Hell Doctor

Bunraku & The Heart of an Inu Prince

"Sah! Let's begin our tale!" Shinobu cheered.

He took his puppets back and headed toward the stage. The old man dimmed the candle lights around the stage, but centralized overhead candle lights to the center of the stage where the Bunraku play would be performed. The curtains were changed from a vibrant red to a misty, almost dirty grey, and deep red sheer curtains were added to give the atmosphere an eerier feel. From below the stage floor, vents were opened and the sound of water pouring into a reservoir somewhere unseen echoed in the empty room. Sesshomaru looked about to see what else was happening since he heard noises in the distance. It sounded like Yamashi and the others were coming back, but they were speaking to someone else out there. He couldn't tell if Meioshi had returned since he still didn't recognize her scent. He was supposed to ask about that in greater detail, but the good doctor practically revealed nothing of herself. Same as his grandfather! All these damn mysteries! The sound of the ceiling crumbling alerted the young lord, and he looked up to see the old man opening the roof for natural light to catch the curtains. A piece of what looked like some sort of film was placed over the ceiling's opening and grey light struck the steam coming up from the floor. The room was growing warmer.

Finally, the old man seemed satisfied with the setup save for one minor detail. He hummed with thought at the lack of steam filling the room and covered the vents with sheets. When he flapped and whipped the sheets, billows of steam finally came in and started to fill the stage. Pleased with part of the illusion, Shinobu used either magic or illusion to paint his face with the wave of his hand and disappear behind the sheets. Three walls quickly erected and gentle hands lifted up the [rainbow rooster]. A singular golden yellow ribbon was pulled, and a large village made from papier mâché and thin wood pieces suddenly shot up to create the scene. More sheets started flapping again until the room was properly warm and a bit humid.

"Eerie, dark, unknown. Our story begins with a curious rooster chasing after a foraging hen in a bustling village," Shinobu narrated, taking out a pastel-colored rainbow hen. "The hen is a manicured dame of sorts."

Out popped a father farmer, mother farmer, and young girl farmer dressed in working clothes with smiles or content faces surrounding the rainbow hen. The father farmer had herbs and money in his hands. The mother farmer had rice and treats in a basket in her hands. The little girl farmer, who reminded Sesshomaru of Rin, had toys and flowers in her hands. The little hen puppet went to each character for a pet and was turned rapidly to show a cheerful, chirping smile. Sesshomaru was slightly impressed that the old man was able to move each character alone and effortlessly to tell the story. Though he expected more tangible illusions to do so, this was an aged human he was watching.

"She had been raised by upstanding farmers and was quite friendly to those around her. She had friends who appreciated her perseverance and talents and often went with her on strolls out on the range. One day," Shinobu continued, pulling other strings to change the setting from the farm to a Shinto temple, "the hen was walking through the village freely until she heard a strange noise from a well in the distance and went to investigate. She found herself in a temple and met another hen there. Curious, our lady hen went on a stroll with the temple hen and was shown the magical well filled with invisible water. Rumor had it that if you looked down it, stars would twinkle and sparkle endlessly. But..., if you could hear a voice on the other side, you might be rewarded with a blessing... or a curse. Hearing the noise again, the rainbow hen looked down into the well, but she fell in!"

Shinobu made the hen puppet flap about in a panic, and the temple and village disappeared as the setting changed to a forest and well.

"Frightened and alone, the lady hen climbed out of the well and entered a sort of parallel world with no way home. It is here that she met a young chick... and a prowling oni," Shinobu growled to give the oni puppet life. "Helping the young chick escape the clutches of the oni, she was led to the rainbow rooster - an unusually quiet and distant fellow. One could say he had met this young hen in a sheer twist of fate. Or... perhaps, there is more to their story than simply a chance meeting. After all, though the chap wanted nothing to do with a hen from another world, he did not hesitate to follow the hen to her home."

Shinobu then showed a scene in silence about the rooster not paying attention to the lady hen, but the small chick always cheering up the lady hen. An angry toad fellow bossed the hen around until she was in tears and pleading with the gods for a way to return home. When the rooster finally agreed to bring the lady hen back to the well, she was home with her family again. The chick, however, was upset that the lady hen didn't come back and waited by the well for her to return. The rooster, who wanted nothing to do with the lady hen initially, wanted the chick to be happy, so he leapt into the well bravely and approached the lady hen at her coop. Surprised and confused by the rooster's visit, the lady hen tries to speak with the rooster for an explanation to no clear avail. Instead, she goes into the village market for treats and gathers things from her family to bring to the chick as gifts.

