Author's Notes: Hello all! Just providing a bit of history again. Historically, there was a village that had taken young girls of varying ages to work as prostitutes during the wars. A more modern child's lullaby called the Shimabara Lullaby was created from the emotional turmoil of those girls. There is a more ancient lullaby involving this type of event as well, but the Shimabara Lullaby is easier to find and listen to. Shinju o Tateru (literal translation "erect pearl") is partially based on that particular village. Priests and sword instructors for samurai were the main purchasers of the young boys during the warring era. Ohta and his involvement with the Pink Oyster okiya is based on that part of history. Shinju o Tateru was meant to be representative of both instances in history. Again, I'll provide a legitimate bibliography reference for such information, but I also want to encourage you to read about the Shimbara Lullaby. It might be too sad to listen to for some people, but you can find the lyrics online. Regardless, enjoy reading!
The shoji door to the guest house had opened quite gently. Jaken was dressed appropriately for the visitors, of course, and he wore a white yukata with grey and black chrysanthemums along the right side and a yellow sash to tie it together. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was only halfway decent. He was going to scold Jaken for putting on something that his rival possessed, but Juba was the one who chose it for Jaken and the imp really liked the change of clothing. His experience there from being around Ohta to the bath house to the guest lodging was quite the opposite of the western lord's. Though Jaken had some fear in expressing it aloud, he seemed to genuinely enjoy the treatment. None of the children were unkind to them, and, though a bit bossy, Ohta held no ill will towards them either. He cared about their well-being. How Ohta had time to get the girls to pick out everyone's yukatas was the biggest mystery to Sesshomaru, but the little ones had good fashion etiquette for their age.
The yukata Jaken wore seemed to be made from fine cloth. Sesshomaru simply kept his bath robe on until one of the children finished washing his garment, though. Apparently, Kijiro had hidden his clothes per Ohta's instructions and Chiura had chosen a red yukata with a gold crescent moon and silver stars on the right sleeve for Sesshomaru to wear for the night. The western lord was convinced that Meioshi (a.k.a. "Mama Mei-Mei") was lacing his clothes with poison, so he left the yukata alone and sat on the floor in the guest room ready to growl at the next ridiculous thing to come up. Ohta and his three little ones all entered the room unannounced with smiles on their faces and an assortment of blankets and pillows in their arms. Sesshomaru tried to decline the offering, opting to simply sleep against the wall instead, but Ohta would have none of it. The children went to work to prepare the room. Ohta opened the curtains of the guest room, revealing the glass shoji door leading to the small stream and pond outside. The blooming trees and long shoots of flowers both wild and purposely planted gave the view an almost utopian feel. The smell of Meioshi's nabe filled the air and mingled with the floral scents.
There were other children that Sesshomaru and Jaken hadn't met yet, it seemed. The giggles and chatting of a small parade of young people joined the sounds of wind chimes and a gong being hit. They all varied in age from very young like Juba, Chiura, and Kijiro to young adult like Sesshomaru and Meioshi. Two supposed teenagers waved to Ohta and the little ones. A few others called out to them to let them know that dinner was ready.
"Jya, I'm starved!" Ohta commented, stretching his arms.
"Eat with us, big brother!" Juba said, tugging on Ohta's yukata. She gasped like she remembered something, covered her mouth, and then said, "Uh oh..."
"What's wrong, Juba?" Ohta asked, kneeling in front of her with concern in his face.
"I forgot to ask how much the mister eats," Juba replied, eyes swelling up in size and shifting. "Mama Mei-Mei might not pick the right bowl for him."
"Oh!" Ohta said with a light laugh, cuddling the little girl but carefully so her high buns wouldn't come out of the hair ribbons. Sesshomaru didn't show it to the children, but Jaken saw the twinge of flattery in his lord's eyes and made a mental note of it. Ohta then said, "Don't worry. Our swordsman there might be too nervous to eat a large portion. We'll give him plenty of rice and honeyed squash to ease some of that anxiety he has."
"I am not anxious," Sesshomaru replied, furrowing his brow with annoyance.
This boy may have good intentions for Lord Sesshomaru, but his pushiness will end up being his demise... Jaken thought.
