"I suggest you take cover, gents. This beast is from hell," Meioshi warned, walking towards the threat.
"Like the black wall demon?" Sesshomaru asked, stopping her for only a moment.
"Nurikabe was birthed in the mortal realm. He just decided to live in hell to gain more strength," Meioshi explained, activating her Netherworld predator powers. She summoned a small talisman with an outstretched hand before stepping ahead. "This one was born in the land of the dead."
"You intend to try to exercise it like a foolish priestess?" Sesshomaru questioned, raising a brow. Normally, he would just let the good doctor do her thing, but he didn't want her to this time. He wanted to do something - something that acted on her behalf. He wasn't sure if it was the truth spell speaking for him or not, but... he wanted her... to stand down this one time. He continued, sensing the beast's power from its closing distance. It seemed to be approaching slowly. "Your power may be impressive against low-level demons and choice youkai, but these creatures can destroy you. Only I can truly eliminate them."
"... Sesshomaru, how often do you get smacked in the mouth for your insults?" Meioshi asked with a slight squeak in her voice in the beginning of the question.
"You're the only one I've allowed to get that close to me, and even then, I was distracted. Do it again and I'll have your head," Sesshomaru threatened, lifting up a claw. He wasn't playing into this game. He had enough of this human pushing her boundaries.
"Sesshomaru, you are one more sentence away from getting punched," Meioshi warned tensely, turning away from him and walking off. "Do not dishonor me again!"
"Do not dishonor me!" Sesshomaru finally yelled out, frustrated with everything. He was tired of hearing those words, tired of being at fault, tired of being put down, tired of having to go through trials and quests, tired of his actions being questioned at every turn. He wanted everyone to shut up and stop testing him. He was over it now. The truth spell might've been good for something after all. He was finally able to let out a very deep thought that emanated from the pit of his soul. "I've been allowing you into my private corners for long enough! I've let you take Homugi away from my home, convince my mother to walk on mortal soil, and pull my grandfather from hiding because of your kindness. I did not have to spare your life after any of our battles! My power is not to be undermined or underestimated by a mere human! I am sick of everyone pushing me to my fucking limits or trying to use me for their own gain! The few creatures who are worth my goddamn time, who I have no problem with protecting or using my full power in their place, keep rubbing my nose in the ground for even suggesting such a thing! My swords can kill all life! Do not make the mistake of having me decide to take yours."
"Mistake?" Meioshi asked with a hiss then a purr.
She finally turned around fully and stalked to Sesshomaru like a true predator. Only stopping maybe two to three feet away from him. The glow in her eyes... almost confused his lordship. It didn't look like her intentions were malicious, but what was this other emotion crossing over them? What was wrong with him? Why were her orange eyes... so sensual and dangerous to him? It was like... they could consume your soul within an instant, but they were somehow soft enough (or perhaps, he trusted the doctor more than he realized and things seemed softer) to simply lure him to the forbidden. It was his greatest fear. Just the idea of being swallowed whole with no remains or even a remnant of his flighty, fighting, cunning, haughty spirit left behind was a nightmare and a trauma. He hated the idea when he was little, his father's death made it no better, entering the Black Pearl made things worse, and the Meido Zangetsuha's prison was the tipping point. He may have overcome the last one, but it didn't erase his phobia of being... well, truly dead as a youkai. How ironic! The one who had destroyed, ended life, challenged worthy foes to battles, and forced his way into weaker social circles feared his final death. His rival... had no such fear.
Perhaps..., that's what made Meioshi both a sexy woman and a fiercer rival. She anticipated what he feared more than anything and sought to understand her shortcomings rather than sulk over them. For whatever reason, he was silenced by her strong form. She was merely standing straight and tall to the average onlooker, but Sesshomaru knew Meioshi a bit better than a stranger. Her feet were planted into the ground. She was sure of herself. For reasons that didn't make any sense, he wanted to close the distance between them. Those eyes... Red webbing was forming in the schlera of her eyes. The almost pearl whites of her eyes were forming bloodied strings to connect to the orange irises and spidery pupils. It looked painful and she shook for a moment to acknowledge the pain, but she was angered by Sesshomaru's words. She had a message to send. She often did with her opponents. He wondered if her skin was as warm as the fire in her eyes. If her lips were as cold as her hellish might. What was it about the demon in her that pulled this... human sensuality out of him?