"It is on this eve when the lady hen agrees to visit the rooster's chick that the blessing and curse arrive," Shinobu said, fogging up the room with more steam. Instead of an oni stomping through the forest, a kuchisake-onna puppet appears and lurks through the village. "'Do you think I am pretty?' a slender woman hissed at our lady hen. 'I can't see your face,' the lady hen replied. The frightful creature ripped off mask to reveal a hideous sight, but our clever hen replied with a yes... And was met with a pair of long scissors... perfect for chopping off her head and tearing through her beak. Fleeing from the evil spirit, lady hen reunites with temple hen and the two join forces to eradicate the malicious spirit! Or..., perhaps there is more to this story than meets the eye. After all, the temple hen is the well's guardian and the rooster's ally..."

POOF!

Applause was heard a couple behind Sesshomaru. He went to look at them, but the room's windows had all opened suddenly and the section for the [rainbow rooster] had a demon male and couple seated on pillows to fill the space. The demon male was decorated in shells and many colors, but he also had silver on him and a badge on his chest. The demon male seemed friendly enough. He was a gecko lizard demon with a patient face similar to Sugawara, Sesshomaru's only trusted barkeep. Like Sugawara, this foreign demon had large eyes that were yellow or white gold. Though he didn't smile, he had a warm presence about him, and he wore clothing similar to Shinobu and the other male behind him. This gecko creature was either the ambassador represented by Sesshomaru's choice of puppet or simply an onlooker. He was the one clapping with interest and enjoying the steam of the room. The woman behind the gecko demon was a human and quite regal-looking. She wore colors on her dress and headpiece similar to the rainbow rooster - more specifically, the Lady Hen character - and her mate, who was linking his hand with hers, kept his eyes on Sesshomaru with a cold frown. The two practically mirrored each other. Sesshomaru couldn't tell if the other male was a guardian to his human mistress or not, but he was most definitely a demon. He had to have been a dome-demon as Yamashi put it, or a youkai that had been domesticated. This dome-demon wore more yellow in his clothes, but his attire was interesting with the presence of ivory and bones all throughout his clothes.

"Ah, my liege!" Shinobu greeted, bowing with respect and gratitude. "I had not expected you to come for some time."

"I simply had to see the new story you were telling, old friend," the gecko demon replied with a quick twitching of his tail. He extended a paw to the old man and touched him gently with the other paw atop it before releasing Shinobu's hand altogether. He was definitely like Sugawara. Sesshomaru wondered if it was an amphibian thing. "Your illusions have improved! The artwork is getting more detailed by the day!"

"Ah, you most certainly know how to warm an old man's heart," Shinobu said, removing the cloak off his person and walking over to Sesshomaru. He then introduced his lordship, "This young man is new to the Foreign Ambassadors' Memorial. He's a friend to Prince Yamashi of the Wild Boars."

"Oh?" the gecko demon replied, looking at Sesshomaru. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Nihipali, a mo'o. You may call me Pali to make things easier."

"Mo'o means lizard... Nihipali?" Sesshomaru asked to clarify. He meant no offense by the question, and this Nihipali fellow seemed to understand that.

"Actually, yes. Like you, I am youkai, just from a different land. I am what you call a lizard spirit. I believe you are new to Heiwa entirely. I have never seen you here before," Nihipali informed.

"How often do you visit Nihon?" Sesshomaru asked.

"This makes my third time, actually!" Nihipali replied brightly. His eyes were the most expressive feature he had. He didn't seem to smile much, but his tail also moved about to produce emphasis to his emotions. An interesting fellow. "I love to go surfing here!"

"Surfing?" Sesshomaru questioned with a raised brow.

"I am an aquatic creature, after all. We love our water sports, but I am also quite a fan of Nihonese fan dancing. One year, I'd like to visit here again without being tied to work. I'd love to see a big dancing festival some time. Lady Meioshi spoke of one that's very popular in Heiwa. I'd love to see it! Perhaps you might know of one being a resident from another part of Japeng, yes? Ah, sorry, you refer to your world as Nihon."

"... Japeng is acceptable. I know what you're referring to. The humans have large dancing festivals near Buddhist temples to honor their dead or great harvest seasons. They are referred to as Nembutsu-, hiji-, or kumi-odori. If you don't mind mingling with the humans, and it seems like most of the demons here don't, then I would revisit during the eighth month to see them. The summertime is also a host for many festivals. Try visiting again in the seventh month. The humans enjoy their parties," Sesshomaru replied with a huff.

