Author's Notes: Hello all! This chapter is actually shorter than it looks. It mainly has a lengthy conversation between Sesshomaru and Kirameku Ha about the purpose and meaning of the Bushido Code, but it also explains why Sesshomaru wanted Meioshi to be his rival in the first place and what he thinks about her currently after all the events that have transpired so far. His monologue is a bit long due to the support of flashback sequences from different chapters so bear with me.
This is meant to be a sort of man-to-man chat, and the idea behind this was to get Sesshomaru to speak more on what he believes makes a person worth respecting with another adult male character. Although I don't mind female characters sort of getting the truth out of him off-screen or through some intimate talk, I think this interaction carries more weight to his character since he is never shown trusting or sharing an intimate space with other men. I didn't/don't want Meioshi to speak all the time when it comes to these moments because males and females receive different kinds of training when it comes to the warrior/chivalry code, but I did want to showcase that difference to enhance the intensity of Sesshomaru and Meioshi's rivalry since theirs goes beyond a power struggle.
Events in Sesshomaru's past are not canon here, according to current lore, so I would take what's posted with a grain of salt. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the rest of this episode, and I will see you all next episode since it has our first festival celebration hosted by... Milady! Milady also gets a cute costume change! XD And she teases Sesshomaru with a special item from his childhood. Are those enough hints to try to convince you to read the next episode yet? Hehe! ;-D See you soon!
The Three Grandmas final part
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She stood her ground. He stood his. Eyes locked, stance strong, shoulders back, feet apart, breathing calm. They were as statues in the wind, challenging each other quietly in this battle of wits. Meioshi, with her calm demeanor, was resolute in her words and merely waited for the western lord's next choice of words. Sesshomaru's glassy eyes held the sun's glow in them as though they were trapping the light within their mortiferous depths, reminding the doctor of his demonic origins, but she held no fear of him. Her only concern was his potential lethality against Morihei and the others. She had to ensure their safety first and, if a fight was what the young lord wanted, then she would take care of it. Seeing the doctor's patient stance sent Sesshomaru off the edge. Forget her antidote! Jaken will be fine without the medicine from her. Surely, Jaken's tribe will have a cure for the poison.
She dared to say that he, Lord Sesshomaru, wasn't worth the time of a lowlife? On what grounds? Meioshi closed her eyes to sigh then pivoted away from him with displeasure. She walked to Morihei's crate of wood, bent down to pick it up, and then walked to some other location of the funeral home in silence. The doctor found no threat coming from him. All the more reason for him to be angrier and reach for his sword, but Bakusaiga would not respond to him and Tenseiga was only curious in its silence. Morihei watched Sesshomaru very closely, taking note to his brow tightening and his jaw clenching. He was angry and his hand on his sword's hilt, but he wasn't attacking Meioshi. All of his swords were as quiet as he was.
Twice. Twice! No, this was actually a third time. Thrice? First, it was the kids at her estate; second, it was Homugi at the lagoon camp; now, it's Morihei at the funeral home! Sesshomaru had been cast out of a place three times by this one despicable, infuriating, holier-than-thou woman! This back and forth annoyed him. His hesitance even more so. He recognized the scent of metal and oil coming from no one other than Kirameku Ha and slowly turned to the man who was holding Aa-Un's reins.
"Your pet is weary," Kirameku Ha said, earning a yawn from Aa. "Have they a stable? They've been occupying my pupil's barn in your absence fairly often. Apparently, they don't mind the bedding."
Sesshomaru looked at the dragon, removing his hand from his sword, and said, "Often? They are supposed to return to their stable when they are no longer of use. They should know the way."
Kirameku Ha smirked then chuckled gently, making Sesshomaru's ears twitch at the sound. He turned to the twins and said, "It seems they have a preference at the moment. I probably should stop feeding them."
"... Melons are a favorite," Sesshomaru replied, watching Un sniff Kirameku Ha's clothes for something.
"Oh, that explains everything," the sage said, placing two fingers on Un's nose to stop him from digging in his pockets. "Those are my snacks, sir. I haven't been selling much produce lately. Least I know the harvests won't go to waste with them around. They pull their weight, though. I left several rosters at my home during the commotion this morning. I must retrieve them. The ladies will be busy with their designing for now. I can show you to my pupil's barn if you wish. Your pet has eaten itself to sleep."
