"Oh, it's young Sanraku," Madame called from her nesting place. "How on Earth did you find us way out here? Why aren't you with your brother?"
Madame and the Green Pheasant were in quite a sacred place. You see, Meioshi's small herb farm and shrine was located not far from Yuko and Yamashi's home in the farmlands, but the shrine connected to a meeting place where the guardians of the hell travelers typically spoke. There were not very many guardians to the holy warrior family, but Meioshi and her family built this place so that the guardians could unleash their strength or emotions without harming the mortal realm with their power. Lord Aka and Mizu Hoseki typically came here to discuss information or news about the world. The kappa guardians would also visit. Beyond the meeting place, however, was a disturbing sight. Only Meioshi could go to it and through it. No one knows what's behind the gates of the meeting grounds, but the Green Pheasant has guessed that it may have been where Meioshi's soul to save is locked away. The bodies of slain pallbearers are the only things he's seen on the ground leading to this path of torii gates. Potaruopuna's perch and nest blocked whatever else could be seen beyond. Even then, the screeching owl demon's mighty size and glowing eyes struck an unusual bout of fear within the Green Pheasant. It's the only time when he feels like prey.
However, the meeting grounds were a very stark contrast to this other place that Madame feared more than her husband probably. Madame couldn't stand the sight of the pallbearers. Even certain demons in the living world frightened her, but she was coming into her own, according to her husband. Within another year, she should be ready to undergo martial arts training. Right now, her archery skills needed to be perfected but were quite good... Now, if her husband could stop getting her pregnant, then she could move on to other things! She didn't mind, however. The Green Pheasant was a good husband. Madame knew he was heartbroken from the loss of his family. Having to live alone for many years had to have been hard, and he confessed that it was. Tch! The eighteenth of May. That's when she first pressed a kiss to the Green Pheasant's little beak to offer sympathy. He went to peck at her at first, not knowing what she was doing, but he must've taken notice to her blush or something in him had changed because, when she went to kiss him again, he allowed it. As they say, the rest is history. He became her guardian in conjunction with the hell travelers. With time, he became known as the protector of abused women and amulets had been made amongst the girls hiding in Meioshi's barn to honor him. Unfortunately, his legend came at a cost to Meioshi. While he was known as a symbol of protection for women, Meioshi was known as a symbol of death to come. It wasn't fair to her! Madame hated those rumors and legends surrounding her beloved friend! Alas, her death did come. It was by the grace of the gods, and perhaps Meioshi as well, that her soul was allowed to be kept in the care of the Green Pheasant. Humans are such wretched things, sometimes.
Perhaps, it was a good thing that she knew the truth for herself. Look at where she was now! Snowbell trees surrounded the Grand Guardian Circle with leucothoe bushes giving the red and pink centers of the snowbells more of a show. Lord Kirameku Ha also had a hand with the landscaping details of the place. As the only human guardian to the holy warrior family, he was allowed to have a hand in the meeting place's decorum. Purples, oranges, and reds seemed to be part of his vision for the space. Arimasa often joked with his friend about his gardening visions, especially when the swordsman was adamant about showing off Arimasa's status as a Jissoji prince. Though Arimasa often had to correct him because he wasn't royalty, Kirameku Ha would have none of it. That's probably the only reason why purple was a staple color. Sakurasou, hanashobu, and the doctor's personal favorite flower, kinmokusei, were put in rows to provide a healthy amount of color during the spring and fall seasons. The only thing missing in the space was a proper pond, but two small puddles of pure rainwater created a nice feature for dragonflies to appear. With fall here now, however, the snowbell trees were simply their golden yellow color with the complementary bushes showing off luscious burgundy and red mixed with some green and the kinmokusei showing off bunches of orange. All of the colors associated with fall were there. It was quite the sight, but it was also a reminder that the pheasant parents would have to think about their migration place for the year.
