Shizukesa, Ogress of the Forests final part

The ground suddenly felt much softer as the group traveled through the forest. Mist was in clusters as it rose above the treetops. Though Meioshi couldn't see anything, she could feel tickling sensations on her legs that either made her lightly giggle or disturbed her enough to swat at the feeling. When she reached out to lean on a tree to adjust her walking boots, she jumped back as she was descending to the ground quickly. The tree... felt lightweight and thin. It was like she touched a feather!

"Oh, we're here!" Omezo said.

The sound of a fishing hawk sounded in the distance before quaking started. Shifting occurred and before long, a serpent eagle rose from the forest bed and lifted it on his back. It spread its wings to stretch over the oni town beneath it then closed its wings to climb on a mountain perch. The castle just beyond the forest was surrounded by trees but was erect on the back of a stone serpent eagle.

"Come," Kiyonobu ordered. "She is expecting us. We need merely enter the tunnel on the eagle's neck."

Everyone nodded and obeyed the guardian oni. In a flash of bright light, they were met with a throne surrounded by trees and open space. A woman with deep green hair like pine needles and a cloak made of osprey feathers walked into the throne room. She was alarmingly beautiful, the perfect trap for a lonely male or soft-hearted woman. Walking passed her throne, the woman strutted closer to the group. She bowed before Kiyonobu, pat Omezo on his head to earn a giggle, measured Yasuhide and Kirameku Ha up before nodding in acknowledgement, looked at Homugi and Hasumi with a pout of curiosity, and then to the person in question. She took a lock of Meioshi's hair and sniffed it, taking in the fragrance, caressed her cheek to feel the softness of her skin, and walked around her to analyze the curves hiding underneath her doctor's garb.

"This mortal skin is beautiful," the woman finally said with the voice of a morning dove.

"Who are you?" Meioshi asked, furrowing her brow.

"I am Shizukesa, little oni," the woman said with a proud smile. "Fear not, I've no reason to fight you. Where did you obtain such an injury?"

"Ah, there's nothing you can do about this, I'm afraid. Family thing," Meioshi replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Commander Shizukesa. Normally, I would prepare something for meetings, but I believe you and Lord Kiyonobu wanted to see King Shanwang."

"You know where he is?" she asked, unmoved by the information.

"Yes. It won't take long to get there..."

_____________________________________________

She was actually quite surprised that the creature was behaving himself. The pounding of something akin to a hammer shook the very earth all was standing on. Meioshi sniffed the air briefly, catching the faintest draft of ocean water and sea salt. Humming with question, she proceeded to enter the oni king's mountainous palace. Placing a hand on a shifting wall, Kiyonobu, Omezo, and Shizukesa quietly watched Meioshi chanting and breaking the illusion of empty forest space before them. When the image of emptiness dropped, they gasped in unison at the power locked away in this utopian world. Meioshi nodded, turned to the group of oni, and then smiled as she led the way. Kiyonobu had to control himself from running inside of the mountainous castle. His friend... was alive! Shizukesa also had to restrain herself. She was the first to follow Meioshi inside. Sure enough, the pounding sounded again and water splashed somewhere to the right of the throne room and treasury. Leading the oni to Shanwang's workshop, Meioshi smiled at the sounds of the creature actually doing something productive. She was sad that she couldn't see what he was creating.

Meioshi always had a fascination with Shanwang when he worked. He was unbearably intelligent and gifted with his six hands. He could do so much good with his talents! He just needed someone to show him that. The smell of wood and sand filled her nose. The beach. A favorite scent of hers! She wondered what he was making that required a beach scene. He chose an excellent location to lounge out near the waters. He could enjoy it in the nude, in fact! Well... there was some good in being blind for a spell, after all. No more oni peen... or bum.

"Highness!" Meioshi called, interrupting the bugger. "You've some guests from your old kingdom, and I've a pearl to deliver."

