The Wayward Servant final part
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Flicking the medallion between her fingers, Rakuyama was blushing slightly as she watched Sesshomaru walking through a forest from a snow globe. The Meido Stone was largely inactive, but the hell titan was curious about its power. With Takamuku and some of the inu demons now at her command, she decided to be generous and let them rest. What other interesting things could the gorgeous inu prince do? Calling out to the demons of her turf with a wave of her hand, she wordlessly sent them out to hunt for the Western lord. With territory claimed in the mortal realm, she didn't have to use much strength to open portals in comparison to changing the natural climate of the land.
"Maha Surabhorn," Rakuyama called, summoning Norihisa. He was dressed in his proper regalia as the knight of hell but maintained his shadowy nature with a proper cloak and his silvery mask. She then continued, "This Meido Stone is made of many pieces with varying strengths. You have found an impressive treasure. Let us trigger its might. You say the mother of this fine prince was this medallion's keeper?"
"Yes, my queen," Norihisa replied, smirking at his liege's interest in Sesshomaru. "The pretty mother has an interesting secret locked away with this precious gift. I'm sure it will unlock the medallion's true potential, but I've no doubt this will happen in its own time. It seemed to have been crafted to aid the inu prince and absolve crimes tied to the crafter. For the power that its capable of, however, an exchange had to have been made. It's worth much in kurogane."
Rakuyama hummed as she monitored Sesshomaru's fighting prowess against her group of demons. He destroyed them with relative ease with his Bakusaiga, so she sent a wave of stronger demons to remain entertained a bit longer.
She then asked, "This boy interests me, Maha Surabhorn."
Norihisa chuckled gently and asked, "Why is that, my queen?"
"Of all the demons to be this involved with the dealings of hell, why the royalty of the inu clan? They're so disgustingly neutral and perfectly boring! Yet... this one piece of jewelry - nay, this one boy upset the balance of all the Underworld. Assemble some men, Maha Surabhorn. I wish to claim another territory for the loss of Nurikabe."
"Whatever you desire, my queen," Norihisa replied, grinning wildly and toothily.
Finding a beaten trail, Meioshi stumbled upon a sign naming an unfamiliar village ahead. Ah-Un was idly marching behind her while she hummed and checked the few bags of luggage that Sesshomaru strapped to the creature's back for their new journey. She didn't get an ounce of sleep at the camp she made for the western lord or his caravan, so she started thinking of a way to perhaps buy a room for a few hours' rest. Nothing of immediate interest seemed to help.
"I might be able to help," a small voice said. The hell travelers' medallion started glowing before it floated out of Meioshi's clothes. Out popped Bonitas, her little nurse in his sprite form. He then said, "I think this village could use your services as both a doctor and an exorcist in exchange for a guest room."
"My powers are dormant, though, little nurse. I'll not be of much help in exorcisms."
"That's where we come in!" Bonitas cheered, zipping around Meioshi. "You need a new trinket anyways. Might as well hunt for one."
"Oh? And where shall I be finding this one, hm?" Meioshi asked, pinching Bonitas's cheeks lightly to make him giggle.
"The starry grasslands of yurei valley," Bonitas replied. "Oh, what did you mean by that imp needing an antidote for poison, by the way? Don't we have those at the clinic?"
"Lord Sesshomaru's venom is connected to his emotions," Meioshi explained. "I've no remedy for such poisons of the mind or soul. He's one of the very few demons able to control and weaponize his feelings towards others to a point where they gain tangibility. You may not have seen it as closely as I did, but he was able to form a whip with his poison. I've no doubt the black wall demon could sense that, so, when he took hold of Lord Jaken, he implemented his knowledge by acting as merely a channel. Sesshomaru's attack traveled straight through this channel and went for whatever the black wall demon wanted. Unfortunately for them both, he channeled Sesshomaru's poison straight to the imp's brain. The more hatred he feels towards something, I fear the little imp will suffer 'til his death. I don't know how long Lord Sesshomaru has been able to use poison as an attack, so I can't tell him to stop hating others. I can only hope that his hatred doesn't worsen the imp's condition."
"I wonder if such a demon can learn to forgive his transgressors," Bonitas said, looking into the sky. He sighed before turning back to Meioshi and saying, "Well, maybe you can take a nap out in the prairie with the dragon there. The trinket is a bit larger than Chen-bi, but the ghosts might like you. Not all of them are bad."
"I suppose I could. His lordship will be having a panic attack soon once he realizes I left camp," Meioshi said, smiling mischievously.