Meioshi did have plans to halt her holy warrior duties in favor of visiting her little ones from the okiyas for a winter feast. One of her pilgrimage sites was chosen for the occasion. Madame wondered if it was as beautiful as the others. She didn't visit each one with the doctor, but Meioshi did take the girls to one or two of them so they could freely play around. A fond memory! The Grand Guardian Circle was also where Madame had been transformed from a human girl to the holy pheasant queen. The wedding, however, was performed on the hell traveler's estate. Out of everyone who once lived on the estate, Madame probably took its destruction the hardest. Though her human memories were largely and fondly tied to Meioshi's barn, her new life was tied firmly to the estate. She was the most afraid to see its state now. Meioshi hadn't worked on it much since the start of the festival, but the stairs looked beautiful and fresh. Despite the doctor's blindness, she worked quickly and tirelessly. Shaking her head to avoid going down memory lane and reliving the nightmare of the attack, Madame looked to the maroon inu to engage with him. He somehow was able to stumble upon the meeting place of the guardians without the herbs potent fragrance stopping him. That interested her. Inu had a heightened sense of smell, especially the ones that the Green Pheasant remembered in his past. As the new queen of the pheasants, Madame had much to learn about the rich histories of other holy guardians and spirits. The inu was the one that she was most curious about, especially since they haven't been a guardian to humans or messenger for deities for many centuries. Sanraku, out of personal interest and/or curiosity, seemed to be entering the long-forsaken role.
"Ah, so you are out here! Cool!" Sanraku cheered, running up to the queen pheasant. "Actually, I was here to speak to your husband since Rei's out with Lord Sesshomaru."
"Ah, are you still unsure if you want to follow him as your leader, young Sanraku?" Madame asked, lifting up from her nest to stretch and fluff her feathers.
"To be honest..., I'm okay with following Lord Sesshomaru. I just have a different reason for doing it is all," Sanraku replied, sitting next to Madame. "I was wondering if it was possible to train under your husband or Grand Monk Shishido. I didn't realize that Lord Sesshomaru had studied the Shimabukuro Law so intensely as a child. I kind of wanted to know more about it. Did you study it much, Madame Pheasant?"
"I am forbidden from learning it because I was once a human, I'm afraid," Madame answered. "You'll not have much luck with my husband either. Those principles are not the ones he follows."
"Wait! You were a human!?" Sanraku questioned, jumping at this new knowledge.
"Why, yes! I thought you knew," Madame replied, smiling brightly. "My girl mentioned it to her new girls on their way to a pilgrimage site. It reminded me of the time I spent with her before I became a little birdie."
"Fuwafuwa sugoi!" Sanraku cheered, sitting on all fours with interest. "Do all humans have the ability to transform into beings like us then?"
"No, only the pure of heart are allowed to become guardian spirits to another, I'm afraid. Those completely tainted become demons or servants to them. Matters of the heart are very delicate in this business. You must be careful, but..., to be frank, I can sense your heart's purity. I wonder if my girl can sense it, too. She's usually quite good with picking out those with a pure heart. I'm surprised she hasn't turned her attentions to you yet."
Sanraku blushed at this and said, "If the doctor notices me for anything, I'd be flattered. You said something about your husband not following the law, though. Is there a difference?"
"Very much so, young Sanraku. The Shimabukuro Law is followed by guardian spirits who are descendant from the Holy Order, or the gods' messengers. They can choose whether they wish to serve the gods or become independent from them. Your Grand Monk Shishido must have claimed independency many years ago if he studies and teaches this set of principles. Though very similar to our rules, the Shimabukuro Law can be altered to benefit its students in the way of peaceful living. Our rules are more like laws. They don't change. There is a law for revenge and war, and there is a law for peace and unity. For this training you seek, you must decide if you wish to be independent from folks like us or claim servitude. Both inspire peaceful living, but one requires more discipline than the other," Madame explained.
"Oh, I guess I do need to think about it then," Sanraku said with consideration. "Does Grandpa Kira know about these laws, too?"
"No, he is not a guardian spirit like us. He is more like a representative. His power does rival ours and he does have a pure heart. I think when it is his time to leave the mortal realm, he will be an excellent guardian spirit should he choose that path or be given the opportunity to do so."
"Do you know about The Great Dog General, Lord Toga?" Sanraku asked, looking down at his hands. "I didn't know him that much, but he was great friends with quite a few people. Is it possible that he was a guardian spirit like you? He had a lot of power, and Lord Sesshomaru has a lot of power, too. I was wondering if maybe the inu lords really are closer to gods."