"What did that dressy, old woman mean by a talent?" Sesshomaru asked, holding back a small laugh at the dragon yawning. Though, by and large, the laugh would have been no more than a short chuckle. "The one with the ornate headpiece."
"You must mean Morihei. She crafts the vessels that the urns are carried on and designs the tombstones for those that have passed on. My pupil gave her another task in making new names for the dead. Meioshi purifies a soul throughout her entire funeral rite down to the person's name. To give them fair judgement, they are made anew completely but she can only entrust Morihei with the granting of a new name," Kirameku Ha explained. "Anju and Nakasone also have special roles beyond just making the urn and rosary, respectively. Talent is a skill or gift that not just anyone can do, and, if it is not used to its prime capability, it can be lost overtime. Talents are often mistaken as glad gifts or joy gifts. A glad gift is a skill that one is happy to do with or without compensation; unfortunately, a true talent is not always a glad gift. You can work your talent to misery if it is not something you've a passion for. I had to learn this the hard way myself and through observation of others throughout the years. What Morihei was probably really asking of you was whether or not Meioshi was considering you for hire here. She's seen you twice in this area, specifically."
"I work for no one," Sesshomaru responded, narrowing his eyes. "Least of all, her."
Kirameku Ha raised an eyebrow then asked, "Why did you want her to serve you then? Sounds like you don't particularly like her. Unless you're like the other demons she comes across. Don't like humans at all."
Sesshomaru was quiet at this for a short moment and then said, "Years ago, I was. It took a little girl, orphaned and hurt, to show me that I was taking one human that caused me pain to represent all humans who walked the earth. Though I've met some humans who weren't worth a first glance, I met a few in recent years who were nothing like those wretches. The pain that demons cause to children like her made me look at my own actions strictly when it came to innocent lives."
"You believe Meioshi is not worth a first glance?" Kirameku Ha asked, hearing his pupil organizing things in her workshop area.
Sesshomaru's eyes did something that intrigued the sage. They didn't dilate or shrink but shifted. He started remembering the times that he spent with Meioshi from the first meeting up until now. He even took the time to compare his time with others to formulate a complete thought before responding to the sage's question. Kirameku Ha simply waited for Sesshomaru to speak and anticipated a short answer, but he was pleasantly surprised by the young man's words. He didn't expect for Sesshomaru to say his next choice of words.
The dragon went to lie down before his master responded, "I... don't... know. The day that I saw her, I just thought she was some girl on her first mission as a warrior or demon slayer because of the armor."
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Meioshi ran up only a few feet towards the party of demons before waving her arms and shouting, "Hello, up there!"
Jaken said, "That girl is waving at us. Wonder why she's so cheery."
"Grant me luck on my next battle! I've quite the adversary to fight! Thank you in advance!" Meioshi shouted, blowing a sweet kiss to the group.
"Joke's on her if she thinks we give out luck," Jaken finally said after some silence, feeling Sesshomaru return to his original flying pace. The woman was focused on something else now. There was no need to question her actions. He then continued, "Maybe she's referring to the dragon."
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"She waved at us with this childlike whimsy. She asked me for luck and blew a kiss to me. I suppose you could have called her innocence as a form of charm, but we mistook her actions as flirting. She didn't seem important at the time. It wasn't until Moeru told us that the girl, who was smiling and being playful, was Meioshi and that her kiss was actually her placing a barrier over us. It confused me. Why did she feel the need to protect me? Why would she protect people or creatures that she doesn't formally know? Supposing I was there to destroy the village then what? It wasn't until much later when we had to fight that Netherworld demon that I realized her barrier had more than one use. It wasn't just for protection."
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"Meioshi, what are you doing?"
The doctor turned her head, lowering her guard, and hummed in response at the familiar voice. Out of respect, Meioshi bowed low to the deity walking up to her and smiled lightly to show happiness that he had come to visit her so soon. He was quite tall with a finely featured face and stature. Dressed in snow white and brown robes with crystalline sort of armor that glimmered gold, he didn't seem to be an aggressive entity. He walked close to Meioshi and nodded in acknowledgement of her presence and mischievous greeting before taking a short glance at the dog demon glaring at them both. Sesshomaru could feel himself being able to move again and was about to attack, but this other person had taken Meioshi's attention.
"Your powers will draw attention to other demons if you use them often in the mortal world. You know this," Kako lectured. "Release this man."
"Of course, my lord," Meioshi replied, looking down to her feet.