"Bout goddamn time you showed up with the shit!" Shanwang remarked, turning to his small master. Gasping with widened eyes, he came face to face with his friends... except the kid. He had no idea who the kid was. "Kiyonobu! Shizukesa! What are you doing here?"

Both noblemen oni ran into Shanwang's arms to embrace him, leaving Omezo to marvel at the sight of their king. He had so many arms! When he turned to his father, however, he walked over to Meioshi to hold her hand and comfort her instead. Though he had never seen his father so joyous, Meioshi was on her own... the way he normally found himself at home after a while. He wanted to be a good guardian someday... to protect his orphan oni sister. After all, they were friends. Meioshi felt Omezo's little hand clasping into hers and gave it a light squeeze to reassure him that she was fine. She supposed she had another thing to be sad about now. She couldn't see the happiness in Shanwang's eyes or smile when he was reunited with his friends after 300 long years away from them.

"Brother, we thought you were dead!" Kiyonobu mumbled into Shanwang's shoulder. He backed away, placed his hands on the king's shoulders, and asked with concern in his features, "What the hell happened to you? Why didn't you return home sooner?"

"... I was in prison," Shanwang replied almost matter-of-factly.

"Shanwang!" Shizukesa called, making the king turn to her. He rolled his eyes before turning away to avoid her gaze. "Our entire home was separated behind your disappearance. What happened?"

"I'll explain it all after," Shanwang answered, placing his tools down and walking up to Meioshi. He took note to her injury, feeling an unusual sense of anger stirring up, but stopped once he saw the headpieces in her hair. He knew those hairpieces quite well. Biancheng. Folding his arms, he hummed with thought before saying to the doctor, "Do you enjoy getting thrown about all the time, little girl?"

"I beg your pardon," Meioshi responded, taking offense to the name more than anything. "I'll have you know I've suffered many injuries and have bounced back every time! You best remember that, O great king!"

Shanwang smirked at the doctor's perky response, proud of her determination and fearlessness, and said, "I'll consider remembering anything you do if you pass all of my challenges."

"You get challenges from the king himself, sister oni?" Omezo asked, looking into Meioshi's face.

"Only recently. I agreed to set him free in exchange for his training. He's not at all as nice as I had hoped," Meioshi admitted, smirking shrewdly.

Grinning toothily, Shanwang proudly boasted, "You're just a weak, little girl. My training is easy!"

"Careful. This weak, little girl can change her mind. Bonus points if I leave you bored again," Meioshi threatened, lifting a hand casually to emphasize her points before dropping the hand.

"Kiss my ass, hell traveler," Shanwang remarked, walking away from her to prepare the throne room for something.

"The child speaks so casually to his highness," Shizukesa commented to Kiyonobu, watching Meioshi and Omezo follow Shanwang. He seemed to be showing Omezo a trick before laughing at how quickly the child could perform something in comparison to Meioshi. She complained about something directly after the insult. "If Shanwang has been here this whole time, what do you suppose will happen now? Do we take him away from the girl? What about our island? Will he just restore it now?"

"We will have to ask him when Meioshi is complete with whatever he plans on doing with her. This treasure trove seemed to be for her pearl. I need to know why he sent her to fight Numa-o in his place first. The rest falls to you as commander," Kiyonobu whispered, watching Shanwang prepare what looked like a bath.

Like the bath of paint, Shanwang was preparing for Meioshi to heal her wounds more thoroughly. Unlike the bath of paint, this bath was of stone and oil. Above head, a statue of Kako Seigi and his nine sprite children were positioned to where Meioshi looked directly at them while lying on her back. Omezo watched as the doctor drifted into sleep and his king call a bolt of lightning to activate the statues above. Raining pellets of stone fell from the ceiling, startling the oni child and making him run for shelter from heaven's hailstorm. He didn't leave Meioshi's side, though, and promised Shanwang that he would watch for anything amiss. Carrying Meioshi's shell crib to the newly built treasure trove, Shanwang kneeled down to pry the shell open and smile. The waters of Ogre Island! She really did seal them away! Reaching out to touch it, he stroked the pearl and felt some of his power returning to him through his hand. Inhaling deeply, he let a long exhale and rebalanced his command over the waters. A small puddle of water formed around the crib and treasure chest to complete the beach scene of his castle.