When Juba turned to him and hopped over to Jaken, she smiled brightly and asked, "What abouts you, green mister? How much do you eat? I'll make sure I gets the right bowl. Honest!"
Jaken blushed minutely and said hurriedly, not expecting her to ask, "Oh! Uh, well, I'll eat however much Lady Meioshi wishes to give me. If she has anymore candied fruit and nuts, I'll even take that."
"You like that, too?" Kijiro asked with stars in his eyes, rushing over to the imp. He loved Meioshi's nut and berry mix.
"Well, she gave me some when I visited her home last," Jaken answered, looking down bashfully at his lap.
"You told me you met in passing," Ohta said, looking at Jaken directly. "When did you go to her estate in Heiwa?"
"A little over a month ago now," Jaken replied, folding his arms. "She was... in trouble, sort of."
"Did you help her the way you helped big brother, mister?" Chiura asked, standing next to Sesshomaru.
He was silent at the question. Those big fuchsia eyes, floppy pale blue hair, and round face giving weight to the fact that she was half a demon. Her smile is what made her the most human, though, and it was dangerously close to Rin's smile before he left her in Kaede's village. It was an emotional time for them both, but he had been able to see her in the faces of other young girls starting with Kyoko in Heiwa and now Juba and Chiura in Shinju o Tateru. Sesshomaru's quiet musings allowed Chiura some time to place a trinket in his hand. It was a small, metal flower with a piece of paper and a small yellow tassel attached to it.
Chiura then said sweetly, "Thank you, mister... for helping Mama Mei-Mei."
With that, the little one hopped back over to Ohta and held onto his leg while they all talked to Jaken about his time in Heiwa. The little grapple bear was going to be a beauty once she came of age. The same could be said for Juba. Sesshomaru wondered if the two would be okay in the years to come when they transitioned into young women. Men could flock to them both fairly easily. Kijiro was another one. If he grew up to look like Ohta, that could be a problem for the child once girls started to take notice to him. Right now, they were only six at the oldest, but it wouldn't be long before the little ones blossomed. The western lord then began to wonder how Meioshi would take that.
"Your lordship isn't paying attention, Jaken," Ohta said. Sesshomaru couldn't remember when the boy learned of his name.
"Your conversation was of no importance," Sesshomaru replied, unconsciously cupping his hand around Chiura's flower.
"Well, you might want to say something important because doc's waiting for you," Ohta said, escorting the kids out.
Sesshomaru didn't hear Meioshi come in the guest lodge at all. He didn't even smell... oh. He had forgotten about that. She didn't have a natural smell. Looking up with a vicious glare, he spotted the woman leaning on the doorframe with her arms folded and body perfectly angled from the waist down. Her bandages were no longer covering the entirety of her chest. The kanji symbols for "fail no more" were forever etched into her skin. The fresh cuts were still red. The older ones turned white from having healed. She was no longer bleeding like she had days ago. The smell of her blood was fully muted now. Her hair was no longer in the high ponytail he had come to recognize as a trademark style. It was instead allowed to fall, but her tresses had pieces like Chiura's trinket decorating her hair. An assortment of shapes, tassels, papers, and strings gave her casual sleepwear more of a personality. Her orange hakama pants remained on her person from when they met again in the bath house. The only addition was a practically sheer, deep blue haori with names along the bottom of the jacket. Ohta's name was on the left, so the names of the children she must be caring for were sewn into the haori's design. Like before in the ravine, Meioshi was calm and patient versus Sesshomaru's more calmly aggressive demeanor. When he noticed the difference in approach, he became less aggressive and waited for the woman to speak.
"Are you joining everyone at the table, Lord Sesshomaru?" Meioshi asked politely. "Or would you prefer to eat here with Lord Jaken?"
"I'm not hungry," Sesshomaru responded.
"Pfft! Well, you're not being cooperative either," Meioshi remarked, rolling her eyes before raising an eyebrow at Sesshomaru. "My baby grapple bear picked out that yukata and your pillows and sheets just for you, and you'd rather sit on the cold floor in nothing but a thin robe than just show your appreciation for her thoughtfulness."
