Prowess of the Bushido Rivals part 1

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The Suspicious Sensei

Kirameku Ha was seated with the three widows underneath a maple tree as Meioshi danced. Her elegance through this art aged well. The spectacle of the Tailwind Dance was already quite beautiful, but, for demons, it was an unheard of occurrence for a human to honor the death of a fallen warrior among their kind. Perhaps, the part that intrigued any demon the most was seeing the purification process of another demon's soul through this funeral rite. The calligraphy she etched into the ravine's depths was what cleansed a demon's spiritual form. Stilling the waters released them from the confines of the living world and, in a way, convinced the soul carriers to let the demon decide how he or she wished to serve the celestials above. He or she could become a soul carrier themselves if they truly wanted, or the demon could act as a messenger to a deity. Either way, the demon could choose how to repurpose its soul. When the music slowed, Meioshi waved her staff in a semi-circle motion to silence the winds and waited. When the soul carrier did not return for some moments, she smiled, turned to her audience, and bowed before them.

"He is anew," she said with firm reassurance. "His final testament will be ready for viewing in four days. Those who he wished to leave something behind for will be notified accordingly. You are free to use the courtyard as you wish in honor of Tsuyoi's memory. The dining hall is open to the immediate right. Guest rooms are to the left. This is the final resting place of the fallen. Respect it. Cherish the place they chose to cleanse their souls before going to their new home. Remember who they were so that they can be free to simply be."

Many of the demons looked down before bowing to Meioshi. She took her leave from the ravine and walked to her mentor before feeling something a tad off. Someone else was here. A familiar presence but not one that should be here. She looked into the crowd but didn't see anyone unfamiliar, at least in regards to who Tsuyoi knew. She turned to Kirameku Ha, seeing him raise an eyebrow, and exchanged a glance with him to silently notify him of a possible intruder. He looked into the crowd quietly and spotted the intruder lurking behind everyone by taking refuge under some trees. So, the boy returned after all? Meioshi looked to the widows to see their reactions in case one of them noticed the intruder beforehand, and one of the women had already caught the intruder out of the corner of her eyes. She smirked a bit, looking at Meioshi, and tapped her own shoulder with her lace fan. The intruder was a man? Meioshi looked in the direction Kirameku Ha was looking and immediately went wide-eyed in a mental panic. It was inexplicably Lord Sesshomaru and his two (or maybe three considering the twin heads in the form of a reptile) companions, Jaken and the dragon looking into the sky. Luckily, most of the mourners were already headed to the bridge leading to Meioshi's shrine and didn't care enough to pay attention to him, but there were some demons of a higher class that did notice his presence and they tensed up.

Gods, no! Meioshi thought, worried about her shrine being desecrated out of fear. Right as Sesshomaru was about to lock eyes with her, she turned away and kept walking towards her mentor as though she hadn't seen him. Just keep walking! Just keep walking! He's not there. He was never there. The other lords can't see him. The other lords don't know him. Why is he even here?

"Something wrong, doctor?" the widow dressed in a black and pink kimono. Her eyes flashed like a shooting star had zipped right across her pupils. "You almost looked troubled just now."

Shit, Meioshi thought with a slow drawl. She's about to unleash some top-shelf shenanigans now. All because of this muppet popping in on a funeral! Why?

"Come now, Nakasone," the widow dressed in a black and blue kimono said, opening her eyes slowly and giving her friend a miffed look. "Not every curious eye is going to be set on our girl."

"Are you sure, Morihei?" Nakasone asked, opening her fan to cover her growing smile and glittering eyes. "Because no one told him that."

Morihei, the other unnamed widow, and Kirameku Ha gave a discreet glance in Sesshomaru's direction, only to be met with the young lord turning to them slightly. He furrowed his brow at them for a moment before returning his gaze elsewhere. He seemed to be focused on Ichi speaking to another demon for a while. Meioshi refused to meet the western lord's gaze and instead took a deep breath. She couldn't look Nakasone in the eyes. It would give away too much information. Nakasone, the rosary maker, was a sharp woman. She could read the slightest twinge of emotion coming from parts of the human body an average person wouldn't even think to look, but she could only do it if you slipped up and it was hard to know how you slipped up around her. Her observant nature made her the best choice in Meioshi's funerary services and business, but it also made her the most troublesome when it came to her and her meddling.