"Shanwang," Kiyonobu called, looking into his king's eyes. "Talk to us."

"Where do you wanna start? My birth?" Shanwang joked bitterly.

"Start backwards. Who is that little girl?" Shizukesa asked, fully interested in Meioshi's relationship with her king. "Why does she speak to you so casually?"

"She's not comfortable with people knowing her birth name. She goes by Jigoku Meioshi. Most people just call her doctor. It's her profession. She's the descendant of the man who imprisoned me in an enchanted mirror," Shanwang answered. "A kami from an earlier generation decided to make an example out of me when I refused to join his efforts in some kind of fight that was in-house. Out of misdirected bitterness, I was forced to serve Meioshi's family. The reason why we're so casual is because we made an agreement to free me in exchange for power."

"Under what condition?" Kiyonobu asked.

"None. She has a singular goal in this life. When she claims her revenge on her enemy, I can claim my vengeance on the people who kept me imprisoned. She is the acting representative of her family, so I can kill her if I want. That was her offer," Shanwang explained. "The rest of her powers as a holy warrior go to me. I may not be able to kill the kami, but I sure as hell can fight back for what he did."

"What is this life goal of hers?" Shizukesa questioned, not understanding why the king was suddenly smiling with a bit of bloodlust in his grin.

"We are alike in our thirst for vengeance. She wants justice for the murders of family. The last enemy - the only enemy - she has to fight... is a kami of judgement. Before I vouch for my freedom, I want to see her do battle. You should have seen it, brothers! If you think she's a cutie now, you've never seen her real beauty than when she came to me for power. She may be a human, but she fights like a true oni!" Shanwang claimed, starting to laugh at the memory. "If she succeeds in battling this kami, she has earned my respect without question and is worthy of being my warden... and my master."

"Fighting a kami is impossible for a human!" Kiyonobu argued. "How are either of you going to defeat kami?"

"The hell travelers were handpicked by the kami to serve them and the Ten Kings of Hell when there is a disruption in the Netherworld or even the heavens. These holy warriors are in charge of the balance within the three worlds: heaven, earth, and hell. They are the only group of humans capable of challenging the kami if needed. Shinto and Buddhist priesthoods don't understand them because of this, so they became outcasts as a result. Kako Seigi of the newer generation of kami has been the overseer of the hell travelers' reiki for centuries, having only left the task to another kami when a matter became too pressing in-house. He is leading Meioshi to find a weapon within the depths of the Netherworld that can harm a kami and potentially kill them. When I am released from this prison, she is granting both the knowledge and the use of this weapon for my own fight. Her battle will leave her severely weakened. She knows this. By then, she'll have no use for anything. Death will be waiting."

"You're going to let her die?" Omezo's small voice asked. Kiyonobu turned to his child's voice and saw tears developing in his eyes. The look of disappointment and shock in his face was enough to make him crumble, so the father went to him but gasped lightly when the boy backed away from him. Omezo then demanded, "You are, aren't you? You're gonna watch her die! You're not the king I want to serve!"

"Omezo!" Kiyonobu called to reprimand him, but the child had already run from him and off to the other side of the raining stone bath to hide in the shadows.

"That your apprentice or something?" Shanwang questioned.

"My son," Kiyonobu answered, making Shanwang snap his head to him in quiet shock. "You had a kid!?"

"You went to the engagement party, didn't you?" Shizukesa questioned, folding her arms. "Kiyonobu has four wives. That's why he denied running against Numa-o as commander of the waters. To stay close to his family."