Sesshomaru said nothing to her on that, but he did turn to the open shoji door to see the grapple bears clinging to Ohta before releasing him to run and play together. Would the doctor feel lonely once Ohta came of age? He would be a man sooner than the little ones. He would no doubt marry a young lady in the future, and he behaved like a mixture of brother and father versus one or the other. Eventually, he would transition into becoming a parent. What will the doctor do when that happens?
"How many children are here, doctor?" Jaken asked, looking out of the shoji door. "I didn't realize you cared for so many."
"Enough to fill up the dining hall," Meioshi responded. "Doesn't look like anymore new ones were brought here recently, but there shouldn't have been this many to begin with. If you're not joining us in the dining hall, gentlemen of the west, I'll serve you here."
"My portion will go to Jaken," Sesshomaru stated, almost dismissively.
"What are you so afraid of? No one's here to hurt you," Meioshi responded, narrowing her eyes at him. "I don't poison my enemies or my rivals."
"There is nothing here to fear," Sesshomaru said with a light growl in his voice, narrowing his eyes. "You are still a suspect for the killings of those demons."
"I told you I had nothing to do with what happened in your woodlands and proved it accordingly!" Meioshi shouted, standing straight up. "What more do you want from me besides 'I don't know'?"
This reaction made Sesshomaru turn to look at the doctor. Meioshi never showed displeasure or anger towards them before. Since coming here, she has been different. She was more on edge, defensive, and slightly paranoid. Something was bothering her. Perhaps, this was the most honest or angriest they had ever seen her, but she wasn't that jovial girl after the battle was over. She was something else.
"I want to know why my investigation keeps circling back to you," Sesshomaru replied. "New evidence put you back on the list of suspects. Whether you like it or not, your visits to hell have a greater consequence than you realize. Another clue tracing back to you and I will be forced to be rid of you."
"If you want to act like an arse to me, so be it! Wallow in your own misery!" Meioshi argued, shocking both Sesshomaru and Jaken. "You were so steadfast on figuring things out yourself, I let it slide - questionable methods and all! I even let you fight me to detect an attack pattern to be of some use to you. All of that was a waste of time just like this stupid rivalry you want to trap yourself in if the only conclusion to your problem is that my sword magically walked halfway across the states to kill your precious victims near a village I never even heard of! You want to figure it out on your own so damned bad? Here you go!"
"What about this village then?" Jaken argued, indirectly defending Sesshomaru. "If the effects of the sword or even that demon we fought with you were such a load of nothing, why was this village hit by snow?"
"It wasn't!" Meioshi argued, making Sesshomaru perk up at this information. "I protect these kids and the workers the same way I protect my home! Beyond that, I don't know!"
"Wouldn't the demons of the Netherworld prey after your wards?" Sesshomaru asked, locking eyes with her. "Or the demons here? You speak of safety with such fervor but you're not demonstrating the sense of it."
That set the doctor off just enough for her to darken her aura and look at Sesshomaru with a glare that could cut hard stone. She then growled, "I've put up with some of your shit but this is where I draw the line. What I will not stand for is you treating these children like they're out to assassinate you when they only want to thank you! I thought you were at least a man worthy of respect, but, if the belittlement of children is what you'd rather be known for, you're not even worth the majesty of your own swords. Chiura even made something special for you believing you to be a kind gentleman. I don't know how you helped Ohta, but your behavior is as childish and selfish as a spoiled tot! You're denying his offer of gratitude just because you spotted me coming out of the bathing room? Pick a bone with someone else who has time to waste on you! Don't you ever speak of these children with that grimy attitude again."
Frozen, Sesshomaru only sat there quietly. That's what pissed her off. His dismissiveness to the children under her care. These children were a touchy subject for the doctor, it seemed. He could relate to that. Quietly, he took the time to dissect her words. Despite him and Jaken being demons, the children were able to treat them with respect and kindness. They showed gratitude, had talents, and had a safe place to stay. Downplaying their good qualities inadvertently downplayed Meioshi's efforts. Was being so brazen to her worth it?
About seven years ago...