"My mistake was sparing your life before my powers had recovered," Meioshi said very clearly. A helmet or hat of some kind was forming on her head from mystical flames and her unusual mianyi powers. She continued, "I am not a Shinto priestess. What is my name, Sesshomaru? WHAT IS MY NAME? I am a hell traveler above all else! That is what my role is! He who walks through hell, jigoku o aruku mono. Unlike the rest of my human brethren, I am capable of living and breathing in hell the way we live and breathe the air on this very earth. It doesn't matter how long our life spans are! If I can do something that even you believe to be impossible, don't you think I can kill these hell spawn easier than a priestess or your precious swords? Think! If you don't like being insulted despite your power, why should someone else?"
"Unlike the rest of - ng!" Sesshomaru grunted, feeling himself crumble in pain.
Meioshi, being a doctor, was alerted to this sudden development. That wasn't a normal pain. Jaken and Moeru, however, were merely looking on in silence. There was a truth that Sesshomaru didn't want to admit aloud. The truth spell put him through pain or made him shake involuntarily in order to get it out of him. Meioshi knew nothing about the truth spell, so she deactivated her powers and closed the distance to respond to what she believed was a medical emergency. The concern in her eyes and the concentration on Sesshomaru's condition reminded his lordship about that one fateful day on the ravine when they promised to have one final battle in the future to prove each other's strength. When Meioshi dropped her powers completely in favor of aiding his lordship, this one moment linked itself with another...
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The Nine Serenities & Kodama Nezumi
It was day two of having Meioshi as Jaken's new servant. She didn't seem to mind it like before. In fact, she was actually well-behaved. Picking choice flowers and herbs, documenting her findings on the inside of wood barks, playfully throwing stones across water if found, and speaking to smaller youkai in passing. She was quite happy...
That could be because she wasn't with Sesshomaru and Jaken, though. Meioshi had managed to run away to collect various things of interest. Since she was able to rub her medallion (because Sesshomaru hadn't taken it from her yet) and speak a particular name, she cleverly activated a portal and disappeared for a while. The only thing Sesshomaru, Jaken, or Aa-Un remembered last was that she was in a strangely crouched position like she was about to make a break for it, and then she shouted, "Escape Jutsu!" and POOF! A ball of light nearly blinded Jaken, a big cluster of clouds with the colors of the sunset and the scent of candy blanketed the light, and a wooden statue of a laughing tanuki sitting on Susanoo no Mikoto's shoulder and the trickster god himself slapping his knee with laughter was left behind. Sesshomaru made a face that Jaken had never seen before. It scared him more than anything. Before he knew it, Sesshomaru bared his teeth viciously, growled, and ran off to search for the doctor's new scent. He just had to catch the smell of a candy portal.
No longer hearing Jaken's yapping or Sesshomaru's insults was a blessing! So, Meioshi took advantage of the alone time and spent it doing idle things. Her beloved friends, Bonitas and Caritas, were with her until they spotted other friends.
"Doctor, look!" Caritas called, waving a hand and kneeling in front of something in the tall grass. "This little guy seems lost."
Meioshi leaned down to inspect the situation, but she didn't see anything immediately. She instead reached into the tall grass and lightly tapped around with her fingertips to feel for something. She felt moist soil, hard stems of tall grass, bits of rocks, and maybe the crunchy shell of one bug by accident. When she was met with fur and a waxy spine, she reeled her hand back with a gasp. Spines are bony, usually. That was waxy like a candle! It even felt like the texture of rope or... a candle's wick.
"Whoo!" a male voice yelped, jumping from being touched and shifting the grass. "What was that?"
"Ah! Heaven's sakes!" Meioshi yelped, putting a hand on her chest. "You in the grass. What are you? Who are you?"
