Why are you not fighting? Sesshomaru thought.

It wasn't long before Kirameku Ha sheathed his own sword as well. Jaken looked at both the old man and the doctor with worry before asking, "What are you two doing? We're under attack! Why aren't you fighting back?"

"... I can't," Meioshi said with a long sigh. "This isn't my battle to fight. The pallbearers have made that clear."

"The pallbearers?" Jaken questioned before realizing that the situation was more serious with that tidbit of information. He backed up, furrowing his brow and growling, and then said, "So you are responsible for these demons coming from the Netherworld. Your visits are causing all of this and you don't even care!"

"Do not be so hasty, Lord Jaken," Kirameku Ha replied calmly, watching Sesshomaru and the others fight. "You have to think carefully. The pallbearers told her to stand down because she would upset something within the Netherworld. Whether that's world order or a predetermined affair, we don't know for certain. Regardless of the reason, she can't interfere with something that has been decided would happen."

"Pallbearers are known for taking the souls of the dead. You're saying she can't save them? I thought you were all for justice! You're just a fraud!" Jaken argued.

"... Only one of the souls can be saved," Meioshi finally said after silence passed.

"You two," a voice called. Standing over the small group was Azumamaro, no longer distracted by Sesshomaru and the two inu soldiers. They were at war with the enchanted soldiers for now. Meioshi and Kirameku Ha looked up at the beast while Ah-Un growled before stepping in front of Jaken to shield him. Azumamaro then asked quietly, "You were soldiers once, were you not?"

"Some time ago, yes," Kirameku Ha replied. "I've retired from war and military training since then. I'm a gardener now. The most I do in my travels these days is visit my grandchildren or old comrades. Rambunctious, little tots! All of them!"

"I prefer the term landscape artist for my sensei, but the little ones are so cute," Meioshi corrected, smirking. "I was part of a medical unit in the army before I left. Battle of the Beachfront, Operation: White Fox. That's what we called it. The months there were harsh. Victory short in number, our numbers declined in one fatal ambush tactic."

Azumamaro hummed with thought, narrowed his eyes, and responded, "You could prove to be useful. Moreso than these petulant boys. I am hunting for the soul or descendants of a traveling priest. His home is close and his trail warm. Only one of pure heart or one of pure wisdom can find the Taiyōkō-sen coin."

"Why are we useful for such a thing?" Kirameku Ha asked. "We could be corrupt or dumb, respectively."

"You, old gent, saw the girl behind me. The woman has her scent," Azumamaro responded. "I would assume you'd want the girl to live, wouldn't you? She, after all, will be devoured next."

Leaping into the air to dodge a fatal blow, the beastly steed landed away from Sesshomaru with a hard thud. The soldiers all seemed to have perished. Of course, the son of the great general and his apprentices would be able to handle enchanted corpses. No matter. Twirling his tail around, the black hair of Azumamaro's tail spun about until it covered the steed.

He then said, "My time is being wasted on the likes of these dogs. You have three days to find the coin, or I consume the girl you're trying to protect."

"Jeez, what a sore loser!" Sanraku complained.

"What could that demon possibly want with a coin?" Meioshi asked quietly, folding her arms.

"Hey!" Reijiro called, walking up to Meioshi. "Who the hell are you?"

"Jigoku Meioshi," she answered calmly, locking eyes with Reijiro. "Normally, I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but, judging from your furrowed brow and clenched jaw, you've no such hospitality. How might I assist you?"

"You can start by drawing your weapon," Reijiro growled. "You're that oni girl from before. The one who got her daddy to attack Lord Sesshomaru and weaken us."

"You must be mistaken. I'm not an oni. I'm a human," Meioshi said, placing a hand on her chest. "Two very different species. Secondly, my father is no longer among the living, I'm afraid. Perhaps you mean another?"

"I don't," Reijiro hissed, summoning a pair of kabutowari with the inu crest at the base of the blade.

Sesshomaru stood in front of Meioshi and glared at Reijiro before saying, "This woman's life is mine to take. Know your place or your life, and your comrade's, is forfeit."