He could hear Meioshi whispering another incantation, and the Four Heavenly Kings and their spears were disappearing accordingly. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the man before him and was about to unsheathe one of his swords to fight him, but Kako lifted a hand and shook his head to show he meant no harm. This only slightly surprised Sesshomaru since he was more impressed by the woman's ability to put him under a binding spell. Taking a sharp sniff of the man, he could smell forest scents of the fall season on him and a sweet aroma that reminded him of a berry bush. Obviously, his place was among nature. What alarmed Sesshomaru the most about this man's scent was that it didn't smell like a demon at all. The owl was clearly a demon, but it was purer of heart and seemed to be redemptive in spirit. The man was pure, so he had to be a divine guardian of some sort. That was beyond unusual. Deities never walked the earth, least of all for mortals. That would make the woman he had taken an interest in fighting a very interesting opponent just as he predicted. Therefore, Lady Meioshi was indeed powerful enough to deal with the Netherland wolf.
Kako Seigi lowered his hand and spoke to Sesshomaru without losing eye contact, "You will have to leave this place, young man. Your interference will cause my warrior more harm than needed. Your challenge will have to wait some other time."
That caught her attention and made her question, "Do you intend to fight the man there, my lord?"
"No," Kako Seigi responded, returning his attention to the dog demon.
He flicked his wrist then wiggled his fingers only a bit to form a glyph underneath Sesshomaru. It was similar to Meioshi's when she summoned power for her binding spells. Sesshomaru then deduced that the two were both of divine strength. Unmoved by the man's power and readying his sword to battle him, a bright light nearly blinded him before he disappeared from Meioshi's sight.
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"When I was sent away by that divine man, I was furious at having been cast out! Years of training against the strongest of purifying techniques felt wasted! Along the way back, I started killing demons again just to calm my anger, but her barrier expelled many of them. She was still protecting me even though I interrupted something she was doing. When we met at last, she accepted my challenge to do battle but not with a sword or staff or any other weapon. She fought me with a hat and a small lantern flame! I could have sworn she was insulting me, but... she said something to me that... set everything in motion."
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Reaching underneath her lantern, Meioshi removed the paper cover from the small gas lamp and whipped it out to create a roningasa hat made of woven bamboo and wood with iron lining the brim. Sesshomaru was almost taken aback by this, curious to know if Lady Meioshi was perhaps the daughter of a ronin samurai, and watched her twirl the hat in her hand before placing it on her head. She held her free hand above the gas lamp, taking some of the flame from its hearth into her hand, and guided it to her side. The fire swirled about her arms, licked the exposed skin on her body, and crackled and popped on her kimono. Bits of armor appeared on her hands, forearms, shoulders and hips. Crimson red bandages appeared on her feet and a crimson red leather high collar appeared to connect the shoulder armor. Her kimono changed from a flattering, light green color to a more vibrant orange and a deep brown resembling the smoldering ashes of burning wood. Sensing her power increasing significantly, Sesshomaru lifted up his claw and took a step forward to ease into a battle stance. Meioshi then pulled her kimono open to reveal her long leg covered in armor and bandages strictly to remove a piece of stone sticking her. Dropping the stone into the flame, she allowed the gas lamp to become her weapon and telekinetically lifted it while sending the staff that was holding the lamp to another dimension of existence.
Charging at each other, Sesshomaru and Meioshi clashed in a powerful burst of yoki energy and fire magic. Though Sesshomaru didn't show it, he was excited to have found a new opponent with potentially greater strength than presented. Brute strength alone wasn't going to be enough with her.
Curiously, the doctor hummed with the thought then spoke up as Sesshomaru added more power to his strike, "Your might is impressive, young man, but I've no interest in fighting the strongest opponents of the world. Only one. Why are you seeking to be another?"
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"That girl who smiled, laughed, loved her babysitter even though she was a fully-grown adult, and protected others... had one enemy to fight. She had no interest in fighting the strongest opponents of the world. Those words... were my father's before he died. When she was hit with that arrow in her throat by the wolf... it was like... I... saw him... and I... couldn't move. But... she wasn't my father. She stood back up. She wasn't killed. She made a bargain. Up until our alliance, before I met you at the estate holding this lazy beast the way you're doing now, I watched her all the way through. The innocent lives that she was determined to avenge and protect grew in number. No matter what part of the fight she was in, she kept protecting me... and she kept smiling."
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Meioshi side-flipped from the attack before barking another order at the two demons, "Catch her scent before she takes off!"
