"Hey, Yuko, it's been four days since Meioshi's been gone. Shouldn't we check on her?"
Homugi and Yuko were eating lunch on the outdoor deck at Yuko's home. Both young women were dressed in casual yukatas for this short reprieve from working. Homugi's being a lavender pink while Yuko's was more pale mint green. Homugi was beginning to worry about the doctor and wondered if she should go to her estate. The children were starting to worry about her, too. They weren't able to help at the estate or play around like normal. Though Yuko and some of the other adults tried to get them to do other things, they still wondered about her.
Yuko shook her head, though, and replied, "She won't allow it. Her training is extremely intense and could kill someone. This is something she has to do alone."
"Why?" Homugi asked with concern in her voice. "Is it because of her other form?"
"No. It's because of her family history. The hell travelers march through this forest that's specifically near the cliff behind sensei's estate when they first come into power. Sensei's ancestors have called it the Forest of Lurking Beasts. It sits directly on the side of the cliff overlooking her estate and the village of Heiwa. The cliff holds the weapons, armor, and almanacs of all of the hell travelers before her in an ancestral sentry that only a hell traveler can access since a deity, or divine guardian, granted them their power from the very beginnings starting with the forefather of her family, Unmei. If a divinity calls them, they must make their pilgrimage to this forest in order to receive a new power or skill to aid them in battle against their enemy. No one hell traveler has the same enemy or even the same soul to save. Each generation is different and requires a different set of knowledge or skill for his or her specific enemy. Supposedly, there are some demons in the Forest of Lurking Beasts of greater strength than the demons of this world or even hell itself. If the barrier surrounding that forest is ever broken, Heiwa will perish immediately," Yuko informed, looking into her teacup as she does so.
"Why is Heiwa positioned so close to it then?" Homugi asked. "Shouldn't you all be furthest away from it?"
"Three hundred years ago, Heiwa was away from it and there was no barrier around it. Heiwa was a lot smaller than it is now. Less than a hundred people lived here. It grew over time because the people were able to cultivate the land and hide away from war," Yuko replied, looking into Homugi's curious eyes. "Once it became an established region, more people ran to this place and started their lives here. Unmei, sensei's forefather, had visions of a beast that would destroy Heiwa, but, in his visions, he also saw a weapon that a grand deity had created from his own tears. Combined with Unmei's hope, sensei said the weapon was so powerful that it called the might of the heavens to defeat the beast and silenced the demons of hell itself. Unmei, however, needed that strength in order to save his brother's soul. The beast he saw in his vision had claimed it and dragged it into the dark depths. Unmei supposedly had said that going through the forest is the hardest thing a hell traveler has to physically do, but it prepares them to endure their toughest battle with their enemy. They have to rely on their own strength to defeat or purify the beasts of the forest. They can't call out to anyone else for help; otherwise, they'll never be able to defeat their enemy. Only one hell traveler had ever broken this sacred rule, and it cost Heiwa its life. That's what dirtied sensei's family name. Because her ancestor tried to run from his purpose, the beasts chased him all the way to another territory and killed a lot of the villagers along the way. Instead of one soul he was meant to save, he had to save all of Heiwa itself and restore it on his own as punishment."
"What made him fear his purpose so much?" Homugi asked, almost disgusted by that person's cowardice.
"Only sensei knows," Yuko answered, shrugging in response. "She believed that he was simply too young at the time. He couldn't have possibly fought those beasts all on his own, but she also said that of all of the hell travelers he was the most honest. Unlike the others, he was one of the only ones to admit that he was afraid of his calling. When Heiwa was brought to nothing, he felt ashamed that he let so many people down and was the first to start a pilgrimage for himself to learn the true importance and art of bravery. He may have cried in battle when he returned to save everyone, but his journey is what set the tone for the self-discipline of the hell travelers. You have to be more than a warrior to be a hell traveler. You have to understand what it means to be chosen for such a role. The hope in Unmei's heart stemmed from his love and respect for life and people because he was witnessing the birth of Heiwa and its transition from a hiding place to a proper town. You have to have that same love and respect in your heart. Losing sight of that can be fatal."
"What happened to Heiwa when Meioshi's ancestor came back? Did the town have to start over?" Homugi asked out of curiosity.
"Actually, he was able to expand the village!" Yuko replied with a smile. "Because the souls that perished weren't the precious souls he was supposed to save, they came back to life unharmed. To protect those people from harm, he told them to move here in the farmlands for safety until he completed his pilgrimage and training. Some of the people liked it better here, so they stayed and visited family closer to the main town when festivals or reunions came around. Crops that couldn't survive near the kingdom fared better in the farmlands. That's how it came to be!"