"Then, I was right! You do care about this person more than any one of us. My sensei died for nothing because of you and your little witch!" Reijiro argued, hair standing on end and floating with yoki energy traveling through his body. "Takamuku loved you like a brother! And you'd rather betray all of your own kind, just to be in the arms of this human?"

Clapping sounded after a pause rose in the air. The men all turned to Meioshi, who was completely unimpressed by the display of testosterone, and watched her tilt her head before saying, "As romantic as all this is, I'm not staying here to entertain you with a fight. I don't know who Takamuku is or even who you are. My concerns are elsewhere. I've introduced myself accordingly and stayed out of your fight earlier. I'm a servant girl to the imp over there, thus I mean nothing to your Lord Sesshomaru here. Your precious ruler can't even stand to look at me half the time! Your lash outs are misplaced. If you don't mind, I've a mystery to solve and a young girl to protect. Are you staying with the boys, sensei?"

Kirameku Ha was quiet before he smirked and said, "Why not? I could use the exercise."


Author's Commentary Corner: I mean, I've been leaving comments on almost every other chapter. Is this part even necessary anymore? *gets a slipper thrown at me* 0_o Okay then... *reading reviews starting from Chapter 80*

On Kaede: You have no idea how ready I am to publish her ULTIMO clapback on everybody. Part of me is still angry that Kaede was shoved to the side the way she always seems to be, even in fandoms, and the other part of me is like "Nah, let 'em keep doin' it." 'Cause, ooo. Ooo! Y'all have no idea. I've been dying to do Kaede some justice for YEARS because Takahashi and the rest of the world expect me to believe that Coke bottle figure Kaede ain't been gettin' checked out because of an eye problem. What? So not only do I get to give her a voice, I get to give her a man? *jumping around exaggeratedly* I am ready. I don't need no other version of Kaede but this one. Kaede is 'bout to be my bae when I get to it. ;-D

On Sesshomaru and Meioshi's relationship: The letter that Meioshi wrote to Sesshomaru is actually symbolic of her evolution as the supportive presence in Sesshomaru's life. You can kind of see her go from being a temp ally (helping in battle when necessary) to a healer (checking for wounds despite her own injuries) to being a mentor (teaching self-forgiveness)... Until she threatens to punch the dude. XD

Honestly, I don't think Takahashi set up Sesshomaru's character to like women who can beat him up, but I do think it's easier for characters to get through to him if they can pull at his heart strings (that he claims don't exist but do), rupture his ego, or overpower him. In order for him to even respect Meioshi as an equal, when in canon this wouldn't even be a discussion, I had to make it to where she infiltrates his space somehow. Fighting him with the roningasa hat was more or less a blow to his ego because a human woman was capable of keeping up with him versus all of the demons he had to fight in the Inuyasha storyline. When they fight again, Meioshi unleashes a lot more power to battle him and he loses her respect as a warrior because of his snippiness. The reason why that entire conversation at the ravine was so significant to the story and their relationship was because they formally looked at each other in the eye as equals - something Sesshomaru would have never done pre- or post-canon, and their mutual acceptance of a purposeful rivalry showed how he and Meioshi value the same thing: honor.

Seeing Meioshi at Nayoko's grave is when she pulls at his heart strings because she was able to free her wards from Rosanjin and give them all better lives of their choosing. The conversations they shared while he stayed with her in Shinju o Tateru were mostly questions about how Meioshi will fare once everyone leaves or grows up without her. Her response to his questions inspired him to look differently at how the situation is between him and Rin. That cements Meioshi's status as equal, or rival/potential friend, versus how others have crafted his openness to a new comrade. She earned it in her own way.

