"If I didn't know any better, I'd say your alibi needs some work because your disguise was practically flawless," Meioshi said, locking eyes with the old man. "Who are you, sir?"
The man said nothing for a long moment until he finally replied with a younger man's voice, "Kinzo. Why are you here, doctor?"
"She's a holy warrior much like you, young Kinzo," Tadamasa replied, wadding in the waters calmly. "She's going to that piece of land yonder to search for clues. Know ye of the Meido Stone?"
Kinzo said nothing, eyes locked on Meioshi, and hummed. He said with no real thought behind it, "It's too dangerous for a beauty to go over there. Supposing I did know where this stone was, why would I give you that information? There's nothing in it for me."
"There is if you came all this way out here to forbid me further and remained on this boat to reveal a name whether it's yours or not. What reason would you have to give me warning?" Meioshi asked, taking up her kiseru pipe for a smoke. She leaned back to listen to the man then said, "The last one didn't."
"Last one?" Kinzo questioned, raising a brow.
"Yes. A little girl from the Fukuyama clan was the last to speak to me. She left me no warning," Meioshi replied.
"The Fukuyama clan perished centuries ago," Kinzo said, eyes searching for Meioshi's lie. "Quite a few centuries ago, actually. That's damn-near eight! You've no merit for that."
"Oh? My clan aid others both living and not. Those with unfinished business are put to rest and are able to enter the afterlife peacefully. The little girl with me now is the last member of the Fukuyama clan. She was enslaved by Azumamaro and at war with Kouumoto, the original wielder of the Taiyoko-sen Coin. I imagine your group of warriors must specialize in some larger duty. If you're telling me to go no further, your people are either in danger, enslaved, or dead. Otherwise, one of you wouldn't have given me such an introduction," Meioshi said, puffing on her pipe one last time. There wasn't much tobacco left.
"You're just one woman, and that little girl is surely in the afterlife now," Kinzo said, harrumphing in disbelief.
"The girl lives, young Kinzo," Tadamasa said, playing in the waters again. He found a small fish. "She's living with the doctor now. You can see her for yourself. Of course... you can test the doctor before you for proof as well."
Kinzo hummed with thought at this before looking out into the waters. A look of remorse graced his eyes before he said, "Very well. Find your way out of my dungeon, and I'll take you to the village. If you're really a holy warrior, you should know how to purify things. While you're doing that, I'll give your village a visit!"
Abruptly, a burst of light and a blast of storm wind flung Meioshi off her boat. The calming waters of the freshwater lake turned into walls of rushing water shooting upwards like geysers. Tadamasa was in the air, unhappy with being unable to swim and play like before. He formed pockets of ice to make platforms for himself to come down and meet Meioshi at the bottom. The doctor looked to the sky to see Kinzo floating on a ball of power. Though his disguise was still in place as an old man, she could see from the condition of his feet that he was practically a quarter of the age he was portraying. His eyes were flashing an ominous red with just solid black pupils in the center. It looked like she wasn't going to be able to see his face or the bake-off with her children at this rate. She watched Kinzo leave her with a newfound anger and took note of his power in creating illusions. Voices could be heard like they were in the distance, and a shadow passed from the corner of her eyesight rapidly. It seemed she had some work to do...
Sesshomaru and Jaken followed Atasuke's directions quite well as they were going down the fork in the road. Though Jaken was musing just as much as Sesshomaru was, his curiosity got the better of him so he decided to ask, "Me lord never speaks about himself much. Might I ask more about this Atasuke and why he doesn't act as your servant?"
"I didn't want him to be such a thing," Sesshomaru answered honestly. For whatever reason, Atasuke had the same effect on him the way Sugawara and Imamura had. They didn't put him in a foul mood. They... probably didn't know how to. They were just genuine people, and he found he respected and enjoyed that about them. He couldn't say the same for most other demons. Sesshomaru then continued, "He broke me out of imprisonment when I was younger. That's why he mentioned the customs at home."
"You were in prison? At another demon's dungeon?" Jaken questioned.
"No... my father had me imprisoned," Sesshomaru said, stopping to look into the sky.
