Four to five years ago...
"Sensei!"
Meioshi was waiting for young Yuko to approach her and smiled warmly when the teen finally made it for herb collecting day. Yuko was a funny sixteen-year-old girl from Heiwa's farmlands. She was dressed in a brown and green yukata on that day with a pink bandana on her head to wrap up her hair. No matter how often she bathed, young Yuko always seemed to get dirt on her cheeks or her knees... somehow. Meioshi, however, found that part was Yuko's best quality. The doctor herself used to be just as dirty when she was a little girl, so she did not lecture the teen on it. She was just grateful to have an apprentice in advanced medicine, and the teen was happier to be of use.
Yuko had lost much in her youth. Her mother's friends were watching over her ever since she lost her mother and sister to demons. Yuko had become mute from the trauma and never spoke a word to anyone about anything. The first time she had started speaking again was when she saw a woman soldier riding her horse into the kingdom in a hurry. Yuko had noticed the details of the woman's flags and had grown quite curious about them. On harvesting day, she snuck away to try to find out where the woman had come from or where she was even going. She had drawn what she remembered from those flags and hoped to figure out what clan they represented. She didn't know why she wanted to see the woman again, but there was something about her that... well, she seemed... strong. Not necessarily physically strong, but her eyes looked powerful and her gaze was intense. Maybe that's what it was. The intensity of them and her mission to get to wherever she was going. She had a purpose in life. Yuko walked for several miles into the prairie separating the farmlands from the kingdom. It wasn't until she spotted a bed of rocks acting as a gate to an odd-looking cave that she found a match. The woman's flags were also marking off this particular cave area. Her first words uttered at the discovery were, "Who are you?"
When she heard herself speak again after the trauma, she startled herself and touched her throat to feel it working after a period of dead silence. It had been a while, hadn't it? Months of crying and holding her mother's kimono and her sister's coat in her arms. Months of feeling so empty and alone. All washed away because of a soldier who just so happened to pass by. But..., it was more than that. Women in the army were rare. She had to be a besshikime instead. She had a beautiful white steed. Perhaps she was in a hurry to protect her liege. It was possible. Regardless, Yuko left notes behind at the cave. She had hoped to see the woman in armor again someday. As fate had perhaps written it in scroll, this wasn't the only time she would see the woman soldier running through the farmlands. The next time, Yuko caught her retrieving baskets full of herbs from the shrine, mounting her horse in a hurry, and directing her steed to some undisclosed location. Yuko tried to catch up to her, but the woman took off again in a desperate flee. When she visited the cave, she noticed that her letters were missing, and a beautifully written response was left behind.
Greetings, little friend,
Thank you for leaving me such kind words! I've been called many things but strong... I daresay isn't common. You'd be surprised by how often I am turned away. However, I don't like how other people perceive me. I'm quite pleasant to be around! I'm actually rather fond of playing in the mud and chasing bugs, but I also draw portraits of things I see from living creatures to the dead to the damned. It's not very lady-like and grandmothers used to spank me for it! Hahaha!
But...
I had a teacher who noticed that I was more than a naughty tot. She taught me about herbs and their usefulness. Those teachings I clung to the most until I put my foot down and decided that I wanted to be a nurse. My grandfather and great uncle introduced me to another teacher who specialized in medicine. Her name is Kaede. I became her apprentice while young, and I soon changed my dream of being a nurse to being a doctor. My new "school" incorporated both domestic skills and medical skills together as one. I used to go to Yanagisawa School near the kingdom, but I didn't like learning just domestics. I appreciated it, but it didn't suit me. The teacher who noticed my boredom was the ikebana instructor. She was the one who showed me that sewing a dress and sewing a wound used the exact same expertise. You still have to make sure the seams don't break for both; otherwise, things are an absolute mess! Likewise, she showed me that arranging a bouquet and arranging herbs for medicine used the same skills and knowledge. Perhaps like me, if what you wrote is true, you need someone to guide you into a different line of work.