"Is that why you two are so close? Because your ancestors knew each other?" Homugi asked, smiling gently.
"To be honest, I don't know if my ancestors knew the hell travelers," Yuko replied honestly, scratching the back of her head. "I just love my sensei! But I remember her saying that the spouses of the hell travelers are just as specific as the hell travelers themselves. Their partners are very special and aren't always native to Heiwa. Kind of like soul mates. It's so romantic, Homugi!"
"Romantic?" Homugi questioned, tilting her head cutely.
Placing her hands on her cheeks, Yuko squirms and gushes over the next bits of information. She then says, "Gah, it's so amazing, Homugi! The spouses of the hell travelers have to go on a pilgrimage and trial, too. Legend has it that Unmei's wife started having visions of Unmei about a year before he even arrived at Heiwa as a boy. Once he came into power, she had a dream of a lover's star sparkling in a moonless sky and saw Unmei walking to her with wagons behind him. A singular animal or divine spirit stood before Unmei and explained to her that the wagons represented her worth as his bride, but she could only see what was on those wagons if she completed her pilgrimage to a ruby palace. Unmei's wife, at first, didn't believe in the spirit's words because she thought it was just a fevered dream, but the dream spirit became real and acted as her guardian until she was ready to be guided! When the couple met, Unmei's wife fell ill. The search for her cure was the search for the ruby palace. On her pilgrimage, she learned to fight and heal wounds, but her guardian spirit taught her how to make a special pastry just for Unmei. When she returned to Heiwa, she was properly trained to be Unmei's wife and the two became a couple! Her trial is the best part of her story, though! The guardian spirit returned to her and instead took the form of a beggar. Out of kindness, Unmei's wife gave the beggar a full meal, remembering the guardian spirit who trained and protected her. As a gift, the guardian spirit gave her a shield made from a dragon's scale, created the Twin Stars in the sky to represent her and Unmei's love, and a medallion necklace that has the ability to contain Unmei's power. Should anything happen to Unmei before their child is born, she can heal him or fight in his place!"
Homugi blushed at this, eyes sparkling and filled with hope, and asked, "What about the wagons for her bride price? Did she ever get to see them?"
"That's the part that's so juicy!" Yuko squealed, hugging herself. "Her worth was inside the ruby palace where she made the pastries. Because she chose the pastry and the medicine instead of the treasure, she proved that she loved Unmei more than anything else. The pastry represented resourcefulness. The medicine represented healing. The palace represented shelter. Her sword represented loyalty, and her journey represented growth. All of these qualities are what a hell traveler needs when their battle is too great, but they'll only find it in their spouse. It's so good! Unmei's wife was even granted a special power. Because she was a friend to her guardian spirit, she became a guardian spirit able to sense or detect the spouse of the next hell traveler. She shows them their worth and is with them when it's their time to make their own journey to the ruby palace. No matter how far or how different the spouse is, only she can train them as long as the bloodline remains."
That small part of the story made Homugi squeal with delight in unison with Yuko. The blue merle beauty was a sucker for those kind of love stories. Ones filled with battle and purpose just tickled her fancy.
"What's with all of them girly screams?" a familiar masculine voice asked.
Homugi turned and gasped before saying, "P-pr-prince Yamashi! What are you doing out in Heiwa?"
"I live here," Yamashi replied, not recognizing Yuko's new friend.
"Y-y-you do?" Homugi questioned, seeing Yuko rush to stand up. She scurried over to the man before planting an innocent kiss on his lips and running back to the lunch table. Homugi blushed and stammered, "B-b-bu-but, the wild boar demons hate humans! How did - ? What is - ?"
"I am the prince no more. My name has been disgraced. I am a dome-demon now," Yamashi replied.
"A dome-demon?" Homugi questioned.
"Dome is short for domesticated," Yuko explained. "In Heiwa, demons who choose to live among humans go through a domestication process. Their nails are clipped, teeth are blunted, weapons are dulled, and yoki energy is contained in some arbitrary item of their choice. They can still fight like demons and tap into their full power if needed. Their more violent urges are just reduced. They're also allowed to keep their pride in their heritage, so you might see tapestries or flags representing their race in their homes."
"Why did you choose to be domesticated, Prince Yamashi?" Homugi asked.
"To marry Yuko," he replied, smiling peacefully at Homugi's shocked expression. "Are you gonna tell me why I'm seeing more inu demons here than usual? Or are you gonna turn into a carp?"
"More inu?" Homugi questioned. "Who else was - ? Oh... you mean Sesshomaru."
"I had the displeasure of meeting him during my best friend's funeral. Should've killed him," Yamashi scoffed, taking his seat next to Yuko.
"How's the trading company?" Yuko asked, wanting to change the subject.
