like Sesshomaru's. Princess Yatsumi was dressed in a pink and green yukata and deep blue leggings. Her undergarments were the royal purple.
"Curious. Why are you here, inu prince? You have visited this place quite often. What is the occasion?" Yatsumi asked, folding her arms but keeping a peaceful expression on her face. She wasn't looking for a fight, just an answer.
"Currently, my people are dying and/or under attack by multiple adversaries. Of which, your doctor, Jigoku Meioshi, knows one. She had been regarded as a suspect initially for the crimes against the House of Inu, but I have absolved her from the accusations due to Homugi's involvement in our prior investigation and my time monitoring Jigoku's patterns. My leadership role is under fire because of this, but I care very little about it. I, however, also came to these festivities out of personal interest. Why do the rogues disclose information regarding our politics with the humans? I see no benefit to such a thing," Sesshomaru explained quite briefly.
"... It's part of the process for relinquishing our loyalties to our people to accept a new loyalty to the crowned emperor," Yamashi answered, throwing a finger over his shoulder to point at Kunimatsu behind him. "Basically, we give up this information in exchange for a life here. Meioshi is responsible for protecting Heiwa from demons like us, and she's damn good at it, but she also teaches us how to live our lives away from the kingdom. You're familiar with the Shimabukuro Law, yes? Well, those teachings and the Bushido Code that she follows share a few things in common. You've been hanging around Kirameku Ha for a little while. That's how I met Reijiro over there anyway. Your code of honor matches his teachings, yes? Well, that's the thing. She uses these similarities to help us understand each other. She takes it a step further by teaching us the ways of the hell traveler. Bichisutomu, Meioshi's forefather, made it part of the law in her family to instruct demons like us in the ways of peace should they come here. The demons who guard the borders, farmlands, and youkai district like Lord Aka and Mizu Hoseki carry out his legacy by showing us a new life, and they don't have a problem with kicking you out should you fail to show a hint of learning. The benefit is what you see here. Humans come to us of their own volition for many things and we go to them. Halflings like Ichi, and my children when Yuko and I are ready, will be able to live a life without the discrimination or danger that comes with a basic existence. We protect this place and give refuge to others like Homugi. We were all like her once, and I suppose I was like you once. I didn't understand Heiwa either and tried to stake a claim on the territory. My kingdom was also failing. I paid my dues to make it better. My father decided to exile me. If you're still an active lord, you probably know of the status of the Wild Boar Kingdom, do you not?"
"Their wealth has reached an abominable decline, yes," Sesshomaru answered, making Yamashi smile.
"That's the benefit to me staying here, if you want to make it personal," Yamashi said. "I have my own wealth now. The kingdom can fail."
"What do you do for money?" Sesshomaru asked out of curiosity.
"I own a trading company. While looking for ways to improve my kingdom's economy, I made relationships with different merchants. Blacksmiths, craftsmen, cooks, farmers. Whoever was willing to sell a good or service I met while visiting here often. At the time, Yuko was travelling with Meioshi as her apprentice full-time. Their medical services were often exchanged for money, food, or smaller weapons for emergencies. I offered to guard them for information on ruling Heiwa myself," Yamashi admitted.
"Yeah, look how that turned out. You did splendidly," Yuko remarked, resting her head in her folded arms over the kitchen window.
"Indeed. I bedded the woman I was most fascinated with," Yamashi commented with a confident, sensual smirk.
"No, you fell madly in love with me," Yuko corrected, pointing her nose upwards.
"That was after. I wanted sex," Yamashi admitted teasingly, making Yuko gasp in offense.
"You horrible man!" Yuko roared, blushing wildly.
"That's the quick version to the benefits of turning over a new leaf as they say. Make no mistake, Heiwa is not free of hardships. The closer you are to the kingdom or those who claim to know of Heiwa's ancient, purest origins, the closer you are to people who will discriminate against you. With time, you'll get the hang of things, though. Now, as for the demons here, we also disclose information to each other as a show of peace. Rival clans or species in our pasts are our political enemies no more. We maintain our rivalries elsewhere. The baking competition is one. However, I am going to have to ask why you chose to participate in it since you're not a rogue," Yamashi said, raising a brow.
"... New opportunity," Sesshomaru answered curtly.
"Oh?" Yamashi replied, leaning his head down. "For work or title?"
"Title," Sesshomaru answered again. His smirk grew to a toothy grin and a claw raised up with a sudden boost of confidence. "I have grown an interest in the fallen Okuri-inu of my clan. I wish to consider the role of being its leader. It was something my father could not do, and it is something my grandfather entrusts me with. Reinstating this old military troop gives me the chance to build my own kingdom. I would be a fool not to accept such a thing. I was going to ask Homugi to pry around for information about the Yama oroshi, but I believe it may be unnecessary. Jaken was able to produce a fire shield for me not long ago. We may be able to use it for our needs instead."
"The Yama oroshi? What do they have there that is of interest to you?" Yamashi asked.
"There's a sacred jewel there that my group wants. Our main concern was the fire demon residing there. It can't be easily destroyed," Sesshomaru replied, lowering his claw.
"... I'll go with you," Yamashi offered. "I've had my eye on something that the clan has. It's not your jewel, though."
"Oh no..." Yuko commented, patting her cheek.
"What's wrong, Yuko?" Homugi asked, creeping up next to her.
"It's a boys' adventure..." Yuko grumbled.