It sounds like farming isn't hard for you. It just bores you. It gives you no sense of fulfillment. Well, that's how ikebana was for me. It wasn't hard or ugly to look at. It was just boring. But, I don't regret a single moment after I left school. I created my own school and learned the things that I wanted to learn despite my grandmothers hating it. Hahaha!
Besides, I don't like that men are the only ones allowed to do this work. So, I intend to change that! I am not stupid. Just because I feel emotional pain doesn't mean I'm weaker either! I am more than a perception crafted by some arrogant man. Yes, I am a woman, but I am not to be treated unkindly. I've no problem cutting off a penis or punching an eye out! Hahaha! So, I use my emotional knowledge, scientific knowledge, and military knowledge to do what I love doing. Being a doctor was all I ever wanted, and I'm glad that I've been able to use my skills on battlefields when necessary. It wasn't easy to convince my parents to let me march with the men, but I've had to fight for the life and duties that I want for a long time.
You, little friend, will have to do the same. Are you willing to fight your battles alone? Are you willing to leave what's comfortable behind? Can you handle the beatings and the ravishment from people who'd rather you be at their feet instead of standing on your own feet? If you think you can, I look forward to meeting you someday. After all, it's not often I get to meet a farmhand who can read and write. You're one of a kind, and I don't think you even know it yet.
With love and hope,
Jigoku Meioshi, the first woman to become a doctor in my family
What will you be, little friend?
That was it. Young Yuko made up her mind to become a nurse, too. She asked all kinds of questions about herbs and combat. She had no luck in learning how to fight, but young Ichi, a half-demon, took some pity on her and let her go with him to fight pesky animals that harmed the crops. Ichi was an unusual man. He wasn't the first half-demon to work at the farmlands, but he was the first who didn't care about his lineage. He was more attached to his mother than anything. It was his mother who taught young Yuko about herbs and plants that specifically healed demons, or halflings, like Ichi. Yuko drank the information in and wrote it down on scraps of parchment if she could find it. Years later, she was a self-taught healer and more to herself than ever. She only had Ichi and his mother as her new friends. Everyone else was merely a steppingstone in her goals. She wouldn't rest until she met that armored woman again.
"Studying late again, Koko?" Ichi would ask after harvesting or planting day.
Yuko would turn to Ichi for a moment before looking at her notes and saying, "I have to. It's the only way I'll meet Lady Meioshi! I want to be like her! She doesn't take crap from anyone, and, if she does, it's because you're not worth her time. I want to be like that! I want to be able to take care of myself for once. I hate living with my mom's friends! They just pity you. You're not a real person around them..."
"You're a pretty good healer now. You sure you need her?" Ichi asked.
"Lady Meioshi is advanced. She knows a lot if she's telling the truth in her letter. I don't know what she knows," Yuko admitted sadly. She was determined to learn more, though.
Ritualistically, Yuko would leave multiple letters behind for the next two years until... she finally came face to face with Lady Meioshi. She was covered in soot and ash, and her kimono was ripped to shreds. Even her hair was disheveled and splayed about in strings. She was pale like a ghost, and her eyes - those burning, orange, spidery eyes - were a frightful sight! She was crawling out of the cave to collect Yuko's letters, and it looked like she was holding them to her bosom like a mother would a baby. Despite her condition, Meioshi still found Yuko's letters to be precious to her. That made Yuko speak to her for the first time and at long last.
"E-ex-excuse m-m-me, are you Lady Meioshi?" Yuko asked, shivering. Meioshi abruptly sunk into the darkness like she was a scared animal, but she kept her eyes on Yuko as if inspecting her. Her head tilted as if to ask how the teen knew her name. Yuko then said, "Wh-what ha-hap-happened to you, milady? Have you been here for a long time?"
Meioshi was silent, but her eyes shifted as if she were deciphering a new language. Her head kept rocking as she broke down Yuko's words. When she finally interpreted human language, she growled in response. It wasn't aggressive. It was more like a proper response: curious, friendly.
"Y-y-you do-don't know me, but... I'm Y-Yu-Yuko. You called me little friend in your letters to me."
