Master of the Winter

While he wasn't entirely happy with the events leading to now, he could at least appreciate the doctor's silence as they followed the scent of the black wall demon back into the forest. Usually, when Sesshomaru had someone [he didn't particularly care for] allying themselves with him, he would just ignore or tolerate them until he was reunited with someone more familiar to him, but the doctor was more concerned with her mission than anything else and probably didn't care about his presence any more than he cared about hers in the grander context. They were focused on one similar objective but had different plans to go about completing it. That joint process of thought made the temporary alliance easier to acknowledge in a literal sense.

However, her impression of Jaken stuck with him, and he somehow felt it unlike the doctor to not care about who she allied herself with if it meant protecting someone close to her. When the two first confronted each other, she mentioned not wanting to hurt him because Jaken would be upset, so it was evident that she cared about the imp even though they only knew each other for a short time. In truth, when Sesshomaru was watching the doctor help her own imposter, he was able to take notice to how she spoke to Jaken. It was in a teasing sort of manner versus a degrading or annoyed one. It made him wonder what Jaken thought of her. He knew Jaken had taken a liking to Yuko despite some invasive conversation about who he "allies" himself with because the imp confessed as much to the green pheasant, but Jaken didn't mention much for the doctor. She was just within arm's reach of the western lord but still shrouded in mystery.

Walking by her side was... interesting. She wasn't like most allies. He could hear her turning to observe the claw marks on certain trees, looking at footprints in the patches of snow that hadn't melted yet, and scanning different angles to ensure their safety enroute to battle. The doctor seemed more militant and alert. This could be because she knew what she was dealing with as opposed to what he knew, but it could equally be true that she was watching his back now that he was with her. An extra member would make him more precautious when traveling, too. If she was anything like him, she could also be looking for remnants of the hostages to see if a kill was necessary. She wanted to help Jaken because she felt responsible for his capture, but she also wanted to help the lost souls involved in this mess because the black wall demon had been feeding off their lives from what she explained. Apparently, she and this demon knew each other in the past. It could be assumed there was some form of intimacy there due to the black wall demon's fascination with Meioshi, but this seemed to be a one-sided and twisted circumstance. Not something you could call love. It, too, wants to battle the doctor and knows her weaknesses enough to try to bargain with her. The demon didn't seem angry that she attacked him. If anything, it seemed excited.

Not used to being the one to initiate conversation, Sesshomaru's mouth twitched for a second before he said, "You never answered my question."

"Oh, I beg your pardon, Lord Sesshomaru," Meioshi apologized, turning to him. "I didn't hear you ask anything. Would you mind repeating your question?"

"What were you doing in hell when you met this creature? Why did it sing to you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Unfortunately, we are not close enough for me to disclose that answer. It is safer for you to assume my abidance to the family name and mission as the reason. Jaken already told me that you and he had been trying to dig up information on me. What you gathered suffices as an answer," Meioshi replied, returning to her alert scanning of the area.

She didn't seem uncomfortable or hesitant about her answer, but Sesshomaru had some displeasure with it. She could be putting the world in danger because of these visits to hell for all he knew. Yes, creatures like the black wall may target her solely initially, but they need prey and a familiar atmosphere to survive in the living world. Narrowing his eyes at the carelessness of the doctor, he made a mental note to keep an eye on her.

She then continued after a brief sigh, "As for the black wall, I don't quite know. I remember it in pieces like when I first saw it and when I first saw him feed, but my memory only has him as a legitimate wall. I didn't know it had a true voice or a face until now. You found out more about him in your first meeting him than I did, I'm afraid. However, he said that he followed me to a resting place and couldn't get in or hear my softest thoughts coming out. That caught his interest, it seems, so he must have been thinking of ways to lure me out at the time. When he sang, I thought someone was being kind to me and all I could think to do was sing in return to stay calm. That moment of peace allowed me some sleep, but I guess that was also how he was able to gain my trust just enough to know me a little. True predators know their prey, after all. When I tried to leave, I saw him crush and snatch a demon away to eat it. I turned tail at that, but I heard him singing again like... it recognized fear. Almost as if... he knew he scared me. He started singing different lullabies to me as a form of apology, but I no longer returned the song. I knew him to be predator and could no longer sleep knowing he was there. I had to plan my escape from him very carefully. It had to be when he stopped singing because that's when he was out hunting."

"It thinks fondly of you," Sesshomaru said after a moment of silence passed between them. "It's been waiting to speak to you for some time, it seems."

Meioshi let out a small chuckle, not quite bitter or sarcastic but holding some measure of emotion that wasn't related to humor, and said, "Well, if you've had your eye on a particular prey for a while and it suddenly escaped from where you trapped it, wouldn't you be curious to know what became of it? Especially after you figured out how to get it to come out for you without using violence?"