"I am simply Shiroi!" the male voice replied, popping out of the grass to wiggle his nose and whiskers cutely. It was a mouse with large eyes and ears but a perfectly round shape to its body and little pink feet. His spine and tail were, in fact, the shape and length of a candle wick. Or... rather, a firework stick. "Shiroi nezumi if you will."
"Aww, how precious!" Meioshi cooed, gently taking Shiroi into her hands and speaking softly to him. He was quite small. "Mice don't talk, I'm afraid. You are not simply a field mouse. What are you?"
"Well, I was a law-abiding hunter until I woke up like this. That's in the past now, I suppose," Shiroi explained, standing on his two feet. Such small feet! "I'd rather forget my human name because of this form."
"Nonsense! Who turned you into a mouse of all things?" Meioshi asked.
"Some woman asking for shelter. I didn't want to turn her away, but it was against the law to allow a woman into the home on sacred territory! Why was I punished for that?" Shiroi asked with a huff and stomping of his foot. The weight of his stomp made Meioshi's hand move before she kept it stable again.
"By now, you must know that was no ordinary woman, yes?" Meioshi asked. She then turned to Caritas and asked, "Might you know of a creature that travels around sacred mountains looking for shelter from huntsmen, my darling?"
"Sounds like a goddess, but I couldn't tell you which one," Caritas said, floating backwards with a comfortable lean and folding his arms with thought. "There are multiple goddesses that would do this. Abiding by the law of the flesh is good, but the gods have no connection with these laws. Those were built on the moral ethics of human life and mortality. We operate by principles and everlasting faith. Take my lady here. It is against the law for women to be samurai and doctors. She is both. A lot of folks don't like her for it, but she's proven herself well. Besides, she exudes the qualities we, deities, expect out of mortals. We expect gentleness, compassion, and good will from you no matter the adversity that comes your way. The Bushido Code also expects similar qualities out of its nobles and soldiers."
"In short, my brother is saying that being a law-abiding citizen was not bad, Lord Shiroi. Forgetting the value of life and putting someone else in danger just to obey the law in that moment was what hurt you," Bonitas explained, making Shiroi humbly grab his tail and look down into Meioshi's hands. It was like watching a child being scolded for taking too many treats from the jar. "I imagine that that was what the mountain goddess was angered by. You forewent compassion in favor of a law that had no ethical value. Why should a woman be put in harm's way just because of a sacred space? If anything, she should feel safe, protected, and humbled."
"... Oh, I see," Shiroi said with a remorseful sigh.
"Why don't we help you do some good deeds, Lord Shiroi? Surely, a huntsman would know how to care for the world around him, yes? You need merely be reminded of what makes life - human, nature, and spirit - so precious and why laws were formed to protect it," Meioshi said gently, making the mouse blush.
"... Thank you, my lady. Um..."
"Yes, Lord Shiroi?" Meioshi probed, noticing Shiroi bashfully bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Would it be strange if I said you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever spoken to you? I am not a man anymore, but... well..."
"Oh!" Meioshi responded, laughing heartily. "It's not strange at all! Thank you for the compliment. It's not often I get to hear that."
So, Meioshi carried the little fellow on her shoulder and continued her adventure. She didn't hear, or notice that, Sesshomaru was behind them. He had found her a while ago and was about to snatch her away with his Moko Moko, but he stopped and was listening to the conversation. Out of curiosity, he just followed her and watched her sprites and the mouse youkai named Shiroi protect her from other demons. What Sesshomaru didn't like about the events was that he knew Meioshi could fight and fend for herself. She was quite literally just playing around. What he found humorous was how cute she was being in front of Shiroi, who didn't know any better, and how Shiroi often hid in Meioshi's pockets or shell crib when a demon popped out of nowhere. Little guy was quick! But, Sesshomaru and Meioshi were caught by surprise in unison when Shiroi summoned a hunting spear from the might of his heart to protect the doctor from a waterfall demon. It looked like a kijo. He struck her violently and made an explosive barrier around the party.
