Author's Notes: Reader discretion is advised. This chapter includes sexually explicit content involving a minor in moderate detail. My definition of a minor is a person who is under the age of eighteen, requires the consent of an adult for decision-making purposes, and typically doesn't perform physical labor, or work, in a natural setting regardless of poverty level or lack thereof. This particular definition is closest to the feudal era's definition of a minor, but it does have a drawback. During the warring period, many children had undergone "adultification" processes that forced them to marry, work, and join the military at very young ages. This was typically done during their adolescent years, and it was common for adolescence to not be acknowledged or skimmed over. A region's economy was often another reason for such drastic life changes for feudal youth. The term adultification is generally found in articles about or related to incarceration and child sexual abuse. It has been used to refer to the manipulative behavior to treat/see children as adults prematurely in order to perform inappropriate, lewd, or life-threatening behavior against them and escape the consequences of those actions.

If you feel you this type of content is uncomfortable for you, I completely understand. You can skip to the heading After Nayoko is Laid to Rest.

Nayoko, the Pretty Girl

Numb. That was the extent of what she was allowed to feel. She didn't dare clutch at the bedsheets or the mattress. She especially avoided gripping at a patron's clothes or skin in any way. Never touch a patron. They're only there for a singular thing: gratification. Show them nothing, give them everything. Endure it. That's how she's survived. Looking into the ceiling, she watched the tiles move in the same messy rhythm her body was forced to move. She dared not make a singular sound that encouraged the patron to continue in his rapture. She learned not to plead, not to give in, and not to respond. Her silence instead became a challenge to others. Many patrons stomped off if they were unsuccessful in making her produce a noise. Some even threatened not to pay, but you never withheld money from Rosanjin. He was quick to kill or harm another. Laughing at a patron for his bragging was a worse fate. She was beaten for the embarrassment several times.

Feeling this new man's member thumping inside of her was her telltale sign that he was at his end. It was almost over. She never looked at a patron when this part was happening. She remained silent and looked elsewhere. The heat and pressure in her canal built up enough for her to twitch a finger, but that was all she would give him. He was a noisy fellow. Noisier than most. He collapsed on her with his sweaty, heavy body and said something after he caught his breath, but she gave no response and wiggled her way out from underneath him. She didn't take his money. She closed her kimono and left the room to walk to the bathing room. The stinging and dripping of her genitalia were clear signs that bleeding may have occurred. She didn't rightly care. Perhaps, this would be the one mercy that the world would have left to give her. Tonight was her last night working here...

The guards were transitioning to either the next shift or going to the barracks to sleep. She was in the clear. Her chest was burning, her ankles feeling pressure from overuse, and her legs starting to ache from the long run. She kept running. She didn't look back. If death was the last bit of freedom she would feel, then she would accept that instead. It wasn't until she heard movement ahead of her and smelled food and fire that she slowed in her steps. She was quiet in catching her breath. A man walked past her. She hid behind a tree until she heard him yawn and take his time sitting down. He was covered in bandages and was a bit older.

"Good morning, gentlemen!" a woman greeted cheerfully. "Slept well?"

"Mornin', doc," the man replied. "Not as well as you with your snoring."

"I do not snore!" the woman said with some offense in her voice. She had a strange accent but a playful vibrato.

"Nah, you just roar," a younger man teased, earning some chuckles. He was cute and wrapped in bandages as well. They must have been attacked somewhere.

Coming from behind a wagon was a young woman dressed in a green haori jacket and beige hakama pants. She was quite lovely and seemed warm. She was preparing breakfast from the looks of it and setting things up for the men to eat. Rice, stew, and eggs were all placed in bowls of equal portions, but she placed an extra bowl in an empty spot and looked into the treetops to smile. She didn't look up to avoid looking at a patron. She had hope and peace in those light brown eyes.

That woman... is a doctor? she thought.

"Who's that bowl for, doc?" another man asked, curious as to why there were extra servings.

"I always leave extra for someone if they need it," she answered, turning back to her wagon to retrieve a sword. She strapped it to her person and then placed a hand on her hips. "You never know who needs help in this line of work. So, I prepare for the occasion."

She... can fight? she thought, looking at the weapon. The doctor seemed too gentle to be able to fight, but if the men felt safe near her even while injured then she must be able to defend herself at the very least. Will you... help me? Hearing noises behind her and voices in the distance, she sharply turned behind her and shook her head. No... I don't... want to go back, but... I don't want to die either! Please... help me.

Before she could turn to run, the woman had dashed past her and sliced a demon in two. Several demons had appeared, but the doctor handled each one with an enchanted sword. When the fight was over, she felt fear pounding in her chest and taking her breath away. She could barely breathe and the pain from running for so long through the woods finally kicked in. She didn't know when she started stumbling toward the doctor, but she clung to her body and let out tears.