Sesshomaru said nothing to the questions. That wasn't something he typically entertained even when he killed relentlessly in the past. His exertion of dominance was a tactic not a hunting device. From a demon's perspective, though, he supposed he understood the curious nature of the black wall demon. Perhaps if he saw the doctor as a small bird, for example, and used what he knew of birds to catch her, it would be easy to gain confidence in such a hunt. Birds typically fly to great heights or rest in trees to avoid certain predators. One merely needed to surprise it. Meioshi hid somewhere that the demon couldn't get to immediately, so it wasn't out of reach and it knew she was there. As a bird, Meioshi would come across as odd for her swift burrowing defense. If a predator jumped up or pounced on her first, thinking she'd fly like a typical bird, it would be thrown off from such an atypical escape. The doctor mentioned that the demon couldn't physically get to her, so, if a bird burrowed itself deep enough to where a predator couldn't get to it, that would make her even more confusing as prey. However, birds do sing, so Sesshomaru supposed that if he were the predator trying to capture the burrowing bird and he realized that song would draw Meioshi out faster than him digging her out then he would want to know where the bird went after all that work, too. Even if he found familiar prey to eat for the time being, the prized prey was in that hole inching its way back up with every song. For it to disappear suddenly would gain his curiosity.

"We're getting close," Meioshi said, stopping to pick up a piece of cloth. Sesshomaru stopped walking and only slightly turned to catch the scent of the cloth. It smelled like Yuko. She then said, "It must be trapping the others some place familiar to it. He's usually not so careless with such evidence."

Pushing forward, the duo continued on with a quickened pace. The claw marks and footprints were getting smaller in number. No traces of blood were nearby, so the black wall demon wasn't using violence as leverage for his plans, but Sesshomaru was catching the sweet fragrance of sweet orange and wild cherry coming from Meioshi.

"Why don't you have a scent?" Sesshomaru then asked, breaking the silence once more.

"I beg your pardon," Meioshi responded, looking at him directly this time. That was an odd question.

"You don't have a natural scent. Only your blood does," Sesshomaru stated, not bothering to look at the doctor.

"Ah, that's for my protection against demons in the living world such as yourself. It helps me remain undetectable if necessary," she explained with a small smirk. She wasn't smirking out of confidence or anything. It seemed friendlier. She then said, "The less others smell like me, the less danger they're in. It makes targeting me more difficult for these kinds of creatures. They don't know if attacking others would benefit them in drawing me out or not. As for the demons here, it's more of a defense than anything else."

"Do you fight demons in the living world often?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Only if they strike first. Otherwise, I've no ill will towards them. They're not who I'm after," Meioshi replied, stopping in front of the sea of hills. "He's gone this far back?"

Sesshomaru stopped as well. The pulsating hills from before had a familiar scent that he hoped to never revisit. He was convinced that the universe had a vendetta against him as soon as a familiar presence and voice descended from the trees.

"Not quite, doctor," the green pheasant responded, landing next to her. "The demon you're probably looking for is further away than you think. If you don't mind my asking, 'WHY ARE YOU LATE!?"

Meioshi stepped back from the sudden shout and produced an interesting face before saying, "I'm not late for anything!"

"You had two blood pacts voided within three days of making them! Obviously, you're later than the estimated time of completion!" the green pheasant shouted. "What in the name of Buddha happened?"

Meioshi chuckled nervously, scratching her cheek cutely, and said, "Well, I had some smaller objectives to complete first. I just lost track of time is all."

"Oh, really, doctor? And do they have anything to do with the beast infesting my nest right now?" the pheasant questioned, flying in Meioshi's face frantically. "Because it scared the kids to near death!"

Meioshi gasped cheerfully, forgetting that Jaken mentioned her friend had new chicks, and said, "I forgot you had more children. You, naughty thing, you! You just had a clutch some months ago. Fathering more so soon?"

"You shouldn't have found me such a lovely wife," the pheasant said, landing on a rock. The two eggs rolled around from behind the stone and appeared in front of their father. To Sesshomaru, they were just eggs; to Meioshi, she could see the features of baby birds. The pheasant then said, "My son and daughter. Children, say hello to your aunt. We don't want to be rude."

"Oh, they're so cute!" Meioshi cooed, blushing and kneeling down to speak softly to the eggs. They hopped up as a form of greeting, making the doctor say with a light laugh, "Hello, little ones. I'm Meioshi. Your father and I are great friends. Always looking out for the other."