For whatever reason, he thought about Tsuyoi and what it was like to see his soul actually go up there. There were other good-hearted demons in the world. Did they go up there, too? Heaven seemed like such a forbidden and faraway place for his kind. What did the afterlife look like for his kind? Are there gods that judge their souls the way the humans claim that they do? Grand Monk Shishido once said that heaven goes by favor, not simply by merit. Probably a good thing. His ticket to hell was more than likely written in big, bold print on a gold leaf piece of paper. Pity he no longer had a fear of such a place anymore. He purified much of it in his grieving for Rin. He made his own spot of heaven in the midst of hell. Seeing the remains of the man he once looked up to was a better fate than being surrounded by flames and death with him staring into his soul and just turning away from him. It would be no different than how he felt towards him now. The irony of that. He supposed being separated from his rival put into perspective a little tidbit about death he'd rather omit. In truth, he did have some trepidation of it, but... his fears went away for a moment when he watched Meioshi dance on the ravine.
That's what made the rivalry worthwhile for him. Their final battle in the future to come was a big part of their relationship, and he does want to fight Meioshi at full power someday. Only the prize had changed in recent days. At least when they're both on their deathbeds and can go no further, they can go to the gates of heaven together. He may not be able to go with her among the gods, but he could find solace in escorting her where she belongs. Since she knew folks in hell, he knew she'd take care of a friend even if he was meant to go elsewhere. It was in her nature. It was a far less lonely thought. He might end up stuck with Tadamasa, but that might be who he preferred to spend an eternity in hell with because he knew someone who could at least talk to his rival. Maybe he could exchange a joke or two with her through a third party and have the punchline still stick. Drinking sulfuric acid was far superior for the soul than a meager cup of water, obviously. What would she say to that? Would she even know how to respond to such a ridiculous comparison? Knowing her, she'd probably give him a tea bag and some water to dilute the acid... or pop him upside of the head to lecture him. More fitting.
He guessed his father might have gone up there with his wife. If so, heaven wasn't worth going to, yet... he couldn't help wondering about his rival's dance. Miki. What was school like for them? Did Meioshi know other dances? Was she good at it back then? The Green Pheasant said she left school often in favor of playtime. She must've gotten punished for a lot of things.
You're not a lowlife, Meioshi... Sesshomaru thought. In my hunt for living a life that doesn't follow so closely to the laws of traditional custom, I've become accustomed to forcing others to live their lives according to what I deemed appropriate or tolerable within said customs. Your pallbearer friend spoke kindly of you. He is not like the scavengers who tried feasting on Rin's soul. He was gentler. Why weren't the others like him? What was prison like for you? Were you afraid of your punishment? Were you tortured? Tch! Listen to me. Apologizing to someone who's not in front of me! I'm not looking for forgiveness. I am Lord Sesshomaru! What would a human know about youkai customs or politics? But... you've fought against our customs honorably before. You fight for what is right, not for what is custom. For that reason, I'll give you a rat. You can choose whether you want to reunite with me again or search for clues on your own. It's my responsibility to take...
"The first time, I didn't want to leave my cell. I barely slept or ate. I just stayed there, tried to train, tried to read, but it was all for naught. An upcoming barkeep named Imamura came to our home to speak to me. He and Sugawara were the only people I confided in. My parents tried to get me to do things that I used to like, but I didn't want to be around them or out and about. I just stayed in my cell, writhing like a worm. Atasuke was trading with Imamura, so he snuck me out and I visited the Fire Rat Colony for the first time then. I wasn't gone long, and I remember my grandfather finding me, but he didn't lecture me or say anything that I would consider disciplinary. He was just making sure I was fine if memory serves me right. Atasuke and Sugawara made a sleeping tonic for me. It calmed me down a lot. Slowly, I started talking to my family again, but my parents were on the verge of separating, and my grandfather was out doing something. I'm assuming that he must've been dealing with the Okuri-inu or the court. It had to be something more serious. My parents did come together to ease the tension between everyone, and I do remember that working for a while, but... I was imprisoned a second time not long after. For my first hunt, I killed humans, halflings, and lower-class demons. Though I spared the innocents, I was beaten for killing any living creature with a conscience regardless of their moral status. Atasuke, Imamura, and Sugawara were the only people I had left to celebrate my becoming a man with. Father left for his human wife not long after that. Those three men are true guardian spirits and helped me in ways my family just couldn't. For them, I became this Sesshomaru. I am the symbol of strength that they gave me to fight for my life because I was willing to lose it by trapping myself in that cage longer than necessary. I was a worm once!"
I was like you once, rival... Sesshomaru thought. Tired of people calling me something I'm not. Tired of feeling powerless. Tired of punishing myself.
"I will fail no more!" Sesshomaru declared, lifing up his claw and summoning yoki energy.
A rumble stirred around them, knocking Jaken to his knees. Abruptly, a demon with six arms emerged the earth and let out a proud roar.