"I don't know anyone by that name, personally, but my husband did. He explained to me that Lord Toga had an interesting life and an eye-opening death. He knew Lord Toga's father and mother, at least through the events that shifted the balance of power within the House of Inu. They weren't native to Nihon like you and me, but the children born from them were all quite powerful. The reason Lord Toga was of interest to my husband was due to a rumor among the guardian spirits. It was said that Lord Toga was in possession of something called the Sankaku mon, or 'the mark of the perfect trinity'. Lord Toga was born in Nihon, so he is considered a native by birthright, but his parents' origins formed this particular crest that put him at the level of a grand king inu or god inu in a similar manner that my husband is the grand king pheasant. My husband said that this crest can activate immeasurable kami-yoki strength, but Lord Toga couldn't control its power and knew nothing about it. Had he been trained in our ways instead of the Shimabukuro Law, my husband believes he wouldn't have died from his wounds at all. There is a bright spot to his story, though. That's the part that my husband is interested in. It has much to do with Lord Sesshomaru and his half-brother, Inuyasha. That's what he's in the meeting hall discussing now amongst other things."
"So, did this mark pass down to Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha?" Sanraku asked.
"My husband believes it did. That's part of the tragedy of Lord Toga's death. Any child born from Lord Toga is in danger because of this Sankaku mon. He spent much of his life protecting his family and teaching them how to love, but he never explained why they were a target because he never knew why. Ironically, Inuyasha's controversial birth has nothing to do with the danger surrounding him. It's because of this mark. The native youkai here find that family to be a threat. My husband has been wondering if he should tell them about it."
"Why?" Sanraku questioned out of genuine curiosity.
"It has to do with the Nintojo that Lord Jaken possesses," Madame explained, flapping her wings to release a feather. The feather called out to the puddle waters and formed an image of the Nintojo. "You see, when my husband went to Sozosora where he met you to oversee a blood oath that Lord Toga had made, he discovered something of interest while Meioshi was acting as a witness. The Nintojo was actually made from the bark of an orange tree that was near the camp you stayed at. Do you remember where you found Lord Sesshomaru before you went to help at the Akabeko Temple?"
"Yeah, actually. There was an orange tree not far from it. We could smell it," Sanraku replied, thinking back to when Hikozaemon II had introduced them.
"Apparently, the creator of the Nintojo had been watching Lord Jaken the entire time. In order for Lord Jaken or Lord Sesshomaru to speak with him or her, they had to enter the treasure chest to open a portal to an in-between world. The creator, however, was also interested in Lady Meioshi. We don't know if the creator is following our girl, but that creature did pay special attention to her. She did something to the staff that made the creature leave its home. You see, that creature saved my girl's life by helping her find the enchanted comb she needed to fight the akashita demon back, but... my husband believes that such a thing must have come at a price. That creature works through snakish bargaining methods. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. It didn't help her for nothing."
"What does it want with her?" Sanraku asked with visible worry.
"... How cute! You have a little crush on my girl, don't you?" Madame asked, forgetting about the seriousness of the situation for a moment. She hadn't teased anyone in a while.
"Uhhh..." Sanraku hummed, embarrassed by the pheasant's words. "We-we-well, I - ! I mean, she's very nice."
"Didn't think a doctor could have such an exciting life, did you?" Madame teased.
"D-d-d-d-don't avoid my question, Madame!" Sanraku argued.
"Hehehehe! To be honest, I don't know what the creature wants. I'm waiting on word from my husband on the matter. I might be supervising Jaken's Nintojo training for a while to investigate. At the moment, my husband is discussing things with Lord Kyūjo-sha. He witnessed something that troubled him."
"You mean the Green Pheasant? What got him upset?" Sanraku questioned.
"Lord Sesshomaru's involvement in Meioshi's battles. This is my own personal belief, but I believe Lord Sesshomaru needs Lady Meioshi to activate this mark my husband spoke of. I say this because she opened Nintojo's potential and made its creator actively follow her around. What troubles me is whether or not Meioshi needs Lord Sesshomaru. I don't have any proof that she does. Only my husband seems to because of what he saw transpire recently. I actually hope that Lord Sesshomaru continues to work under his grandfather, so that you and those following him can return the House of Inu to its former place among the deities. However, this is not a decision I can make for him. It is one he must show interest in."