"I can't believe those idiot mermen voted for Numa-o! You should've taken the title," Shanwang grumbled, turning away to pinch the bridge of his nose. "You were the best candidate! Four wives are an impressive number just because of how low it is. I only went to the one for Maemi and Tazu, I think. Who are the other two?"

"Kadisa and Anii," Shizukesa answered, watching Shanwang snatch Kiyonobu by the shoulder to turn him around and face him.

"Hhhhhooooooowww?" Shanwang questioned.

"Trick of the trade," Kiyonobu cryptically replied with a raised eyebrow. The nobleman decided to ask this one question before tending to his son, "Why did you send the girl to fight Numa-o in the first place? She could've died."

"That was the original intention. Killing the hell travelers has always been my intention to guarantee my freedom, or at the very least aid me in my escape from prison," Shanwang said, smirk returning. "The doctor, out of all the hell travelers, merely sparked my interest. Always did. I knew she was going to be different just from her birth gender alone. Female travelers occur every sixth passing of power. Her mother should've been the last female mothering the next group of the clan, but Meioshi was birthed and chosen directly after Suiren. I think she can go the distance and battle this kami just from that. Even her affinity for combat is unusual for the women! I don't understand it myself, but I think the death of her family is more than what's been said or done. The kami that killed them tried to set me free just before Meioshi came to me for help. The only reason I found the kami to be suspicious was because no one from the heavens sent her to do it. Not the kami who gave me the accursed mirror or Kako Seigi, which he wouldn't have done anyway, or any other kami of the generations before. This kami was freeing me to do her bidding. I've had enough of serving others! I am king! I serve only my people! But... I had never seen Meioshi so broken, even as a child. Even her imprisonment in hell was a torture. She hadn't been the same boisterous little girl ever since. She's nowhere near as energetic as she used to be. Even that feathery fool can agree! The reason you recognize her as a child oni is because she is in great mourning for the loss of her people... just as I was at the start of my imprisonment. My goal of becoming a hell king and beyond was squandered from this one kami. It felt like I had truly failed once I was sentenced to serve these humans. I don't know what it was about seeing her grieve... but I answered her pleas and agreed to train her. I made it harsh to prove that her goal was pointless, but she surprised me. She wouldn't stop until she got things close to perfection. I sent her to the Martial World for her first mission after her escape into the mortal world. I knew she'd die in her first fight... She didn't. The bitch got a spot in the mountains! I even sent her to fight the creature I struggled with in my first hunt as an oni. The bitch weakened it and sent it running! Numa-o should've been able to kill her without question. If he unleashed all of his might, the fight wouldn't have lasted nearly as long. But... she survived and didn't even use all of her strength either. I don't know if that's why Numa-o didn't kill her or not. Meioshi used up everything she had to seal our island waters into this pearl. She must've gotten it from somewhere quite unique. I'll have to thank the bastard who gave it to her later. But... I think had she used the same energy it took to seal these waters, Numa-o might've only been able to weaken her. I don't think he could've killed her. Not the way you would have, Kiyonobu. You're Numa-o's guardian for a reason. He needs your power for crowd control, basically. He would've needed you to help defeat the girl. I'm actually kind of proud of her! Listen to my hysterics! Me, a king oni, proud of a human girl for busting her chops against one of my commanders! Ridiculous!"

"So... she is worthy of training as an oni?" Shizukesa asked, unfolding her arms to walk over to the raining stone bath. "What about the other commanders? Will you send her to fight them, too?"

"Only if they want to challenge her. Numa-o only took an interest because of her snow sword - a worthy addition to any armory. If she has to obtain another weapon or source of power, I've no doubt the others will come," Shanwang replied, facing the pearl. "I await eagerly for her next task from the kami."

"If a kami killed her family, why bother serving them?" Kiyonobu asked.