Shit, Meioshi thought again, fighting the urge to look behind her. She looked to Kirameku Ha for any kind of reprieve only to see him taking a deep breath to pinch his nose. Sensei, no! You invited him here? Why?

"Oh-ho..." Nakasone said with a flighty giggle. "There's a mole in the Meioshi camp. Who is he, milady?"

Shit! Meioshi thought with a squeak in her voice this time.

"I... well, uh, that is..." Meioshi struggled to explain, hoping Sesshomaru would just disappear with the passing summer breeze so she wouldn't have to do this at the funeral home of all places. "He's... just a visitor passing through."

"Passing through, dear?" Nakasone questioned, eyes narrowed and a smile creeping onto her lips.

"Yes, madam, and I'm sure my sensei," Meioshi said with acid in her tone and a fanged smile as she snapped her head to him before returning it to Nakasone, "can explain the reason for his invitation better than I."

Kirameku Ha's eyebrow twitched before he growled and said, "To confirm a prior suspicion I had of him."

I'm going to kill him... Meioshi thought, no longer holding an expression on her face.

"Suspicion, my friend?" Nakasone questioned, finger twitching. She got the clue she was looking for.

"He was defending your... honor, I suppose is the word," Kirameku Ha replied, opening his eyes to see that Sesshomaru was still standing a good distance away from them but was also talking with Moeru now. "He believes you and he share the same warrior's code, and that you don't deserve to be punished for what happened with your mission into hell. He seemed adamant about you being spared. The little one there mentioned that the boy took an interest in this during your journey. Young Ichi seemed to have told them about the funeral rites. The boy's actions... made me curious."

"My darling, why are you trying to hide him from us?" Nakasone asked, closing her fan at last to show her attention was fully gained.

Know what? Screw it. I'll see myself out, Meioshi thought, frozen in place at the question.

"Because I haven't the slightest clue on why he's here," Meioshi said flatly and quickly without even blinking. "And I'm praying for some sort of miracle that will open up a hole into another dimension of existence for me to just crawl in."

"What is his actual name then?" Nakasone asked, rising to stand. The plot thickens.

"Ah, Lady Meioshi," Moeru called, walking over to her with Sesshomaru and the others in tow. "Lord Sesshomaru here had a question for you. Would it be appropriate to ask it at this time?"

Yeah, I'm thinkin' there's no such thing as options right now, Meioshi thought.

She quickly inhaled, softened her expression, and said sweetly, "Of course. It's the least I could do for your help. How might I be of service to you, my lord?"

"Surrender your sensei," Sesshomaru said without batting an eyelash, making Meioshi lose face.

"What?" Meioshi questioned, furrowing her brow and tilting her head in confusion.

"I have reason to believe your sensei is responsible for the murder of several demons in a distant territory. He mentioned that he traveled to inspect the deaths of fallen warriors if one was present. The best way to prove this is by testing his fighting capabilities. Should his fighting style match the attack pattern or methods used by the unknown assailant, he will be brought to the House of Inu to decide his punishment lest I am given the task to take his life for such dishonorable actions. If you can fight as well as you do because of his teachings, then he can fight with equal valor. Surrender him to me," Sesshomaru repeated, narrowing his eyes and glaring at Kirameku Ha.

Nakasone giggled a bit, covering her mouth gleefully, before saying, "What a fetching young man! Is he still defending your honor, doctor?"

"Considering the fact that he's threatening an older gentleman, I'd say no," Meioshi replied with a visible frown. "I will not let you fight an elder in my presence. What I can do is prove my sensei's innocence. Tsuyoi was the only demon under my medical care who passed on near Heiwa. Unless this demon territory is 10 to 20 miles out from the farmlands here, sensei didn't travel that far."

"Are you familiar with the Mujina Woodlands, doctor?" Moeru asked.

"Unfortunately, no, I'm not," Meioshi answered honestly, looking down at Moeru. "Is that where these killings occurred?"

"Supposedly so. Some days ago, in fact," Moeru repled, nodding quickly.

Kirameku Ha let out a sigh as he rose to his feet. He walked in front of Sesshomaru and said, "You just want proof, huh? Very well. I will fight you."