"We actually have enough stock on goods to make our journey overseas. We're packaging things now and setting up an inventory. I'd say we'll be preparing to leave in a few weeks," Yamashi informed.
"You travel overseas? For your kingdom or for personal reasons?" Homugi asked, curious to know more about the rogue prince.
"For business. I started a trade company a few years ago. It's proven to be more lucrative than just collecting taxes and gifts from the townspeople, and I enjoy doing the work that comes with running it. It's easier to operate it when there's people you can trust and who trust you. My sister and I work together the best," Yamashi explained.
"Eh? A princess of the wild boar demons lives here, too?" Homugi asked, interest fully gained.
"Princess Yatsumi, yes. She's rogue with me," Yamashi confirmed with a nod. "She's Ichi's wife."
"Eh?" Homugi yelped with shock. "She is! She was your most powerful female warrior! How did Ichi even get the chance to speak to her?"
"It's actually a really funny story," Yuko answered, laughing a bit at the memory. "The men of the wild boar clan are such creepy stalkers!"
"But I got you, didn't I?" Yamashi questioned, challenging Yuko to say otherwise. When she just gave him a look, he then said with an egotistical smile, "You liked it. 'Nuff said."
"Jerk," Yuko grumbled with a blush.
"Do a lot of rogue demons come here?" Homugi asked.
"No," Yamashi answered, stealing food out of Yuko's bowls. "Some simply choose to live here because it's a better option than where they were. Others are businesspeople. I don't know if you've met Lord Moeru yet, but he's the best example. He was a merchant in the eastern territory. He didn't make nearly as much money as he's making now. He travels west to simply do business with other demons in order to expand or stretch out his money. It's proven to be more lucrative this way. A lot of demons have tried to take Heiwa as their own territory. That's how I found this place. Even Lord Aka tried to take it over a long time ago. You're not the first rogue to find her way here, but you and Sesshomaru are the first inu that I've seen here. How long have you gone rogue?"
"Recently, actually," Homugi said with her head down. "I guess I'm more like the demons who choose to come here for a better way of living. The House of Inu isn't the place for me anymore."
"Well, you'll fit in just fine here," Yamashi said with scoff then a chuckle. "The Wild Boar Kingdom isn't worth anyone's time anymore either. It's going bankrupt now. But I don't rightly care. I have the life I want. So does my sister. I don't know about your Lord Sesshomaru, but I think you'll find your way soon."
"Why has he been visiting this place? He's not trying to take it over, is he?" Homugi questioned, nervous about the answer.
"We don't know either," Yuko replied, shaking her head. "I met him when the farmlands were being attacked by that huge demon from the Netherworld. I think he just so happened to be in the area. He's visited at different times ever since."
"If he barges in on another funeral, I'm making a scene in front of everybody," Yamashi threatened, eyes narrowing.
"Yamashi!" Yuko called, pushing the man's arm with displeasure.
Author's Commentary Corner: *sniffs* Hey... do you smell something? *sniffs* I think I'm... I'm smelling... *gasps, slaps face cheeks* fan theories! XD Ayo? *does a trash Molly dance* We in here! I didn't think this was a thing for fan fiction. I'm extra hype now! I need to give y'all a gift! Thank you for being an interactive part of this story project. I might actively cry. Let me answer some of these fan theory questions for you, guys.
Q: What kind of role is Norihisa going to play? Is he this series' serial killer for demons? What was he doing with the mask?
A: Norihisa is the villain for Sesshomaru's part of the story. Unfortunately, I can't spoil what the Kyonshi Mask actually does, but it is very dangerous to other characters besides Meioshi. She's the only one immune to its effects.
Q: I've always been fascinated by the concept of Sesshomaru's past, but Rumiko Takahashi never provides much in canon. Are you going to show more of that in this series? We can see that something went wrong somewhere down the line because he's so cute early on.
A: The best thing that I can do in relation to his past is guess at what could've happened to him. I'm showing glimpses of it through innocent moments right now, but it'll eventually become a lot darker in order to mold him into the Sesshomaru that we know now. My theory is that he did have friends at some point, but they were taken from him in traumatic events. In order to not feel the pain of loss again, he just closed himself off from being friendly with anyone. That's the only thing I can think of that would make sense or would make you feel sympathetic towards his character.
Q: For the alternative endings, will Sesshomaru have different romantic paths in his story? There's three female characters present in his life now.