That made Meioshi perk up and make a clicking noise in her throat. It seemed like an expression of surprise. Hesitantly, Meioshi creeped out of the shadows to look at Yuko after a pregnant silence. Her kimono was ripped to shreds because of the Netherworld predator body she possessed. It was definitely a scary thing to see... until Meioshi ever so slowly and ever so strangely began to smirk.
"Yuko," Meioshi said softly with her predator voice mixed into her natural speaking voice. "Lit...tle... friend..."
That was the day that began the two's friendship. Meioshi had a very rough start when she returned to the mortal realm after her stay in hell. It was a scary time, but Yuko was with her until the woman regained some semblance of her sanity and humanity. When she did, Yuko practically begged her to teach her the art of medicine. Meioshi learned from then on that Yuko was different. She wasn't quite like her peers, but she could be a bratty, little thing from time to time. Yuko had been caring for Meioshi ever since she escaped her prison in hell, but she wasn't afraid of her Netherworld predator form like the others. In fact, she was the only one who took notice to Meioshi's fear of the form and the other civilians trying to purify her. The beautiful doctor used to hide away like a scared animal in either her shrine or near extremely rocky or shady places when attacks happened, and Yuko was the only one brave enough to protect her or explain that the doctor was in a demon form unwillingly.
Today, Meioshi was more human than ever and back to the woman that Yuko had always wanted to meet. In fact, the teen learned a lot of things from her mentor. For one, Meioshi was more advanced than she let on. She had journals of plants, animals, and people in different stages of life. Her notes, records, and collection of data was mesmerizing! Yuko practically lived in her clinic! On this journey outside of Heiwa, Meioshi planned to bring Yuko herb hunting for her medicines. Yuko was excited for this day, and she overpacked for herself, but she was blushing and laughing the entire time that Meioshi loaded her wagon. As it turned out, her horse was a special type of friend. It could disappear and reappear when Meioshi either wanted to pull the wagon or didn't, respectively.
"Are you ready to learn how to treat diseases caused by ants, my Yuko?" Meioshi asked, eyes her normal hazel color instead of the spidery orange.
"Wait. Ants can carry diseases?" Yuko questioned, panicking over the idea.
"Why, yes, my Yuko!" Meioshi replied, smiling warmly. "Though they are not known to do this like rats or fleas, ants are capable of transporting some nasty things. They mostly do this when they come in contact with spoiled or untreated foods. If you're sleeping or working in the fields and you come across an ant infestation, you'd never know where they've been marching or working. Should you get bitten, the area becomes quite infected. A common symptom of infection is dehydration."
"Oh, so that's when they lose the water in their bodies, right?" Yuko asked.
Meioshi nodded as a way of saying yes and no and explained, "Water and minerals like salt. If you notice, a lot of your secretions are quite salty to taste. You need to return both to the body. Now, you can't give a patient a heaping pile of salt, but we can collect minerals that are of use in rehydrating an ailing body. We'll be doing that as well."
"Hai! I'm so excited, sensei! When can we go? Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Yuko cheered, tugging on Meioshi's long sleeves like a child.
Meioshi giggled slowly but loaded up the last of her making pots and said, "Off we go then!"
________________________________________________________________
"Unh! Ah! Hah..."
He hated visiting his brother. Well, to be fair, he hated all of his brothers. Young Yamashi would have just entered his brother's chambers, but he'd rather lick a burning brand than watch him bed his new prize woman. Meh, let him have his fun. He could use the walk. Prince Yamashi would never admit this to any of his clansmen, but he enjoyed taking long strolls away from home. As a wild boar demon, your habits were simple. Warriors travelled in small groups of two to three, battled in efficient numbers, when necessary, mated during the fall season, and birthed young in the spring. If his third brother's escapade wasn't a sign, it was the fall season. What a joke! Going to his room to remove his armor, Yamashi looked through his wardrobe to decide what to change into. Only his loincloth made from hide was on his person. He didn't particularly care for the traditional wearing of the fundoshi. He knew enough about the way of the sword, but he preferred using heavier melee weapons.