"Aww," Nihipali said with a pout. Though not with his mouth, of course. Mostly through a cute head tilt, his eyes, and the twitching tail curling up into a teardrop. Sesshomaru almost couldn't help but stare at him. He was so interesting and expressive in other ways! Nihipali continued, "There are no demon dance festivals here?"

"The dancing festival that I once knew hasn't been performed since I was little. It was pretty dull in comparison. I believe that's why it lost popularity. You'd like the dancing festival in this village a bit better," Sesshomaru admitted honestly. "Whichever one that is! I don't think the heritage one is over yet."

In truth, there was only one dancing festival that he knew of within the House of Inu. It was the Hane Ashi Matsuri, or the Prancing Paws Festival. Whoo! He hadn't seen that one since he was... maybe eight in human years? He was about Rin's age when it suddenly stopped being celebrated. He wasn't sure why. His parents didn't seem to care that it was gone anyway. He remembered the food and toys that were often there. Meat dishes from raw to cooked varieties were present, and the wooden toys were typically quite colorful. He couldn't remember much else from it, though. If he knew more about it, maybe it would be of interest to bring it back for old time's sake, but... he really didn't want to give his people a festival. They were becoming less deserving of it with each new experience he's had in the real world. Sesshomaru started to wonder if this is what his father felt before he left the House of Inu to bed a human woman. Maybe it didn't matter, but... does Lady Kaede host any festivals in her village? She never mentioned it, and he'd never seen it or heard about it from Rin. She would have babbled on and on about it if so. Would a festival celebrating the defeat of Naraku be... acceptable?

"You have much on your mind..." the other male behind Nihipali said, observing Sesshomaru's body language. "Your inquisitive nature might serve you best in the long run. Do you intend to travel with Prince Yamashi?"

"... Yes," Sesshomaru replied.

"Then, let us congratulate and celebrate!" Nihipali suggested with an excited smile, though he seemed to be lazily clapping. Perhaps the fellow was just slow because he wasn't in the water but on land. "We'd love to teach you the basics!"

"Basics?" Sesshomaru questioned.

"We'll make things interesting for you, young man," Shinobu said, taking a seat. "Let's start with some of the mechanics that might be of use to you. First, let's start with the difference between riddles and puzzles, hm? I think you'll like that. Riddles are little games that help you win items or prizes that be used for later. I believe you'll be able to give your few friends and relatives lovely gifts while you're out on holiday. As an example, let's have try to solve mine. A king suspects that his wine has been poisoned at a banquet. He has two wine tasters who must drink from the suspected bottles. One wine taster always tells the truth, and the other always lies. Both drink from the same bottle. One says it's poisoned, and the other says it's not. Neither of them dies. How is this possible?"

"... I hate riddles so much!" Sesshomaru hissed, earning a laugh from the group of foreign folk. Well, save for the woman. She looked Nihonese. Perhaps she married into another world's customs. Seemed appropriate. Sesshomaru closed his eyes to think and then replied, "The wine wasn't poisoned. The one who always lies was lying about the wine being poisoned, and the one who always tells the truth confirmed it wasn't poisoned."

"O-ho!" Nihipali replied, clapping his paws. "Very good, young man! I believe that is 'The Unsolvable Poison' riddle. Good choice! Do another!"

"Why not?" Shinobu responded, producing an item from his vest pocket. "To solve this riddle, you must look into your heart for the answer. In my hand is a pendant with a dormant crest. For every riddle you come across on your journey, you must guess the correct answer in order to see who you truly belong to."

"Belong to?" Sesshomaru questioned.

"It seems you have few friends for a reason beyond you just being introverted. It is tied to your allegiance. The crest that will appear when you return from your travels will show you who you truly pledge your allegiance to. Your kingdom or... someone else. Solve this riddle and you will see an image dance across the surface of your pendant. A tree in the forest is known to be immortal. Many have tried to cut it down, burn it, or uproot it, but it remains standing. A young girl approaches the tree, whispers something, and the tree falls. What did she whisper?"

"That she really detests the use of riddles," Sesshomaru growled.

"Lihohohoho!" Nihipali laughed without opening his mouth passed a centimeter in height or width. He just slapped his tail down rapidly to show his amusement.