Though their development is slow, the sexual tension between Sesshomaru and Meioshi is starting to build up. Between the movie's ending and the filler episode when Meioshi got bullied by fellow samurai, that small piece of time is where Sesshomaru had grown a sort of attraction towards Meioshi. The scene directly after the movie, where Meioshi is running away from him, is a small giveaway. She tried escaping five times, but he never let Jaken go get her despite knowing her powers are dormant. He voluntarily goes out to get her and threatens to make her bathe Jaken while she's naked. Jaken would never suggest that as a punishment. Sesshomaru just doesn't recognize that what he's feeling is actually attraction. If anything, he'd recognize it as amusement or exacting his authority. Meioshi is the one who's not responding to the tension at all. Because she's so focused on Sojuro/Hidorobo, Homugi, and now Hasumi, she's not even paying attention to our icy aristocrat. She does worry about him out of kindness, but he hasn't earned any romantic response from her yet. So, he doesn't know what he's feeling, and she doesn't care. XD

On the FAQ sections: Some reviews I kind of answered in the first section, but I wanted to create this so I could address some fan theories a bit earlier. Your welcome if I answered your questions or theories in the FAQ section. It, honestly, felt like I was being interviewed like a real mangaka. That brings me such joy! I can't thank you enough for the engagement.

On fanart: One day my story will be cool enough to get fanart. :'( One day...

On Homugi and Meioshi's relationship: Their friendship is so cute to write. XD Homugi wants nothing more than to be a knight and protect whoever she believes is worthy of a throne, and poor Meioshi just wants to be a good doctor.

On Hasumi: My baby miko! XD I was actually inspired by Muse Dash, a rhythm game my brother plays, and Pokémon when I created this character. I wanted a cute kid who could hold her own in a fight and help Homugi overcome the sort of angst she felt when she had to deal with Rin. I don't like making Rin into this annoying or obsessive kid at all, but I had to look at it from Homugi's perspective and not be too nice about it. This is easily the hardest thing to do because I don't know how to make Rin unlikeable. The most I can do is time Rin's response to Sesshomaru in such a way that Homugi would be ticked off just from hearing her voice. For me, that's more relatable because I've been in a position where I didn't want to hear a certain person's name... but then that's all I heard for a couple of hours straight and I'm like "Enough already!" Hasumi has, however, become one of my favorite and cutest child characters. I'm glad you all love her, too.

On Sesshomaru's grandpa: Jikomo! XD I couldn't resist a fluffy, grumpy grandpa. I tried. X3 Funny enough, I was inspired by a character from Rave Master in Hikozaemon's design. Since Inu no Taisho is a brown-skinned man, I'm assuming his parents are brown-skinned as well. I just let Hikozaemon be brown skinned with white hair and yellow eyes. His personality is more in line with Sesshomaru being that he's the quieter type and is softer around children. He's not a fan of animals appearing in his bedroom at random, however. XD I thought Toga's charming personality worked better coming from his mother instead of his father. It just felt right for whatever reason. Age-wise, he's your typical demon who has lived for over a thousand years, but his physical appearance matches more with someone who's in his early sixties. I'd say somewhere around 63. He'd still be a good-looking man. He'd just have visible signs of aging like his eyes turning from the bright gold coloring to having grayer edges. Little ways to show that he's getting older. I look forward to his appearances in the future as they'll have a healthy blend of emotional pieces mixed together.

I believe that's everything I wanted to cover. Now comes the mushy, slobbery stuff because I owe a huge thank you to my growing shoutout squad. Special thanks to: Ryle Culler, xXSilverWindsXx, Huntersmoon1, BethxAngel, Italxa, marsmargari, starrat, twilightkight1243, Aurora9871, 00esoteric00, Birdly The Reaper of Souls, fulltimegenius, TourmalineBlue, Retrokin, TsubakiKagamine, obeyjulie7, Eala Bhan, caroline31102902, GalaxyKitty19, fAN1233, emchuji, gloglo100, saranicole00, bosutororu, ChibaChinaDoll, and Alanadda for being part of this story project and joining in on the fun! You all are the dog's bollocks and I love you for becoming my support team and small fiction family. I normally save shoutouts to the end of the season, but this is such a milestone chapter. I decided to do it earlier for the feely good feels. X3 As my small gift to you, I will present to you a bonus sneak peek of Kagome's future hobby turned side hustle in this story below. Enjoy, and thank you for supporting me!