As predicted, Sesshomaru clenched his teeth with fury at the missing profiles of the doctor and Ah-Un from camp. He hadn't even been gone that long! How does she move so fast? She's worse than a child! Taking a deep breath, Sesshomaru followed the dragon's scent in silence and flew in the direction of haunted territory. The smell of the undead was potent. They must have just gotten there because their scents were mixing with the dead like they were... almost playing with them. Part of him did feel a sense of worry when he left Jaken for a moment to gather antidotes against poison. Jaken didn't seem to like being returned home, even if it was for a moment, but this might be the best way to get more information out of Meioshi on his condition without him stumbling into the conversation. He had to act rationally. Unfortunately, the doctor made that increasingly harder to do when she was playing with a bunch of ghosts!
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes with visible anger before landing a distance away to see what was happening. Meioshi performed one last kick before she received some item from a smiling ghost and waved her goodbyes to the specters as they danced to the heavens with Bonitas leading them to the Soul Carriers' Road. Once all had calmed down, she set up things to take a nap and calmly rested on Ah-Un's side. Instead of ghosts haunting her like he thought, will o' wisps formed a circle of protection around her and made glimmering night lights for her to view. She smiled gently at them before dozing off. Sesshomaru took this moment to spank Meioshi with his Moko Moko on her hip and startle her awake. She yelped sharply and startled the wisps before looking up to see a fuming inu lord growling at her.
"Ah, did the ghosts summon you, my lord?" Meioshi asked, smiling brightly.
The western lord narrowed his eyes further, but he failed to find the right words to respond to the question, so he remained silent. He didn't understand why the doctor chose to sleep out in the open with a bunch of ghosts instead of the camp she took time to make. Was there something she was here for? Maybe someone? Her sprites weren't with her. Was she moving the campsite to this new location? It was just an open field. It didn't seem nearly as safe as the place she chose within the forest. There was shelter from rain since she built a roof from tropical plant leaves and water-repelling branches for him and Jaken and a long tent for the dragon. She fed Aa and Un not too long. It seemed to like her a lot since it laid on her as it ate.
Sesshomaru finally narrowed down his response into a singular question, "You spent all that energy building a camp just to sleep out in the cold?"
Meioshi chuckled, grinned toothily, and looked up at Sesshomaru before saying, "I built that camp for you, my lord. You still don't like me, remember? I'd have thought you'd rather I sleep in the cold."
His eyes softened up at the doctor's response, but Meioshi didn't look at him to see it. As flattered as he was for her thoughtfulness, this wasn't the time to go wandering around. Instead of saying any of that, he voiced, "Sitting out in the open will leave you vulnerable to attack, you fool."
"That's why we have escape plans, my lord. Like this one! BOOM!" Meioshi exclaimed.
A burst of smoke rose from out of nowhere, and the wisps circled her spot rapidly enough to alert Aa-Un and make them rise to their feet. No nap then. When all cleared, Sesshomaru was met with a blank space where Meioshi used to be and the sound of footsteps running away from him. Instead of her natural human speed, however, the wisps were helping her run faster. Within the next couple of seconds, Sesshomaru's eyes went blood red and yoki energy picked up in gusts of wind around him. To hell with being rational!
Unfortunately, the little skink of a doctor managed to escape his lordship's grasp, so he had to consult angrily with the dragon to track her down. Somehow or another, she made it back to Heiwa with only three smoke bomb escapes in total. Lord Sesshomaru now had it in his mind... to strictly kill the girl, but he took a breather and realized that she probably felt unsafe around him. She went to sleep in an open field where someone could see her, not necessarily where she could easily be attacked. She was the only human in his party. That's scary for an adult woman. And... she was tired. She may have been dancing to get the ghosts away from her, but she ultimately pleased them for a few moments of rest. He can just walk from here. A nap is fine. The same could not be said for Meioshi. No, it was never so simple or rational around the woman. Walking through the back entrance of her estate, Sesshomaru heard shouting in front of the doctor's home and furrowed his brow. What on Earth was going on?
"How dare you disgrace our captain, wench! You are not worthy of grace!"
"Ack!" the doctor yelped before being gagged.
A group of young samurai were surrounding her with rage on their faces and vengeance in their hearts. Meioshi was merely dressed in a baby blue yukata that was being forcefully opened to show her scarred chest, the family crest burned into her back, and a marking on her shoulder. Her hair came out of its bun in a disheveled state and her eyes were filled with frustration and anger. There was a red sash tied around her knees and a small knife thrown before her. One samurai - supposedly the leader - stomped in front of her before kneeling and whispering to her.
"I will give you one more chance to apologize for your actions and the insults following. All will be forgotten if you accept my proposal," he purred, gently pulling the red gag off her mouth. "What do you say?"
"Get the fuck out of my face," Meioshi growled in response.
The man's eyes shrunk considerably before he tied the gag over her mouth again and hissed, "So be it! Tanto!"