"While you're solving that, let me explain the puzzles. These little games require you to go through your memories, but you win relationship points instead of items. I think you have few friends because you are able to love them wholeheartedly instead of 'half-assing' it. Wouldn't you agree?" Shinobu explained, placing the pendant down in front of Sesshomaru. His lordship merely saw his reflection in the pendant's surface. He was frowning at having to solve another riddle. Shinobu heard flapping from his Bunraku stage and turned to it with a hum. He leaned over to inspect the noise and took notice to something. He then said, "Your puppet wishes to tell you something, it seems. Your lucky number is just under this fun fellow's [wing]. Hmm... your lucky number seems to be [eight]. Interesting. I believe it is best that a different teacher show you the true meaning of such information, but I will assume that your lucky number correlates to the ambassador you chose to learn more about. If you truly are adventuring overseas, try to find a tent with the matching colors of your puppet. I think you'll learn much, young man!"

"You and I might even go surfing if you chose my people's animal puppet," Nihipali said, clapping slowly to show his excitement. Sesshomaru wanted to just stare at him for hours, honestly.

"Hm? You have a glowing little fellow on your person," the woman finally said with a sweet, soft voice. "Might I see it, my lord?"

"Are you the ambassador's... daughter-in-law?" Sesshomaru asked with curiosity. He revealed the turtle charm to her begrudgingly and allowed her to get close to him to observe it.

"Goodness, no! We are simply friends," the woman said, taking the charm into her hands. It was moving like the turtle was actually swimming! "Pardon my manners. I am Shiomi. Shinobu is my family's servant, but I travel with him from time to time to watch him perform his Bunraku plays. I loved them as a girl! Such a beautiful charm! Who gave you such a fine gift?"

"No one important, I assure you," Sesshomaru replied with a frown, thinking of the hatamoto.

"Come now, young lord! This gift is quite special, and it's trying to befriend your puppet there. See?" Sogo pointed, holding up the two animals glowing in unison. "There seems to be an exchange happening here. It looks like another lucky number is attached to your wise friend. [5], to be exact. Perhaps I should explain that your charming turtle is a love token."

"... You are married, yes?" Sesshomaru asked bravely.

"Indeed, she is," the demon husband replied with a small growl.

"Good. Take the little bastard. It's my gift to you," Sesshomaru said curtly.

"Absolutely not!" the woman replied, holding up a hand in protest. "The spell attached to this charm is simply too strong for one, and... you have that charm because your heart has changed. I won't pretend to know what occurred in your life to inspire such change in you, but, if you're anything like this one," Shiomi said, nodding at her jealous husband, "I believe it is your time to decide what you're looking for in a different kind of companion. Your little turtle friend wishes to help you find gifts for someone close to your heart."

"A gift for a young girl is easy to obtain. I've no need of such assistance from a magical piece of crap," Sesshomaru said, turning away from the turtle.

Shiomi smirked mischievously before saying, "It appears you know very little about the magic turtle here. Perhaps you should look at the spots on his back again, my lord. The number of spots on his back is correlated to the women who have either loved you... or who have earned your affections in return. The woman with the largest spot is the one closest to your heart. Right now, the little lady you must be referring to does have a large spot..., but she is only one woman who has earned her place. There seems to be another with a growing spot. In fact..., her spot looks like a target. The magic coming from it is making the spot beat like a heart. She must be quite defiant!"

"Tch! Sounds familiar..." the demon husband mumbled.

"You hush!" Shiomi reprimanded with a smile. "The lucky number might be related to your puppet, but it's hard to say right now. It's just an assumption since the puppet had a number."

"If that is the case, his pendant would have a shape on it. It is blank," the demon husband remarked, raising an unimpressed brow. Everyone looked down at Sesshomaru's pendant and noticed that nothing had formed on the surface. "Hn. You have much to learn about forming proper alliances. Your charisma is lacking!"

"Oh, you're one to talk!" Shiomi chimed in, puffing up her cheeks. "You tried to throw me out of your caravan moments after meeting me, and now you suddenly have all this charm? Who are you and what have you done to my husband? Explain!"

"You were a stranger to me. Many women had tried to seduce me in the past. You easily fit the bill as a seductress," the demon husband explained.

"Was that before or after you insulted my body?" Shiomi challenged, handing Sesshomaru his turtle charm back with a scowl. "You made me feel less than for no reason!"

"You are a human. I was trained to see all of your kind as less than," the demon husband explained. He then smirked and said with an unusual confidence, "I merely bedded the finest of the humans." Shiomi let out a big gasp. "Nevertheless, the young lord before us has some work to do. I heard he made the [ceremonial shokupan] for King Weevil."