"What?" Jaken responded with some confusion.
"God dammit! Just get her scent already!" Meioshi ordered, shouting at Sesshomaru.
"... sweet lemon..." Sesshomaru responded.
"Thank you! Was that too much to ask you, O great flying lord?" Meioshi remarked, rolling her eyes before yanking the whip back again and using it as her weapon to force the bird to let go. "I accept the bond!"
The bird was silent at the doctor's words. She was... accepting the blood pact? Why? The bird returned its red gaze to Meioshi, yet Meioshi held no anger in her eyes and no desperation in her voice. She was firm in her decision. Planted. Even the wolf was silent, but it's blue eye could be seen blinking before looking up at the doctor. Bird-Meioshi was drawn to the doctor with a look in its eyes that was almost pleading. Confident in her decision, Meioshi gave a simple smirk. It wasn't so smug that it could be called arrogance. It wasn't so challenging that it questioned the intelligence of everyone there. It was something else. It was almost like reassurance.
Sesshomaru was equally surprised by the doctor's acceptance of another blood pact. Didn't the pheasant just say that a dual blood pact would kill her? What was she thinking? Did it have something to do with the bird's scent? When she smirked, he grew somewhat curious about it. Why was she smirking like that?
"You said you were looking for your master, right? Let's make an exchange," Meioshi offered, analyzing the bird's reaction carefully. "Do you want to stay a petty child and die by my hand, or do you want my help in finding your master?"
"You still want to help me?" the bird questioned, not really listening to all of what Meioshi said. She only caught one important detail out of everything. That Meioshi wanted to help. The bird then asked, "Why?"
"Simply because I want to," Meioshi said gently, taking the spear away from the bird's neck. She kneeled down to the bird and looked her in the eyes with a soft smile before saying, "I think you and this wolf are suffering from the same loneliness that's driving this unbridled desperation to find anyone with enough strength to help you reach out to who you lost. If it hadn't been me, it might've been the elegant man over there or someone else. Is that why you looked at him strangely before?"
The bird's eyes softened at the doctor's words before a light blush dusted her cheeks and she pouted a little. She looked at Sesshomaru briefly and started to say something but second guessed it.
Meioshi looked down at the wolf and smiled. She nodded to herself, called out to her boat oar, and said, "Gensho Shushu-sen! Whoa!"
The wolf excitedly forced Meioshi to hop on the boat right before it emerged from the ground. The doctor made it her mission to ask why the wolf enjoyed the boat so much, but she was pleasantly surprised at the bird's gasp and look of awe in her red eyes. Sesshomaru may have feigned disinterest, but the amount of divine power coming from the boat greatly intrigued him. The large crystal wave prickled against his skin and made the hills reduce their motion and almost become still. His rival continued to surprise him. Her sudden, newfound confidence also piqued his interest. This personality of hers was far more colorful than the somewhat cold priestess he met before. A sense of adventure locked away in that armor and bright smile practically called out to him. In a small way, he looked forward to seeing more from his rival and wondered what exactly she discovered within those few moments of him being distracted by her skillful hand to the bird's riddle. He never really had a rival like the doctor before other than his annoying, little brother, Inuyasha, and Meioshi was like a breath of fresh air now.
"A boat that rides on air the same as water?" Jaken questioned, mouth agape with surprise. "She has to be some kind of witch."
Meioshi guided her boat until it was still and directed it to the bird. Said entity placed her hand shyly to her lips as the doctor reached a hand out to escort her aboard the vessel and looked into her eyes. When she saw the gentle warmth emanating from the doctor and the excitement peeking out from the wolf, her eyes swelled up and she felt a light of hope within herself form from within. Her tears started bubbling up before the doctor chuckled a little.
With the wolf's excitement and a clue gained, Meioshi said, "Hop on, little bird. I think I might know how to find your master."
"You're really going to help me?" the bird asked, tears falling from her face and a small smile creeping along her lips.
"Of course!" Meioshi replied. "Let me be your sword and shield."
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"Once we were face to face with the real enemy, she may have stopped smiling but she didn't stop protecting others. She trusted me to bring others to safety. She wanted to help Jaken regardless of what I felt towards her. She held herself accountable for what she didn't know. In those final moments... she won. She came back with greater power than where she started when it was just a hat and a bit of flame. She smiled again and her world - very much like this one - was at peace. I chose her to be my rival then because I knew her power was only going to continue to grow. It did. When I came back to get you, I was actually surprised by your combat affinity. I could see where her origins began. The same way she bested me with a hat, you bested me with a broom. The fight between me and her... was the real test. She didn't hold back that time, and it wasn't until she became her true self as a warrior when I realized that everyone was right. Whoever her real enemy was would have no mercy. But..."