"Please help me!" she begged, startling the doctor at first before feeling her turn around to embrace her.

"Little one, where did you come from?" the doctor asked, kneeling to meet her eyes. "You've so many bruises."

"Hey, I heard something over here!"

Eyes widening, the girl begged again, "Please help me!"

The doctor narrowed her eyes and turned in the direction of noises before picking the girl up and running to her wagon. She hurriedly placed her on the wagon floor before hiding her away in a tall basket. The doctor then instructed, "Don't come out unless you hear my voice. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," the girl answered, nodding hurriedly.

She sunk into the tall basket and curled into a ball with her hands covering her mouth to stop from whimpering. She heard the volume of voices increase, a few swords being unsheathed, and then maybe a yelp or two from pain. After that, all was quiet again. There was movement on the wagon and then the sound of water being poured. Light trickled its way into the basket before the lid came off. She curled herself tighter in a ball until she heard that accented voice.

"Little one? You can come out now," the doctor said gently.

She opened her eyes with relief, looked up, and saw the wagon roof had been opened. Trees and the sun pouring through them could be seen. Inside the basket were herbs and flowers. Climbing out, the girl saw the doctor smiling at her and holding her hand out. The girl began to cry again and ran out to the doctor with a small smile on her face. The doctor was okay! As she washed her, the doctor took care of her bruises and cuts, brushed her hair, trimmed the ends, and gave her a fresh yukata.

"There was a pretty girl underneath all those scars," the doctor said, smiling when she was complete with her process. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, ma'am," she replied.

"Is she okay?" the younger man asked from outside of the wagon.

He didn't notice the girl clutching at the doctor's pants from his voice. The doctor simply nodded, however, and replied, "Yes. Just a little frightened is all. She's had some trauma. We'll be out in a moment." When the young man left, she then asked, "What is your name, little one?"

"Nayoko."

"That's a pretty name for a pretty girl!" the doctor complimented, lightly chuckling. "I'm Meioshi. Nice to meet you!"

"Thank you, Dr. Meioshi," Nayoko said, smiling. "For giving me a second chance..."

After Nayoko is Laid to Rest...

Meioshi and Ohta were standing next to her flying boat at each other's side with serenity washing over their souls as they took one last look at their beloved Nayoko's grave. The doctor's promise to the children had been fulfilled and Shinju o Tateru was no more than burnt perfumes, overcooked foods, and ashes from wood. Sesshomaru and Jaken watched them quietly as the winds picked up the memorial flowers and petals that decorated the grave of the pretty girl named Nayoko from Kijiro's story.

Ohta surprised Sesshomaru greatly when he learned that the young teen had helped to burn down all of the okiyas. He dressed in a similar style to Meioshi: tight black shirt, cuffed hakama pants, brown and green boots, tiger fur belt, leather gauntlets and gloves, and Deer Horn weapons. His choice of weapon was the giveaway that he intended to be in close range of his enemy. Smelling the boy's blood, he rushed to the young one's aid and found him being ambushed by a group of samurai. Sesshomaru allowed Jaken to burn the particular building harboring Ohta's attackers to the ground. Ohta stayed behind to find someone, though, and begged Sesshomaru not to be involved no matter how much blood he smelled. His request was surprising but brave, understandable, and mature. It made the western lord wonder if acting as a guardian for the children he worked with made Ohta grow up in this manner, but he waited for Ohta outside as the boy went to face his enemy. When he did, he stood before Sesshomaru and started to cry, but his part of the mission was complete and he had to wait for Meioshi to return to him. He was the one that led Jaken and the Western lord to the grave.

Watching Meioshi be surrounded by flowers and embraced by the ghost of a young girl reminded Sesshomaru of something he simply hadn't acknowledged before. Though powerful, his rival could still be vulnerable without being meek. Or, at the very least, she could be emotional without losing control. She knew how to time her external rage and control it into a strategic attack. It's something not often touched upon when looking at the life and prowess of a female warrior. She upheld her code of honor even to the dead. As she rose to her feet, and even as she was standing before him, his respect for her grew a bit more. Ohta, despite his bossiness and bravery, looked more like a child as Meioshi hung her arm over his shoulders and placed a hand on his head for him to lean on her. His youth returned to his delicate features, and his natural beauty took over to show the boy soon to become a man within a few years. In Meioshi's arms, Ohta was protected and nurtured. He still had time to be a child but was allowed moments to act as an adult. It was something that Sesshomaru could say he envied. Growing up in one's own time was an uncommon luxury.

Admirable... Sesshomaru thought.