"Indeed, he did. Yo-ho-ho-hoo!" King Weevil cheered, clapping his paws and greeting Nihipali with a warm embrace.

Yuko, Yatsumi, and Homugi walked in to serve the cuisine to the group and bowed politely. Sesshomaru was actually quite impressed with the kimonos they were wearing. Yuko was dressed in princess attire, according to the Wild Boar standard, and the plum wine coloring similar to Yamashi's hair was a nice touch. It paired well with red and purple. Her slippers were actually quite cute. Yatsumi was dressed in similar fashion, but her style was closer to Ichi's aesthetic than Yamashi's. She had bits of purple, but she wore wheat golden-brown and some green. It was a nice blend of country and palace styles. Homugi... was arguably quite adorable. She wore her traditional pink, but she had bits of fur and flowers on her kimono. You could tell that Meioshi had a hand in choosing her robes because the fur bits looked like the dandelion puffs on her doctor's garb. And..., the kimono was very similar in style to Homugi's dancing kimono from the trifecta march. Nihipali might like Homugi's little dance since it did involve the fan dancing. Sesshomaru then wondered what about the dancing festivals celebrated in Heiwa. How popular were they? Meioshi used to dance, and she had that Miki woman as a rival once. Perhaps... Should he go to see the festival as well? Would Meioshi even dance there? Or would she spectate?

"My word!" Nihipali complimented after tasting the shokupan.

"See? It's good, right?" King Weevil said, nodding at his friend.

"It is quite good," [Shinobu] complimented. "It's so light and fluffy!"

"Hn," the demon husband hummed, nodding with some approval at the texture. "It could use work to impress the others, but it serves its purpose as a distinctly Nihonese dish. I will give you a lucky number instead until you properly solve Shinobu's riddle. Hmm... [7]. Keep these numbers in your memory. The lucky number that Shinobu gave you will help you earn a relationship with another foreign ambassador. That could be Lord Nihipali or someone else. Think of the number as chances to impress your teacher. If you are successful, you may be able to open trading between your kingdom and the merchant's homelands. Your resources will increase, and your finances will have a new line. Look at Prince Yamashi. He has opened an entire trade route with us and others. His father tried to disgrace him for doing such a thing, and the kingdom is failing! A worthy lesson for him to learn! As for my wife, my Shiomi might be onto something with the second lucky number. It is time you decide how you wish to enjoy your life. You can hold onto this fevered dream of a life with the young girl you mentioned, or you can put your foot down like the demons before you and take charge of your love life. I married my Shiomi there and we are expecting."

"Husband!" Shiomi whined, blushing and slapping his knee. He merely smirked.

"Oh, my heavens! Congratulations, Lady Shiomi!" Shinobu said, embracing the little lady as though she were his granddaughter.

"Prince Yamashi married Lady Yuko there, and Princess Yatsumi married Lord Ichi," the demon husband reminded. "We did not have to marry humans or half-breeds. We simply loved them and chose to stay at their sides. We have learned much in doing so. I intend to teach my children about their mother's Nihonese culture and my Austronesian culture. They have a very large playground. What will you have, I wonder?"

Sesshomaru said nothing, but he did think about the other male's words. What did it mean to put his foot down for himself? He thought he did that when he refused to obey customs. Was there truly more to it than that? He set Homugi free from the pain of tradition and himself. What more was there to do?

"I'm not saying marry the first girl who's nice to you while you're on holiday. Learn from this new adventure and do away with what you thought was right for you," the demon husband advised. "As for the number I gave you, this is to see who you call your allies. We are not rogue demons alone. We are a unified group. We work together to build a new world for youkai - a better world. It is why we are comfortable with each other. We share a drink with each other or dinner. The wives speak to each other as friends as do the men. I respect Prince Yamashi and his family. He is my ally. He has earned my loyalty. Who has earned yours?"

"... ..."

"That's to be expected from someone who trusts very few to no one at all, but you are in a place where that has changed. You must have travelled with a different group of people recently. I say you are in need of a proper craftsman. Find more items to gift who you feel is your true ally. Your pendant may have a crest on it at last," the demon husband said. "Perhaps you might be able to form an alliance with your cooking skills as well. The [ceremonial shokupan] has potential."

"Well, if all is said and done here, my husband would like to show all of you to the dining hall. The youkai feast will be ready in a moment," Yuko said professionally. "Please, come this way."