"That's why I think this runs deeper than just a random death. Something was already going on in-house with the kami. The hell travelers, unfortunately, took a huge fall and were violently betrayed. That kami that tried to free me might've had something more to do with it. The hell travelers were at war with this kami. Meioshi wasn't there for the battle. I think that's the only reason why they lost. Arimasa, easily one of the strongest of the clan, still had power to use and he did. Suiren, though she wasn't nearly the fighter that Meioshi is, had a disgusting amount of power left as the mother of the second group of clansmen. Hell travelers that have passed on merely become beasts to train the descendants in their ways. Every holy warrior starting from that son of a bitch, Unmei, and down did aid in the fight. That kami almost killed all of them! I was allowed to join in the war in Meioshi's place to protect the hell travelers' souls and run the kami off, but that was it. That's why I believe something big is going on. Meioshi is the only one who ever allowed me to choose my prison grounds. That's why I'm here. Actually, I might keep this place. It reminds me of home without the idiots bothering me. I find it highly suspicious for me to have been released from prison and allowed to fight in her place. Something happened to her to where she couldn't fight in the war herself. I just don't know what. I've tried guessing at every possibility. None of them make sense."

"That's what Yasuhide meant then. It took everyone to hold this kami back," Kiyonobu whispered to himself, remembering the kappa guard's words. "What's the purpose behind the stone bath you put her in?"

"She has to restore the family shrine. Each hell traveler's soul is kept in my mirror after he or she battles their final enemy. Only the next in line can release the souls of old so that the predecessors can enter in this type of afterlife. Hell travelers die, but they don't go to heaven or hell. They are stuck in this limbo state, but it is in this state where they learn to become zodiac beasts. Everything they learned and used in battle is added to the shrine's archives and armory which is now a sentry. I am released from the mirror's prison during this time to allow this transition to take place. She's released the other hell travelers before her with exception to her grandfather and her mother. She is ashamed to look at them because of the war," Shanwang explained.

"Poor child," Shizukesa whispered, walking into the hailstorm. She sat down at the edge of the bath and plucked an osprey feather from her cloak. Feeling the power struggle and heavy gravity of the paint closing on her hand, the commander oni pushed her hand through the paint and gently wiped Meioshi's eyes with the osprey feather. "Never doubt my healing capabilities, little one. The king of hell may be strong, but the oni are quite merciful. Do not fear your people, oni child. They love you."

The stone pelts were slow to fall at Shizukesa's words and seemed to stop around her. Shanwang turned to the earthen commander, wondering if she could hear Meioshi's words as clearly as he could. A drop of paint rippled in reverse and lifted out of the bath to circle around the commander. This made Shizukesa smile. She felt arms around her shoulders as though the human doctor was embracing her sweetly. So kind, even in spirit! Omezo, shocked at what he was seeing, tried to crawl out to the bath himself. The same thing occurred. The raining stones slowed to a stop around him and a paint drop held his hand as though Meioshi was sitting right next to him.

"What happens when she releases her family? Will she honor them?" Kiyonobu asked, now understanding her words when he transformed her into a proper toddler oni.

"She intends to repair the damage done to her family home when she is through here. I'd say having a final viewing of the members she's ready to say goodbye to is quite the honor," Shanwang replied. "She dropped the barrier around the threshold for family friends to see them. I don't know how the funeral will be, but I think it'll be beautiful."

Whether or not Shanwang saw Kiyonobu's eyes dilate like a cat's eyes could be considered a mystery, but the king knew his friend quite well when it came to children. He wanted to see what Meioshi would do for her family. Shanwang was still trying to decide if he should offer a gift for his old enemies. He may have hated most of the hell travelers, but he did... tolerate a few of them. He may show for the funerals. They would be the first ones he had ever wanted to go to and the first ones he wasn't sure he was ready to see. He may never admit it aloud or allow it to travel as an emotion across his eyes or face, but... he did worry about Meioshi. There were no descendants to bury her or release her soul once her mission was complete. Who would fight for her release?