Meioshi was eating lunch at the Pink Oyster with the house mother during the afternoon hours. More specifically, she was sitting in front of a bowl of rice and cold tea with the chopsticks and teapot untouched. Her pillow was dingy and musty, but she couldn't choose where she sat or what she sat on. She was chained to the dining table and barely able to lift her head up. She had just lost quite the fight. How ironic was it for a doctor to be in pain and her medicine burned to ash and broken bottle? Her eye was swelling up and turned a deep purple, her breathing labored, and her body swaying trying to sit upright. The house mother was calmly eating her sushi from across the empty table, not paying the weak doctor any mind. It wasn't until a crash, groan, and some thumping sounded that she stopped, let her eyes perk up, and smiled excitedly like something new and exciting was on its way. The moaning and small yelps that echoed summoned a torturous grip on Meioshi's throat and all she had the strength to do was cry. That beautifully cheerful and hopeful girl was being abused again, and she was too weak to stop it.
"Oh!" the house mother said with a giggle. "That girl is quite the treat for the house patron, don't you think? See there, doctor. If you had taken that girl away from here, we wouldn't make any money like now. She's a house special!"
"You..." Meioshi croaked, shaking. She wanted to get up and stop them. She wanted to pick up her sword. Her tears wouldn't stop falling, though. She just couldn't move. There wasn't another gram of fight left for her to use. She then hissed, "You monster!"
"Monster? Me?" the house mother questioned, eyes widened and a hand on her chest. "But you're the cunt with the demon eyes! How am I the monster?"
"You let these men rape these little girls and boys," Meioshi said with such a hurt voice. "Don't you remember what this life was like? Wouldn't you want to protect them?"
A slap was heard. Screams of pain took over the sounds of moaning and the thumping was angrier.
The house mother then laughed darkly before answering, "I made it to old age with and without this treatment as a joro. This is a lucrative business, doctor. It took you nearly six jobs just to buy the girl two days' worth of sleep, but I can't deny that you held your own for those few days of working. Perhaps you'd like to be a joro like the girl. You've this otherworldly beauty that's attractive to several patrons, especially the samurai that wonder through here seeking shelter. You'd fetch a healthy price!"
"That's all you care about? Money?" Meioshi asked, not wanting to believe someone could be so cruel.
"I care plenty about a lot of things," the house mother replied. "My husband was thinking of a proposal just for you. You fought so well and so hard for this one girl, he felt we could possibly bargain for her to have a bit of free time. Since she rested with you, more patrons had come to buy her. They offered nearly twice as much just to spend an entire day with her! We were thinking that since you worked so hard in cleaning up our okiya and the resources we were using you might be able to upgrade our business. If you can help our okiya generate a yearly, steady income of what your home is worth, we will free the girl from work at least once a year for a set amount of time."
"No," Meioshi replied, shaking her head slowly and feeling her weight dropping down. She shifted a bit to pick herself back up and repeated, "No."
"No?" the house mother asked, drinking some sake. "What changed your mind?"
"I want all of the children to be free once a year including her," Meioshi corrected, swaying back and forth to stay conscious.
"They don't have prices yet. If we free them all, they'll be added to the market prematurely. I thought you were against that," the house mother said, narrowing her eyes and grinning.
"You misunderstand," Meioshi said, eyes burning with a defiant resolve. She then continued, "I will clean up your okiya. I will restore your resources. I will even make the land profitable enough for even high-class patrons to descend from their makeshift thrones just to wallow in these pits in secret if I have to. In return for all of that, for every bit of money you earn because of my efforts, I want all of these children freed for an agreed amount of time. I want a list of every sex worker, patron, and customer who so much as blinks at a pebble that borders this area. Whatever money that I, or they, earn will go towards their freedom for good. You want to swim in gold and silver? Fine! I will build a pool for you all to drown!"