A: No, he just has two official romantic paths. His relationships with others will have different paths. If you notice, the first alternative ending had Meioshi and Moeru in it while they were looking for presents for Moeru's grandchildren. They were present because he developed something between them. Moeru visited Jaken often but behind closed doors, and Ah-Un visited Meioshi behind closed doors, but that's because those characters developed relationships with each other through friendship points. So, Jaken knows Moeru has grandchildren and visits him or his family, and Ah-Un visits Meioshi and Kirameku Ha whenever he's allowed to roam. The other characters at that point didn't have a strong connection with Sesshomaru, so they didn't appear or inevitably forgot about him. As you get further into the story, this will progressively change. Characters who develop a strong connection with Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Ah-Un will appear in alternative endings, so the audience will see what happens to certain characters or hear about certain characters through mentions. Think of it like those games that have a relationship meter. Certain characters will have romantic points, friendship points, or rival points in their point system. The meter, or system visual, will show you the relationship you've developed through choices in certain settings or situations. It's a similar system being used here.
Q: Will there be more scenes with Sesshomaru's mother in this series? I love her appearances! Especially her fight scene in the movie! What's her weapon's origin story? You mentioned something about hyper yoki energy in Chapter 56. What is that?
A: That fight scene was astoundingly popular in my view feed. *laughs* Milady's tanto was given to her by Lord Touga as a gift. Hyper yoki is a part of the battle system I'm using in this story. She uses a heightened form of yoki energy to transform the tanto from its regular form to the sword. It's meant to be incredibly more destructive in power and reach in hyper mode. Yes, she will appear more, but I can't spoil future episodes in which she appears.
Q: Is Homugi polyamorous? In Chapter 76, she wished for a bride and groom as a child.
A: Homugi's a millenial. Let's go! *laughs* No, she's not polyamorous. That particular memory is setting up her character for Meioshi's teachings in future episodes. By going rogue from the House of Inu, she is equivalent to being a ronin (masterless warrior). The wish from that memory is important to her character as the bride and groom represent two things she used to hold dear to her heart as a child. It was, unfortunately, abruptly taken from her after Sesshomaru rejected marrying her.
Q: Ohta! Will Ohta appear more in the series? It looks like he'd be a great spy since he can disguise himself and fight.
A: Yes, he'll appear more, BUT the alternative endings will affect his role in the story significantly. When the reader chooses the other romantic path for Sesshomaru, different things happen to Ohta as the story progresses.
Q: Will you create a link between Meioshi and the Meido Stone? Her name sounds similar to the word meido.
A: That's a great observation! I love that theory! The English translation of Meioshi's name is actually "medical doctor" when spelled Me-i oshi. I chose to spell it incorrectly for ease of writing, but that's why everyone typically just calls her or refers to her as simply doctor. With exception to Jaken (and Sesshomaru on occasion) who mainly calls her a witch because of Meioshi's ability to summon a boat that can fly. Jigoku, her last name, is the literal word for hell in Japanese. Hence, the title of this story and her being its titular character. You're just saying the English translation of her full name. Jigoku Meioshi = hell doctor. The Meido Stone has a different purpose in this story. No one knows what that is just yet, but it's linked to everyone in significant ways. The Hunt for the Meido Stone arcs is riddled with the mystery surrounding it, so I would stay tuned for its origin story.
Q: You almost never see Kaede's past explored in fics. What made you choose to expand on her?
A: Kaede is one of my favorite characters from Inuyasha, but I never liked how her character was treated in all honesty. She feeds into that stereotype that a woman with a handicap is undesirable or not whole enough to have a full life. That's just not true, and I've read stories where older women had both tragic and romantic pasts before they became known as hags. She deserves more than just being an old woman who always has the door open for misfits. There's a reason she is how she is. Hopefully, I can keep you around to show you what I mean by that since she's making an appearance again soon.
Q: Did Rin remind Sesshomaru of child Homugi when they met? In Chapter 84, it's mentioned that she and Sesshomaru had become friends right around Rin's age. Are you using his relationship with Homugi as an explanation for his kindness towards Rin?
A: That's another great theory! And an excellent observation! I think it would have been unfair for Sesshomaru to see child Homugi in Rin in that specific moment. Reason being, Homugi was never orphaned or vulnerable at Rin's age, so Sesshomaru has no reference to go by to make that connection. You could argue that he missed Homugi, however, since both girls had similar personalities at that age. In the childhood memory segments, Sesshomaru and Homugi were very close friends. Once Rin gains confidence in speaking again, I think Sesshomaru would have been reminded of Homugi more then. In a way, his desire to protect Rin would also be his way of saying he wished he could have protected Homugi or that he wished he could see her again since they were fully separated after the betrothal dinner. You'll have to stay tuned to see if that's the case.
I think that's everything. These are all great questions and theories, though. Definitely my vegan food for thought. XD Y'all are raising the bar for me! Now, I gotta outdo my own work for the rest of this series. What have I done? 0_o But I look forward to the challenge, and I hope I can deliver even greater character moments. After all, that special is on the horizon.