Opening the first set of shoji doors, Yamashi let himself yawn as he looked through his selections. Yukata wasn't really appropriate. Kimono was too loose. Hakama pants were fine. A simple robe or manto was also acceptable. Maybe he could do both. He typically wore open tunics anyway. Light boots were best. Settling on the type of attire he wanted, he went to the washing basin and cleaned up. By the time his third brother was finished mating, Yamashi had already left the palace grounds and went on his stroll. It was a nice day to enjoy the colors of the world. No matter how many years Yamashi lived, there was beauty in the autumn season. There were shades of red achieved by certain plants that rivaled the rest, there were signs of burning from the summer heat that made the bottoms or tops of foliage turn completely brown, and there were mesmerizing displays of golden yellow that didn't quite match a pastel yellow. He supposed he enjoyed that because, as tradition would have it, he was reared by his mother in life and was taught to like at least one thing about it. Prince Yamashi, ironically, was a killer and a picnic lover. In fact, he brought food with him to simply eat at a natural landscape area.
"Yamashi!"
The prince's ears curled back as he turned to his sister's voice. It was Yatsumi. She didn't wear her kimonos properly either. She opted for an open top and slit sides. Of his siblings, Yatsumi was the only one Yamashi got along well with. She was like him. Loved their mother, enjoyed long strolls, and typically sparred or picnicked together in private. Traditionally, male and female children did not spar together if they were warriors, but Yatsumi showed great promise as a fighter. Their father often boasted of her skills, but he butted heads with Yamashi a lot in exchange. Perhaps that was why he left often. Just didn't want to deal with an egotistical father who only celebrated himself.
"What's up?" Yamashi asked, taking a bite out of an apple he was bringing.
"I can't believe you were going to leave me here with all these gross males!" Yatsumi complained, standing akimbo to make Yamashi feel guilty. He did not.
"You can kick their asses if they get too crazy. That's the point of being a warrior princess, sis," Yamashi remarked, continuing his stroll.
"Isn't the brother supposed to protect the sister, you jerk?"
"Oh no, I totally wasn't grossed out by third brother and just decided to bail. To hell with this crap!" Yamashi complained, waving a lazy hand behind him. "You may as well go into hiding if you don't wanna mate with anybody."
"It's not that! It's just - ! I - ! I want my first time to be special! I'm tired of traditions. You are, too," Yatsumi argued, running to gather her picnic basket and follow Yamashi.
"I like some traditions, just not ours," Yamashi remarked. "They're pointless, lame, and don't sound fun at all."
"Well, does that mean you're going to do the ceremonial territory hunt? It's your year," Yatsumi reminded.
"There's no point. We don't have the right finances to take up another turf. I'm confident in our strength, but that doesn't mean we won't face a powerful adversary ever. The panther tribe, House of Inu, dragons. Those are some of the strongest of our kind. We haven't battled them yet. Even then, we don't have anything to offer other tribes other than a guardianship contract. Some clans don't need bodyguards. They've got tough armies. What'll they need with us?" Yamashi asked.
"Why haven't you told father this kind of information?"
"That asshole's never gonna listen to anything we say," Yamashi growled, gritting his teeth. "According to him, we stay in a child's place at all times. He's gonna run us into the ground for glory. Doesn't help that the others want what he wants."
"But you don't," Yatsumi said softly.
"Neither do you," Yamashi said equally as softly.
"Hey, sensei, what's this plant?" an unfamiliar voice asked.
There were two human women walking down a beaten path in the prairie. The one called sensei was walking up to... one of the most beautiful girls Yamashi had seen in a while. The one called sensei wasn't half bad on the eyes either, but... the student...
"Ah, that ground cover there is great for rashes on demon skin. It doesn't happen often because their immunity is different, but certain demons do contract skin infections. Depending on the environment or type, they can contract things like ear infections or scale deformation. Things that we are affected by, they are, too. It just hits them differently," sensei explained.
"What are humans doing way out here?" Yatsumi questioned.
"... I don't know..." Yamashi replied, staring at the young student.