"Yes, we do, which is why I'm curious to know why the bloody hell is the evil talking dog behind you because last time I checked he was trying to kill you for sport," the pheasant said, raising a brow at Meioshi. Sesshomaru had his hand on Bakusaiga, waiting for another stupid insult.

"Oh, we're trying to save a friend of his," Meioshi started, "and - "

"Ah, you mean imp-key?" the pheasant interrupted. "I saw the beast take him and a few others to a labyrinth right before I was cast out of the circle. He covered everything with frost and poison. An absolute mess, this is."

"Meh, you needed the fresh air anyway," Meioshi commented, shrugging. "Besides, the children need to play outside every now and then. So, my assumptions were right, after all. He's taking over the circle to make it his new territory. He's already got a spot in hell. Unfortunately, I still don't understand this creature's motives. What does it want with a divine sword?"

"You just answered the question, silly girl," the pheasant said, fluffing up before shaking a bit. "Baohu qi Voluptatis has the power to purify lost souls and control certain lands with its arctic strike. Wielding it gives you that power. The beast was once just a silly old wall centuries ago when it stumbled upon the sword, but it had to have seen its power being used at one point and wanted it to become indestructible. Much to its dismay, it can't touch it because it doesn't have a body. It's just a wall, so its greed made him craftier. He had to find someone of pure heart to hold the blade. Again, it's only a wall so, no matter who it leads to the blade, it still can't pick it up. He devises a plan then. To become the wall who has ears. By doing that, he gained the power to manipulate the sword's wielders and feed off the energy of the blade and the wielder. This, however, came at a cost to himself. The divine energy, though powerful, destroys demons albeit slowly, and losing a host makes him vulnerable."

Meioshi's eyes slowly widened at this in realization before she whispered, "So he became a parasite to mimic the blade. That's why he's able to feed off energies from swords! So, earlier, when it tried to bargain with me to be the new wielder, was he just using me as a new food source?"

"What did he try to bargain you with?" the pheasant asked.

"He wanted me to keep the sword but act as the guardian of his new kingdom," Meioshi answered.

"Then, you're not the food source," the pheasant said, turning to Sesshomaru slowly. "He is."

Meioshi turned to Sesshomaru, who narrowed his eyes at the bird's words, and then remarked, "Well, you can see he's clearly thrilled about that. Let's say Lord Sesshomaru is his last meal, what does this have to do with me or the sword or everyone else involved?"

"Simply put, the beastbecomes a new titan of hell," the pheasant replied, shocking Meioshi. "Consuming one of the strongest demons in the living world gives him ample enough power to defeat whoever he needs to rule wherever you confronted him last. Taking over the Blood Oath's Circle gives him a courtroom to judge lost souls. Having an able bodyguard ensures his reign of terror. Having a beauty at his side begins a new bloodline of winter soldiers should he choose to do so. This is exactly why I told you to learn how to transform yourself into something ugly."

"Like a pheasant?" Sesshomaru insulted.

"Or a dog..." the pheasant retorted, giving rise to that electric tension again.

"My friend, you're scaring the children," Meioshi said, interrupting the glaring match and making the pheasant hop off the rock to nuzzle his eggs. Meioshi rose to stand straight and sighed. She then said, "Right then, I need a new plan to ensure everyone's safety including you, Lord Sesshomaru. You aren't going to like it, but we need to think critically together on this. This demon already ate your sword's yoki energy, but my dagger can hurt it and your sword can stop it from regenerating for a period of time as long as it follows by blade's first strike. We'll have to attack with precision."

"Might I offer a suggestion?" the pheasant asked, gaining the doctor's attention. "After all, the evil talking dog did leave you a clue to finding him."

"A clue?" she questioned, turning to him. Sesshomaru caught on to what the bird was saying and turned his head in the other direction. She then asked, "What clue?"

"The flaming arrow," the pheasant replied, taking note to Sesshomaru's body language. Avoiding eye contact, huh? The bird then said, "It was actually quite brilliant of him. The wolf that sent him and imp-key to me had a distinctive memory that played out in the circle. One that showed a village being attacked by archers. He plucked a flaming arrow from the sky and sent it to you."

"The Arrow of Judgement? The one that hit my boat?" Meioshi questioned, stepping in front of Sesshomaru to see his face. He wouldn't look at her so it must've been true. "Wait! If you were sent to the Blood Oath's Circle, then..."

"He would know where the beast trapped imp-key and the others," the pheasant started, "because he was located at the parallel point when the memory came about. The arrow was the clue to finding their imprisonment not just an assist to find an escape route. He would also know where the beast would be headed because it, too, is the parallel point he was supposed to find to escape the circle himself."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened at this. That clever dick! He then whispered to himself after his eyes returned to normal sizing, "The Jubokko tree..."