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He only stopped struggling when he felt Meioshi's touch his hand and looked at her... just to see her smiling at him.
She shushed him gently, silencing his fight, and removed her hand from his to say, "I won't hurt you, Sesshomaru. I'm just checking for wounds." Right as he was about to speak, she interrupted him by continuing, "I know you're not a human like me. You heal faster. This won't take but a moment."
Finally, Meioshi was able to be a doctor and Sesshomaru was able to see it. That smolder she produced when she was concentrating on something was visible to him at a closer distance. She didn't touch him like she did with her imposter or the bird nest, so it wasn't as intimate, but it was more than that somehow. She only had to tap at a cut with the cloth. When she reached for the medicine and went to use a different cloth to apply the mix to the cut, she gasped when she looked back at him. It was gone!
"Uwoah," Meioshi whispered, blinking at the healed wound. "Extraordinary! It closed so swiftly!" His eyes returned to their normal coloring as she marveled at his healing rate. She was harmless to him now. "I suppose I'll save this medicine for Jaken instead. I think I have a small empty bottle left here."
She dug in her bucket to sift some things around and pulled out a small brown bottle with a cork already in it. Just as she was moving to pour the medicine in it, Sesshomaru caught the smell of blood and noticed the doctor slowing her movement from pain. Quietly, he asked, "Why did you cut yourself?"
Meioshi chuckled at the man, making him narrow his eyes, and said, "Thank you for standing up for me, Sesshomaru. Don't mind this. This return to grace, if anything, is more like a release of my guilt. It's my most dangerous flaw."
"You've no reason to feel guilty for something else's greed or bloodlust," Sesshomaru spoke after a silence passed.
"I feel guilty for putting you at risk, too, though," Meioshi said sweetly, making Sesshomaru lock eyes with her. His eyes shifted like he was asking a silent question, and the doctor answered it, "Neither you nor Jaken should have gotten involved in my silly mess, and... I don't think I would have been able to stop the black wall demon without you. I'm a firm believer that everyone and everything has its purpose in this life. In those final moments, you were the answer to a centuries' old riddle and not one time did I ask why. I only asked why you felt the need to help. I didn't let my answer simply be my answer."
She collected her things and placed them in the bucket with a gentle smile on her face. Sesshomaru only watched her do this until she stood up and faced him again. She said, "You make a good other. One day, I want to fight you without my other power. If I can beat you as a human, then that will be my real victory. Tomorrow will be the real fight. Because then I'll know my nightmare is almost over."
With that, Sesshomaru watched her run off with hope and confidence that they'd meet again for a final battle. Jaken called him sometime after she had gained a fair distance between them, but he only stood quietly and watched Meioshi, the healing dandelion seed, being chased by the setting sun and carried away by the summer breeze.
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"Why was someone so sweet plagued by guilt so immensely that she felt the need to be punished?" Sesshomaru asked, more to himself than anything. That question made Kirameku Ha grow eerily silent and tense his shoulders. Unlike the western lord, he knew the answer to that question. If Meioshi didn't trust him enough to tell him, then this would remain a secret. Sesshomaru then continued, "Did Naraku harm her in some way in the past? Our lives may have returned to some normalcy but did hers not? Other demons seemed to know about her past, but I thought it best for her to tell me when she was ready if she felt it was even my business. That day, at the ravine, she accepted me as her rival and made it purposeful. I can stand to be her rival... as long as she continues to win... as long as she continues to grow... as long as... she continues to smile. But..."
"But?" Kirameku Ha probed, seeing Sesshomaru's entire body change. Something happened that actually triggered something between the two. It looked like it might have been division. Earlier, though the western lord probably didn't realize it, Kirameku Ha watched Sesshomaru's features soften as he talked about his first meeting with his pupil. Just then, when that pregnant silence came up, his eyes shrunk and his features hardened. The walls the young man must have had around him were reinforced and stronger than before.
Frowning, Sesshomaru merely closed his eyes and said coldly, "Nothing of importance. Show me this barn."