The Birth of a Romance Novelist

||... ... ...||

Kagome could think of a lot of things that would be better worth her time. She truly could. She had no reason to be sitting in the house with a pout glued to her face. Those goblins that followed her and Kaede to the Shinto temple in the village was enough reason to investigate what was going on. Alas, the elderly woman said to dismiss it all. She had already given the goblin what it wanted, and they were perfectly harmless. Kagome, however, was not happy about so much mystery surrounding her mentor. Now, there's a woman named Meioshi she has to dig up information about! She had to think of something else to do. Gathering herbs for the day wasn't going to cut it. Not if Kaede was going to be tight-lipped. Walking out to the engawa facing the village, Kagome sat down to try to calm down. Maybe she could do something new? If she tried to babysit Sango's kids, she'd just complain to Sango or explode after Sango asked what was bothering her. She didn't want that. Jinenji was so sweet, but she didn't want to download anything onto him either. He wouldn't understand or care probably.

That's what made Kagome sigh out in frustration, however. Despite all of the wonderful things that Kaede has managed to do over the years, no one's ever asked her about what she wanted out of life. To know that deep down, she had someone she wanted to be with but felt guilty over it was... just unfair. To have bottled so much up and for so long... she had to have been close to losing her sanity. What was her beau like? She said he was handsome and a skilled swordsman. She had a female friend to go shopping with and maybe ask about what would make her look prettier. That's the closest thing to normal Kagome had ever heard in this era. How old was she when she met him? Was she about Kikyo's age or maybe a bit closer to her and Sango's age? She had left the village to learn archery while young, so... she must have learned to be an independent adult somewhere around that time. If she had seen that man again while he was bathing, she must have seen his physique and... well, she'd better stick to physique. Actually, no, Kaede mentioned understanding how dangerous lust could be, so she had to have seen more of him. A priestess and a quiet swordsman...

I guess that's not so unheard of... Kagome thought. The swordsman taught Kaede how to move on some time ago. Did she really bottle up all of those emotions for 50 years? To have to live without her sister and rebuild the entire village all alone like that... Why didn't the swordsman stay with her? Why didn't she go with him? She hasn't fully admitted it, but... she's been going home earlier to watch the sunset and moon rise. Did they used to do that together? All this time, I thought... she was like any other priestess, but... she was really like any other person. She may have chosen the robes, but she wasn't devoid of feelings.

"I have to do something for her," Kagome said to herself in a whispering tone. "She made this world safe and carefree for other people... like her. Children can live out their lives happily and protected. Women can have families safely and with support. You can even... oh, Kaede..."

What can I do? Kagome thought. Suddenly, something came to mind. Oh! Why don't I convince her beau to stay with her? That's it!

"But I don't know his name or what he looks like!" Kagome fussed, pouting with frustration like before. "Not unless... maybe another elder knows him. That's it! I'll put out a missing persons flyer! I'll have to make it really convincing so I can dig up more information or pick up a lead. Alright! I'll start with the facts. This man was a handsome swordsman in the past, so he must be close to Kaede's age and maybe settled down at a dojo because of the sword. Unless he was another bounty hunter, too? Maybe he was even a prince and didn't say anything because the romance was forbidden. That's juicy! But... Kaede said he could fight demons, too, so that'd make him able to use reiki or something. A holy warrior maybe? Man, that's way more options than necessary! He could've been a monk, too, because of the teachings. Jeez! C'mon, Kagome, you're the romance extraordinaire. You're looking for someone in his sixties who's good with a sword and is a wise teacher. He's also good at fighting demons. Now, how do I make it to where Kaede doesn't pick up on my trail...? A-ha!"

I'll start with saying that a winter soldier is missing. The forbidden romance between a bounty hunter and a jaded wartime hero! Kagome thought, picturing a man shrouded in his hat and a cloak. Swooning over him is her vision of a younger Kaede, blushing at the man's chiseled features and practically falling into his arms. A young, independent person finds love in a twist of fate that sends her spiraling in a whirlwind of passion during a cold war. A man full of mystery and power teaches her about redemption and forgiveness until the day the wind calls his name and they must part ways. Exchanging a final kiss, they can't help being overcome with fiery desire. She, devoted to the virgin robes; he, devoted to the way of the sword. Duties tossed asunder as they make love for the first and final time.

"This is actually going to kill me!" Kagome whined, flopping onto her back. "I have to find this guy or I'll just incinerate into pieces. Maybe I can just write everything down until I get more clues. Inspiration strikes when it strikes."