"Is there a particular reason why you're bothering my pupil?" a dark voice asked.
A young swordsman handed a ceremonial tanto over to his leader before said man turned to Kirameku Ha approaching them. He stood behind Meioshi to inspect the situation and then walked beside her to act as her second. The leader then demanded, "Stay out of this, old man! This wench is being taught some manners. She has dishonored the Bushido by leading his highness to temptation with her disgusting display of kenshibun."
"... I see. You are correct then. Such a thing is punishable," Kirameku Ha said, getting a good look at the ceremonial tanto. It was wrapped in yellow cloth. "That tanto will not do, however. To reprimand my pupil, you must show her unworthiness through the use of her family tanto. It should have been on her person."
The leader of the samurai scoffed at Kirameku Ha and then turned his attention to Meioshi. The doctor turned to her sensei for a clue as to what he was doing before noticing his eyebrow being raised. He wanted her to use her enchanted tanto? Removing the tanto from her yukata pocket, she revealed the weapon and placed it before her.
"This tanto is very unique to its wielder," Kirameku Ha informed. "No ordinary human can hold it. Those who are unworthy of its might are incapable of picking it up due to its profound weight. If you can pick up her tanto, she will carry out her punishment. Fail... and you will have to undergo the ceremonial punishment. Choose wisely."
The leader of the samurai glared at Kirameku Ha before looking at his men. He quirked his head over to the direction of the tanto and had all of his men try their luck at lifting the small weapon. Surely, it can't be that legendary. When one of the men went to lift the weapon, he was shocked by the weight. It may as well have been a block of pure metal! Using both hands, the man tried to pull it up again but the tanto wouldn't budge. Stripping out of his armor, he tried one more time, feeling the strain in his neck and calves before his hands slipped and he poked himself in the eye. He yelped in pain before each of the men tried to lift it. Meioshi just about wanted to cuss some more as she watched them. No one could pick it up!
"Who the hell are you?"
She turned to see familiar cuffed pants and boots before inhaling sharply and pinching the bridge of her nose. This day was just starting all wrong. Sesshomaru was looking down at Meioshi, wanting to know what she got herself into but not wanting to at the same time. It was bound to be something stupid.
Against his better judgment, however, he decided to ask, "What the hell is going on this time?"
Meioshi chuckled bitterly and said, "Oh, I think you'll love to hear this. I was having a spot of tea with my breakfast when these muppets kicked open my door and dragged me outside. Upon my jolly ole stroll, I get accused of seducing the emperor and am forced to perform corporal punishment. Make that make sense, dearest Lord Sesshomaru!"
"Did you seduce anyone while I was gone?" Sesshomaru asked.
"How pray-tell, am I to seduce anyone while eating breakfast alone just before a nap? I'm a goddamn doctor anyways! I have to check the status of his highness as his doctor! All I did was check his vitals some weeks ago. What seduction?" Meioshi questioned, furious that she even has to explain herself.
"If they were going to punish you for anything, doing your job is not a public offense," Sesshomaru said, walking over to the tanto and gently lifting it effortlessly. "Breakfast does not suit a last meal. Your yukata is the wrong color, this tanto is not wrapped in the right ribbon, and there's no death poem in front of you. They're just sick of looking at you, it seems."
"The feeling is mutual," Meioshi growled, holding out her hand. "Have you a punishment for me, my lord?"
"Only a foot rub or two," Sesshomaru answered, smirking evilly.
Author's Footnotes: Before I forget again, Lady Rakuyama's design is of Thai influence, so she uses titles of Thai royalty for her subordinates. Kyonshi Norihisa's actual name is tied to his position in her court. Mara Surabhorn is an old Thai name for first-class knight of the Grand Cross under the Order of the Crown of Thailand. It's just easier to refer to the kyonshi knight as Norihisa, so that's his permanent name. You can call him Mara, though.
Readers' Guide
Filler Episode 05: The Wayward Servant (Chapters 63 through 65)
Plot Summary: Meioshi has been serving Jaken for only a few days and has already been trying to escape it. Sesshomaru reminisces on the times when he tortured Jaken at the beginning of his life of servitude. Meioshi confesses to running away because Jaken is actually suffering from the milder symptoms of poisoning from the black wall demon's attack. Sesshomaru decides to bring Jaken back to his village to find an antidote for his poison and bring Meioshi back home so that she can return to her clinic to retrieve medicinal tools. Sesshomaru and Jaken meet with Benjiro, an old friend of Jaken's, and learn that another imp named Jurori may know how to craft an all-purpose serum. Sesshomaru lets Jaken rest while he retrieves Meioshi, only to see that she's being attacked for a ridiculous reason.
** Estimated Reading Time: 33 minutes
Critics' Choice Award for Most Engaging Writing