She woke with a start when she remembered a hard, heavy fist connect with her jaw to render her unconscious. Only this time, she wasn't thrown into the old pig's pen like those years ago. Her breath was heavy, eyes shifting, chest stinging. Meioshi didn't think her dreams would be so vivid right now, but it was nearing the time for the agreement to be settled. Taking some deep breaths to calm her heartbeat, the doctor rubbed her eyes before letting out a stifled chuckle and getting out of the bed. She walked outside to get some fresh air. All was quiet tonight. The children were sleeping or resting. Walking to the stream, she splashed some of the cool water in her face and took a couple of breaths. She kept her hands on her face for a moment just to control the dream's images replaying in her mind. It felt like a mockery of her subconscious, but she allowed her feelings to travel to the forefront. She looked into the calming waters and saw the emotions dancing across the reflection of her eyes. She wasn't nearly as emotional over that memory as she used to be. Being able to let go of her mistakes and work towards making things right gave her the strength she needed to persevere and remain patient.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned with a smile on her face, expecting a child to have woken up to embrace her or engage in nighttime play, only to see manicured feet in the grass. Confused, she furrowed her brow and slowly looked up. White, cuffed hakama pants followed in her ascending line of vision until she saw a red yukata on top of the pants. Finally, she was face to face with Sesshomaru looking down at her. Ah, so he was trying something out through mixing fashion pieces. Nice.
"You being out here can't be a good thing," Meioshi stated, noticing a small pendant on the yukata. It was Chiura's trinket. She then said, "I'm actually surprised you're still here. Nice pajama set."
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at her before asking, "Why do you have so many wards?"
"Ohta brings them to me," she replied honestly, returning her sights to the stream. "The masters of this village try to lie and cheat their way out of our agreement. Ohta wants justice for the other kids, so he sneaks them away and brings it to my attention that they've been wrongfully forced to work here. I act as their guardian and legally penalize the masters for disobeying the contract."
"What are they forced to do here?" Sesshomaru asked quietly with a twinge of hope that the doctor wouldn't confirm his suspicions.
"Various forms of labor now. It used to be strictly prostitution," Meioshi answered, leaning back to lay an arm on her knee.
"Even the younger ones?" Sesshomaru questioned, not wanting to believe Chiura was being forced to work as a junior joro.
"Depends on what's popular in the market," Meioshi replied, letting the wind take her hair and trinkets. "Right now, they work with different people like cooks, dancers, or farmers. I lost many a battle and many an ichibuban trying to get them away from this place. The most that I could do was create this small haven for them until I could buy their freedom or help them buy their own. Only a few of the kids have been able to legally escape. They've bought the freedom of some others but not nearly as many as that who are here."
"Okiyas have a house mother. Are you one?" Sesshomaru asked, walking to the edge of the stream.
"No," Meioshi said with a light laugh. "They gave me that name some years ago. I think mama to them is more literal than occupational. This was all I could do for them legally, but the contract is complete now. The masters specifically said they wanted yearly wealth equivalent to my net worth. I gave them that for some years. They increased the volume of child laborers and swept funds under the rug to keep for themselves nstead of giving the extra money back to their workers so they could buy their freedom. That is a direct violation of the agreement." She rose to stand up, no longer laughing or smiling, and narrowed her eyes. She then said, "You have a few days to finish up your business here... before this village burns!"
Sesshomaru couldn't explain it, but he could almost taste the doctor's rage. She had been planning to do this for some years from the sound of it. He asked quietly, "Will they not miss this place?"
"Who?" the doctor asked with a hiss.
"The children. Are they not used to their lives here?" Sesshomaru asked, making a fair point.
"Would you want your child to be a prostitute or slave if you died too early in life? Their lives?" Meioshi asked. When she received silence as an answer, she then tried to say, "Then don't question - "
"You didn't let me answer the question," Sesshomaru snipped. "These children have a routine regardless of what happened to their parents. They only know you to be their parent as it stands if what you say is true of their name for you. Their mother retrieves them every year at around this time to play or go to school. When she is forced to leave, they work but they don't work alone. They work with each other. This is what they know. No, I would not want any child to have to work for that kind of money, but your reprieve from this life is what created a routine that they recognize and know. It's not just the place that I'm asking if they'll miss."
Meioshi went almost deathly quiet at the demon lord's words. He was right. Some of the younger children potentially would miss this place greatly. Not necessarily the okiyas but the estate. Taking her time to form an answer to his question, she turned to him with remorse in her eyes and whispered gently, "No, I prepared them enough for them to choose where they wished to live. My only prayer is that no one from here drags them back to rebuild any of it."