Congratulating the little one, Meioshi decided to make a nice dinner. There weren't any fish nearby, but there was plenty of eel. She used herbs and grinded salts to season things, but, before that, she did wind up going back to Sesshomaru and Jaken's caravan. Sesshomaru noticed that they were near a forest, so he stopped the good doctor from making camp.
SLICE!
"Wha - ? Silly old dog, what are you doing?" Meioshi demanded, reeling back to dodge his poisonous swipe.
"Not here. I have some politics to take care of. Build your camp on the prairie. No humans are allowed to hear," Sesshomaru said with a huff.
Meioshi was silenced by this, noticing that he was choosing open space for a campsite instead of the forest canopy. Before she could say another word, or rather before she decided not to, she let out a soft giggle that made his lordship turn around to look at her. She twirled about on her foot playfully before saying, "C'mon, Shiroi! We'll pick the perfect spot to celebrate your new power!"
"New power?" Shiroi questioned, tilting his head cutely.
"It looks like you're different from the other hunters. You actually did have sympathy for that mountain goddess who found you. I think she spared you," Meioshi contemplated. "You have the ability to speak to humans clearly, and you're a fairly healthy-sized little friend. Meaning, you've maintained your human thinking and ability to hunt for proper food. Your new power might be a result of your good deed: the desire to protect another. It's possible she's been testing you this entire time."
"... But, my friends didn't want to abandon her either. I don't deserve such a test alone," Shiroi said sadly.
Meioshi pet the little fellow's head and said, "Don't be sad, my friend. You might be able to help them. What happens if you return to your old home in the mountains after you perform a good deed?"
"I don't know. I only remember the woman saying, 'A heart misled must find its way.' I don't know what that means," Shiroi answered.
"... Do as the doctor says, fool," Sesshomaru replied, walking away at last.
He didn't actually have to do anything political in the mountains, but he did sniff around for mountain deities. He didn't see any. He did, however, spot an old home that looked very aged. It had Shiroi's scent. Walking inside to investigate, Sesshomaru found hunting equipment and antlers, teeth, and old furs in one particular room. So, Shiroi wasn't far from his old abode at all. He made his journey back, it seemed. What happened to the others like him? He didn't catch any scents like Shiroi's. Sensing pressure and feeling a presence nearby, Sesshomaru turned slowly to spot a cloaked woman looking at him from the window. Anyone else would've jumped in fear or screamed. He merely sniffed the air...
Dinner was... interesting. It concluded with stargazing and Shiroi teaching Meioshi and Jaken how to refine her hunting or building techniques. When it was time for them to sleep, Sesshomaru was put at ease. Meioshi wasn't so far away this time, and she slept calmly in her shell crib with the sprites, Bonitas and Caritas, and Shiroi. His gaze lingered on Meioshi as she lightly snored. Little trickster! The morrow had a new adventure... for his little dandelion seed. She was being watched...
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"Unlike - grr! The rest of the humans," Sesshomaru continued, shaking to fight the spell's grip on him. "I respect you the most. Ng! Your code of honor tends to the weak, misguided, or lost. Mine sought victory, power, grandeur. Mm! The qualities that you show others - ugh - makes the gods share their favor with you. I - ng - I'm not telling you you're weak. Kuh! I'm asking you to stand down. Let me fight in your place."
"..."
"Lord Sesshomaru...!" Jaken gasped.
You don't... want the doctor to fight? But... Why do you want to protect her? Jaken thought.
"Lordship, I cannot be your rival under these conditions," Meioshi finally said, making Sesshomaru stop in his fight.
"Wha - ?"
"See here, young man, I've other enemies of higher priority to fight," Meioshi interrupted, rising to her full height. "We've already discussed this. You will have to figure out another way to make our final battle worth my while, silly old dog."
Sesshomaru snapped then. He looked forward to their final fight! Why was she changing her mind? He then argued, "Doctors don't fight in the depths of hell, and humans can't survive beyond the living world. If you can fight a guardian of hell, you can fight me. As I said before. I intend to fight only the most powerful enemies."