"It is done," Meioshi said more to herself than aloud, closing her eyes to let the wind take her hair. She took it out of the bun and roningasa hat she wore earlier to simply let it fly among the flower petals. She then said, "It amazes me how one mission becomes several more in a short moment. I don't know why you decided to stick around but thank you for helping me and Ohta."

"Well, Lord Sesshomaru knew Ohta was in trouble," Jaken said, giving Sesshomaru more of the credit. "I just made sure that safe house got the same amount of fire as all the others for ACTIVELY TRYING TO HURT A YOUNG LAD! The absolute nerve of some people!"

"Yeah, not a fan of ambush tactics on my butt," Ohta said with a light laugh and embraced Meioshi around her waist. "Thanks for making the safe house extra crisp, Lord Jaken."

"You should've just let me burn the whole village down myself. I had enough firepower," Jaken said, placing his hands on his hips with pride in his abilities.

Meioshi chuckled gently before saying, "I wouldn't have let you. I spent a lot of years waiting for this day. I lost many a fight and legal battle in this place, and all because of one man's greed and inability to escape his demons until he became one himself. He was too far gone for anyone to save. All the times I was either beaten, humiliated, or even thrown in the mud prepared me to accept the results in a way. Nothing satisfied me more than giving the village master exactly what he wanted. A steady income equivalent in worth to the richest person he knew."

"Oh, I kept forgetting to ask who that was," Ohta said, looking up at the doctor.

"You," Sesshomaru replied, locking eyes with the doctor. "Your estate in Heiwa is similar in design to the one on the outskirts of the village, but the cliff overlooking it is missing. Whatever you had up there must have been burned down. It no longer has worth unless you rebuilt it the way you essentially built Shinju o Tateru."

"Very astute observation, my lord," Meioshi said with a cat-like grin and elfish chuckle. "Hopefully, you use that skill in your investigation and find your murderer. What you've mentioned so far is beginning to concern me. The black wall demon we faced shouldn't have had any lingering power over this world when I purified it. I worry another is using that to his or her advantage. I know you don't particularly want my involvement in this, but please don't hesitate to find me if the situation escalates."

"It already has," Sesshomaru replied. "The rally has started. I had the men return home before you burned everything."

Meioshi's eyes widened before they returned to normal, and she sighed. She then asked softly, rubbing Ohta's shoulder, "There's nothing you can do?"

"My next steps are already underway," Sesshomaru replied with a huff. He turned around to walk away, stopped, and then said over his shoulder, "The ambassador's meeting place has to be close by."

Meioshi gasped lightly, smiled, and then said, "Good luck, Lord Sesshomaru."

Ohta looked down at his feet for a moment, smiled gently, and giggled at his next choice of actions. He ran to him, blushed, and then quickly embraced the western lord and almost whispered, "Thank you. Oh, you, too, Jaken!"

"Huh? Oh! That's not - !" Jaken started, unable to escape Ohta's small hug in time. He slumped his shoulders, relaxing in Ohta's embrace, and said with a smirk, "Necessary. You stay out of trouble from here, little one. It'd be an awful shame if you got yourself hurt after all of this."

"And you, two, stop wandering into different towns like you're homeless," Ohta lectured, releasing Jaken to say those words. "Take a bath, relax, eat, sleep on a bed. Not every person on the face of the earth is out to get you! If I hear the doctor so much as mention you sleeping on a boat the next time she sees you, I'm snatching you off it by that beak of yours and the swordsman by those pointy ears!"

"I'll have you know Lord Sesshomaru and I have traveled the country for nearly a century and not once - !" Jaken shouted, interrupted by Ohta.

"And not once have you slept more soundly than at the estate. Admit it," Ohta argued, placing his fists on his hips and narrowing his eyes with a puff of his cheeks.

Jaken fumbled his words at that before saying, "You, humans, just enjoy taking the credit for your conveniences! Your service was greatly appreciated, but - !"

"Aht!" Ohta said, pointing a finger at Jaken and smiling brightly. "You admitted it. In all your travels, we were the best hosts of the century!"

"Wha - ?"

"No takebacks!" Ohta claimed, closing Jaken's beak with his two fingers.

Meioshi chuckled gently before commenting, "That's quite the statement, but I believe our baby grapple bears will start to get nervous soon. Are you ready to go home, my Ohta?"

"Home?" Ohta asked, eyes welling up now that his freedom was a reality.

Meioshi leaned over, held out a hand, and said with a bright smile, "Home."

"Let's go, Jaken," Sesshomaru called, continuing his walk. "Your staff is needed."

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru! Farewell, humans!" Jaken said, waving goodbye to Meioshi and Ohta and running ahead of his lord.