Prowess of the Bushido Rivals part 2
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The Disgraced Prince
"You're seriously going to fight this man with a broom? In the middle of the forest? Near my funeral home no less!"
"Would you rather them fight near the ravine?" Nakasone asked.
"I'd rather not where there's other demons nearby!" Meioshi argued, towering over the smiling widow.
Meioshi and the three widows were in the forest a fair distance away from the shrine and pathway acting as an audience to this unruly duel. Moeru went along to be among the grievers and to ask about what happened in the Mujina Woodlands in detail if he could, but Jaken acted as an audience on Sesshomaru's side and Ah and Un found a plum tree to antagonize for the time being. This, of course, annoyed Kirameku Ha as they were trees that he picked out personally. How did things even come to this? No one knew. Kirameku Ha was quietly standing on one side of the "arena" with a broom in his left hand and a calm expression on his face, idly letting the warm summer breeze pass by. Sesshomaru was equally as quiet with Bakusaiga still sheathed in his hand. He only needed to see if the attack pattern at these crime scenes was the same from the old man; otherwise, this could serve as proof that the old man was equally as strong as, if not stronger than, Meioshi. Either way, this duel proved to be beneficial for Sesshomaru in terms of gaining new knowledge. One of the widows standing next to Meioshi was beginning to disturb him, though. She wasn't doing anything wrong per se. She was just eyeing him strangely like she was looking for information herself. Meioshi, out of everyone else, was the most displeased with the events. If either male dispersed a fraction of supernatural power, the mourners might try to investigate or start a war with Sesshomaru's clan. It could be a massacre! And a mess!
"It is fine," Kirameku Ha replied coolly.
"Like hell it is!" Meioshi responded, blushing from fury.
"Old friend, I don't think it's healthy for you to be fighting a young spry," Morihei, the widow in black and blue, advised with worry. "Now, suppose you trip and fall on some crafty tree root mid-swing?"
"Au contraire, our friend is still skilled with his hands," Nakasone, the widow in black and pink, commented, making Kirameku Ha smirk and chuckle at the suggestiveness of her words. "Besides, the boy only needs proof not blood."
"I don't see how an old man thinks he can beat a demon lord anyway. This isn't up for debate!" Jaken argued. "My lord will wipe the floor with him!"
"Pfft! You don't know our old friend at all," the other unnamed widow said. She was dressed in a black and purple kimono and holding a sheathed sword wrapped in cloth. She then said, "There's a reason he chose a broom and not a sword, little imp."
"You can attack at any time, young man," Kirameku Ha said, wanting to get Ah and Un away from his plum trees.
"You are not about to do this here!" Meioshi argued, stomping her foot. Hearing movement, she turned to see Sesshomaru walking up to Kirameku Ha menacingly and held a hand up to try to stop him while saying, "Hold on a second!"
By that point, the fight had already started and Sesshomaru rushed at Kirameku Ha at full speed. Hand ready to choke him out for even daring to think that the man could pose any form of a challenge or threat against him. He didn't, however, anticipate the old man's ability to retaliate at equal speed by smacking his claw away using the broomstick and slapping him in the face with the actual broom head. Kirameku Ha wasted no time in grabbing Sesshomaru's arm and flipping him over his shoulder. Wide-eyed and shocked, Sesshomaru was able to land on his feet expertly before turning his head to the side to see Kirameku Ha straightening his sleeves in a quick jerk of his arms before lowering them down to step away from the boy. His composure was still as regal as the day he met him. His scent still just as human. So how in the fuck did he just disarm him so fast?
"Lord Sesshomaru..." Jaken said with shock evident in his voice. "How is that old man so fast?"
"Do you require more proof, young man?" Kirameku Ha asked.
"Are we still doing this?" Meioshi questioned angrily. "This is ridiculous! There is a fune - !"
"Enjoy the show, my darling," Nakasone responded, tapping Meioshi's shoulder. "The young man is fighting for your honor, remember? You didn't perform your punishment yet, and he's trying to investigate to make sure you're not in any more trouble. Let him be."
Sesshomaru had forgotten about that little fact. He was fighting the doctor's second. Summoning a small amount of yoki, Sesshomaru called out, "Old woman. Why are you carrying a sword?"
"He's talking to you, Anju," Nakasone replied, opening her fan to give herself some air. "Is that your husband's?"
"Why, yes, actually. It seemed appropriate given that Tsuyoi was a warrior," Anju answered. She looked at Sesshomaru and asked, "What about my sword?"
"Give it to the old man," Sesshomaru ordered, narrowing his gaze and cracking the knuckles in his claw. The old man did have similar strength and speed to Meioshi; meaning, he could take a few blows of his energy. Good.
"You are not powering up right now!" Meioshi exclaimed in a panic. "Calm your storm, Lord Sesshomaru!"
"Hey!" a voice called from the distance. Enter Yamashi with a concerned Ichi trailing behind him. He asked, "Why the hell is an inu here?"
Shit... Meioshi thought with that slow drawl again.
"This old man is a suspect in the killings at Mujina Woodlands," Sesshomaru replied, readying a more powerful attack to test Kirameku Ha's speed. "Interference in the investigation will cost you."
Rushing at Kirameku Ha, Sesshomaru darted forward before Yamashi appeared before him and materialized an axe into his hand. He channeled his yoki energy into a fist and unleashed a fiery punch that knocked the western lord back far enough for Yamashi to chase after him. Dodging rapidly, Sesshomaru managed to escape several slash attacks until Yamashi used the leather hoop at the end of his axe to catch Sesshomaru's ankle and yank him forward into a partial split. Yamashi swung the axe down but Sesshomaru reacted in time to block the attack.
"You're a credit to your kind. Pretty-faced, dishonorable wretches!" Yamashi leapt away from the conflicting yoki energies until he was in front of Kirameku Ha and acting in his defense.
"You know nothing of Lord Sesshomaru's kind!" Jaken defended. "He's a great warrior!"
"Jaken, quiet," Sesshomaru ordered, narrowing his eyes at the new challenger.
"Sesshomaru, you don't know what you're doing!" Ichi argued. "Where's the guy that was so hell-bent on helping innocents? You're not the guy I met those couple of weeks ago."
Sesshomaru only looked at Ichi for a second before replying, "I only had an interest in helping one innocent. You just so happened to be roped into it."
Furious, Yamashi unloaded a high amount of yoki energy, dismissed his axe, and practically rocketed toward Sesshomaru. He swiped at the western lord with his bare claws, missing him each time, then materialized the axe again for a crushing blow to Sesshomaru's core. Flashing behind him, Yamashi grabbed Sesshomaru and slammed him into the ground before taking his axe and swinging downward. Sesshomaru managed to dodge in time before he was a few feet below the surface of the earth. A crater formed where he once stood and the commotion startled other mourners.
"That's it!" Meioshi declared, furrowing her brows in anger and leaping in front of Sesshomaru before he readied another attack. She summoned her Kaishi Novum and pointed it at his neck before saying, "You are not about to start an all-out brawl at a man's funeral with my sensei or a prince! If you are so disrespectful of a man's death, you are unworthy of your own title as a lord. Leave this place this instant or I will deal with you myself!"
Silenced by her words, Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the doctor and did something Jaken did not expect. He lowered his claw and weapon before putting Bakusaiga away. He then said, "We already have a battle to fight. Your sensei is still a suspect. I will return for him if any more killings occur, and I expect a sword to be in his hand by then. Your prince has some potential, but he is not the one who killed those demons. The attacker was a silent killer and didn't use so much energy. Only a gentle, quiet hand could do what it did. I will respect your dead for today."