Wayward Servant final part

Manjushuge. Spider lilies. A sea of orange and red woven together artistically to appear as a calming, vibrant flow of crimson against deep brown to black tree trunks perfectly spotted in different locations like darkened capillaries. The wispy legs of the bright red blooms moved like the hairs on a spider crafting a winding web as a soft breeze passed by. Legend has it that the manjushuge were crafted by imp demons as an act of mischief against humans who feared spiders, but the beauty of the flowers instead brought joy to many who found the blooms to be a spectacle. Just passed the field of spider lilies was a pathway leading to green benikaze grass and damp soil surrounding a ditch that led to a pond of a sort. This natural landscaping is what gave Jaken's village its name. Always surrounded by reds, oranges, and golds, the land of imps was quite captivating, especially with such dark trees, rocks, and waters sitting next to the colorful foliage to give things more of a pop to the naked eye.

Sesshomaru was toting Jaken on his Moko Moko before he landed near the border leading to the fabled forest. Apprehensive at first, Jaken questioned why he was being returned to his home, but the western lord reassured his attendant that they were just visiting for a moment. In the meantime, the doctor was returned home to retrieve equipment for her stay in his party. Leading the way, Sesshomaru quietly scanned his surroundings before proceeding down the pathway to the village of imps.

"Lord Sesshomaru, have I dishonored you in some way? I know you said we were just visiting, but why the need to come here at all? Did the new leader of my old home trouble you in some fashion?" Jaken asked, reaching out to touch a lily.

"We are looking for a healer. One capable of making an antidote against poison," Sesshomaru answered plainly though cryptically.

"Is this antidote for the doctor?" Jaken asked, looking back at Sesshomaru. "She seemed fine at the camp. I didn't think I was that bad. Running off to commit suicide like that! The nerve! Unless..." the imp picked up his foot to smell it but didn't sense anything out of the ordinary. He then said, "Nope, still smells like that oil. If she poisoned herself to get out of her punishment, I'll punch her in the ass!"

Sesshomaru smirked at him, fully amused by the imagery and its connection to his own threat of forcing Meioshi to bathe Jaken while naked, and said, "That will not be necessary... yet. Irony aside, she is susceptible to being weakened by poison due to being a human. Gathering remedies for such a frail being is simply a method of precaution. She is your servant until I deem her innocent for the crimes against the House of Inu."

"Aye, me lord," Jaken responded, smiling crookedly. "There is something I'm curious about, though. You said she offered you uncharted territories when you apprehended her. What did that mean? Are they like Heiwa as in your father never claimed ownership over them?"

Sesshomaru pulled out his map of uncharted territories and handed it to Jaken. When the imp took it to look at it, he said, "He can't claim something that didn't exist yet. These lands are relatively new. Heiwa was just a couple of tents filled with cowards when he mapped it. It wasn't established like what we saw. Whatever the witch claimed as territory are all lands that have only been established for a few years. How she was able to do this underneath so many noses is the better question, especially if she managed to stake claim on demon territories within the west."

"That would mean she stole land from you, right?" Jaken asked, clutching the map tighter in his hand. "Wouldn't that be against the law or an act of war?"

"That was part of the reason for why I accepted her offer," Sesshomaru answered, narrowing his eyes. "She mentioned having a demon healer, a knowledgeable one at that. If he or she is known to me, she will be marked as an accomplice to the assailant. For her sake, she better have a flawless explanation for such a thing."

"Lord Jaken? Lord Sesshomaru? Is that you?" an imp dressed in no more than goat fur approached the two, looking quite surprised with his mouth agape. He then said, "My heavens! It is you! It's been so long!"

"Benjiro!" Jaken greeted, walking up to his old comrade. Said imp chuckled before placing a hand on Jaken's shoulder and nodding. Jaken then asked, "It has been long! You're the new leader of our home now, eh?"

"More like a young elder honestly," Benjiro replied, scoffing a bit and waving a hand at the notion. "It's kind of like advising. Easier to do without all that centralized pressure. How have you been since serving Lord Sesshomaru there?"

"There's so much to tell you about it! But it's been a worthwhile journey, I'd say," Jaken answered, folding his arms. "I've a new servant now. Lord Sesshomaru said she needed some antidotes for different poisons on our new quest. Apparently, one of those remedies can be found here. Have you anything that can be used for such a thing?"

"Ah, a woman servant, you say?" Benjiro asked, licking his hand and stroking his head with a smug smirk on his face. "Is milady single?"

"You don't want that witch. She's a human," Jaken replied with a flat face.

"Wha? Human? You have a human servant?" Benjiro questioned, taking a step back and guarding his torso with a crossed arm over his chest. He seemed quite repulsed. He then asked, "How'd you wind up with such unfortunate luck?"

"That's part of the story. We've already had a human servant before. This new one is simply older," Jaken replied. "She gives the most excellent foot rubs, however, and she's actually pretty good at making campsites."

"A foot rub, you say?" Benjiro questioned, rubbing his chin with interest. "I'll have to see about this new servant of yours someday. In the meantime, why don't you join me for dinner? I believe Joruri might know of ingredients for such remedies. You can tell us all about your servant and your adventures since you've been gone. It'd be nice to catch up!"

"That sounds nice, actually. Have you a place large enough for Lord Sesshomaru, though? Most of our homes have small roofs," Jaken mentioned.

"That will not be necessary," Sesshomaru responded softly. "I've to retrieve the doctor. Upon our return, she should have her equipment ready for the journey ahead and this Joruri should have had ample time finding items that could make serums against poison. It's just a simple visit as planned. Calm your nerves."

With that, Sesshomaru parted ways in silence and flew to Heiwa. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Meioshi and her simple visit to her homeland. No, it was never so simple around her. Walking through the back entrance of her estate, Sesshomaru heard shouting in the front of the doctor's home and furrowed his brow. What on Earth was going on?

"How dare you disgrace our captain before the emperor, wench! You are not worthy of grace!"

"Ack!" the doctor yelped before being gagged.

A group of young samurai were surrounding her with rage in their faces and vengeance on 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 coming 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 down 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 dance and kata."

"... 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 raising. 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 able to 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 up 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. Literally, 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 off 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 judgement, 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? I'm a goddamn doctor! My duty is to check the status of his highness as his doctor! All I did was check his vitals. 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 up effortlessly. "Breakfast does not suit a last meal anyway. 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.