"Why the need? You're easily one of the strongest opponents I know. Is there some prize if you do?" Meioshi asked out of curiosity, but her eyes were telling another story. They were turning orange again. She was reactivating her powers.
Sesshomaru snapped, "That is my business."
"I am afraid I will have to break my initial promise then. Fighting you serves no purpose towards my goals. You have to make it worth my while," Meioshi repeated, testing the waters before her next choice of words. She could see Sesshomaru didn't like the idea of her backing out.
"There is a benefit to killing you. This will teach you to never kiss me without my permission again."
Meioshi produced an interesting face to show her amusement. She then asked with a squeak to her voice, "I'm sorry. What?"
"..."
"Did you actually think our first meeting was a real kiss?" Meioshi asked with some chuckling.
Sesshomaru snapped at that, baring his teeth and all, and said, "I don't care. I don't want a filthy human like you touching me or pantomiming the action of doing so. That is all there is to it."
"Out of every human woman you've come across on your journey, I disgust you so much that you feel the need to kill me without knowing me because of a protective and friendly action I performed from several miles away?" Meioshi asked, raising a brow and no longer laughing. The man was actually serious.
"I know your power. That is most important."
"... Why so repulsed by me?" Meioshi then asked, lowering her eyelids. She seemed slightly annoyed that Sesshomaru was acting like other men who mistreated her in the past. "Is it because you don't like kisses? Or you don't like women?"
Sesshomaru started shaking again to fend off a proper/truthful answer. He instead said, "That is my business."
"... You confuse me, Lord Sesshomaru. The kiss wasn't real, and I don't have romantic feelings for you. Why are you repulsed by something that isn't real?" Meioshi asked, tilting her head to watch his body language. There was a reason her kiss stuck with him.
"Your magic is too life-like."
That made Meioshi blink a couple of times before she let herself smile and blush like a young lover. It was a nice look on her. She then scratched her head a bit before chuckling and calming down. She said, "I see. I will continue our rivalry under one condition then... I want to properly earn your kiss."
"What?" Sesshomaru shouted more than questioned. Jaken was right there with him.
"B - bu - but - !" Jaken tried.
"You don't give that away to just anyone, it seems. The same way I try to teach young boys how to earn a lady's respect, I teach young ladies how to be someone a man wants to earn," Meioshi explained. "Perhaps, you're not just tired of having to be the one to earn things. That's what you said. Nobles just have things given to them. There's no sense of accomplishment with that, and there's no sense of loyalty or faithfulness with that either. I think you want to be someone a woman wants to earn. To you, it seems to be more attractive. Instead of chasing prizes like you've been doing throughout your life, what would it be like to be a prize? To be something worth fighting for? Let this rivalry be more than a test of power, my lord. In truth..., I'm tired of fighting my enemy. She bores me to hell! And..., I'm tired of stuffy, old marriage customs. I want to overcome my fear and obsession with marriage. Why can't holy warriors just love freely? So, on the day of our final battle, I want to see if I'm any stronger than you... and, if throughout all of this time of us being at each other's throats proves anything, that I am worth fighting for. It doesn't have to be you that I love. It can be whoever I want it to be. I want to earn another's love in the same way a man has to earn a woman's respect and love. It should be equal. If I earned your kiss by then, well, I've proven that I am enough and that I am worthy of being loved. If not, you are easily one of the best rivals to have visited Heiwa. No other rival of mine made me question how I see myself the way that you have, silly old dog."
Sesshomaru said nothing, but her smile and her words struck a chord in his heart. Fighting for the right to be loved the right way. The way he... always wanted. Was the doctor trying to turn him into a beast? Hearing stomping, Meioshi snapped her attention to the monster approaching her homelands and dashed away from the group.
"Sorry, lordship, I must decline your offer to take this fight!" Meioshi said, unleashing her Netherworld strength. "Protect Heiwa for me from this one's minions!"
Abruptly, four-legged spidery creatures emerged from the ground with bloodied claws and teeth. Jaken and Moeru gasped before backing away in fear. What were these monsters?