Something did happen. Kirameku Ha didn't pry, though, and instead clicked his tongue to wake Aa-Un up. The dragon mewled, not wanting to get up, until they heard more clicking. They rose and followed the men in silence, eager to return to sleep. It didn't take them long to reach Kirameku Ha's home, and Sesshomaru was quite surprised that it wasn't larger given his regal disposition. However, he took his seat at the engawa facing the courtyard and waited for Kirameku Ha to return. They had to pass up Meioshi's estate to get here. Why didn't they let Aa-Un rest in the barn for now? Watching the dragon rotate before picking they're spot to rest, Sesshomaru locked eyes with the beast before their eyes began to lower and their heads bobbled a bit. Whatever Kirameku Ha did put them to work, he did a fantastic job because they were beat. The sage returned a few minutes after Aa-Un let sleep claim them with about four scrolls in hand and a box with other items in them. He then went to retrieve a book from inside of his home and returned again to sit. Apparently, he wanted to read it first before going over one of the scrolls.
Curious, Sesshomaru asked, "Why are we here?"
"I just need to evaluate the registry," Kirameku Ha answered, not removing his attention from the book. "This will only take but a moment."
"Registry for what?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Many things, actually. It's a list of individuals associated with the military in some capacity including their family members. Meioshi is being returned to the registry, but she has different businesses linked to her profession as a doctor such as her funerary services. She said she received a letter mentioning that a few active soldiers took an interest in this. She's being evaluated after a festival we hold annually for this service. That's why she's preparing things at the funeral home. Some clan names I don't recognize, but I see quite a few that I do recognize. Weavings for them will have to be remade for display purposes. I have some cleaning materials left for weapons if needed," Kirameku Ha said, taking out a piece of charcoal to mark something in the book and on one of the scrolls. "Unfortunately, that boy from earlier did bring up something absolutely dreadful for me and her. Tsugahara will likely be involved with that."
"Why does it matter to anyone who we choose to marry?" Sesshomaru asked, furrowing his brow. "They're not the ones who have to live with the other person daily. Having strong children is no excuse or reason for such unions."
"It doesn't matter," Kirameku Ha answered, making Sesshomaru turn only slightly to him. The sage could only guess that the young man didn't expect for him to agree. "Unfortunately, marriage became a sub-system of regulation within military statutes due to war's societal and economical effects. I've no doubt that such a beautiful union between two people will continue to be viewed poorly as long as war rages over the land. War need not be only physical to ravage a person's livelihood or choice freedoms. Meioshi will likely be the one to change such regulation if she continues to fight it on the basis of one's well-being and/or safety."
"How?" Sesshomaru asked softly.
"Do you know what the word bushido means, young Sesshomaru?" Kirameku Ha asked, earning silence as an answer. He then continued, "Bu-shi-do means military-knight-ways. The Bushido Code is a list of moral principles meant to be observed, required to be known, and instructed to practice in daily life by fighting nobles. The behavioral standard of a fighter is what birthed these principles to avoid a life and reign of savagery from military leaders. Meioshi... is perhaps strongest as a true bushi. She may not think it herself, but her journey up to this point is proof that she can change the code. A warrior must know through his failings where virtue springs. She understands this. The bushido is not a written law, but it is ironically of the vernacular. A list of ethical rules only as resolute as the mouth that speaks of them and the heart that has those rules etched into its bodice. Her oath of medicine is perhaps the only written form of the Bushido Code. That's how she'll inevitably change it."
"Hmph, then you see me as a savage," Sesshomaru said with sarcasm laced in his voice.
"I see you as incomplete," Kirameku Ha replied, looking up into the clouds. "But I look forward to the day when you are whole. And... I look forward to the day when you admit that there are people you would honor when they pass away. I think your way of doing that will be extraordinarily creative."
Sesshomaru looked at the man as if to ask who those people were, but his words caught in his throat when he caught the scent of his mother. She was on mortal soil again...
Author's Footnotes: Pardon me, I have to include some bibliographical references. Ahem!
[1] Bushido, the Soul of Japan: An Exposition of Japanese Thought (1901) by Inazo Nitobe
Readers' Guide
Mini-Episode 6: The Three Grandmas
Plot Summary: Sesshomaru meets Morihei, Anju, and Nakasone at Meioshi's funeral home. There, he is outcasted by Meioshi until he learns the true meaning of honoring someone's memory. Kirameku Ha explains the importance of the funeral home and its connection with the warrior code.