Kakita sat in seiza on the floor of his room. His eyes were closed as he began his morning mental routines…

Find the Center… The Center is everything. All else flows from there…

There was no noise… no distractions… a slight change in the rhythm and feeling of the room…

He opened his eyes and looked to his left.

Shosuro, as he might have expected, was seated quietly in seiza to his left. "Good morning, Kakita-san. Are you well today?"

He nodded, “I am well. I continue on in my path… and now share the company of a reliable kindred spirit. I am blessed beyond my worthiness.”

He looked at her, trying to maintain the image he saw in that moment of contact. “How are you? Have your efforts confirmed our suspicions?”

She smiled a little, the barest hint of a blush rising in her pale cheeks. At the question, she lowered head head, though. "I was not. He maintains the image he projects to others at all times that I observed him. The only thing was a painting he did that was of note - a portrait of Doji-Kami. While he claimed not to have seen her of late, he accurately reflected her current image, depicting her as she presumably is while affected by her illness. That, at least, is difficult to explain without either a lie or some connection to her problems."

She bowed deeply. "My apologies, Kakita-san."

He shook his head, “It is not a reasonable request I extended to you…”

He paused, “He has eluded attention for years; to expect you to see through his ruse and provide proof in a matter of days was not fair of me.”

He let out a small breath, “Things will proceed along the path that extends before us… To be honest, no matter what you brought me today would not have changed my conviction that this man is a creature of darkness… a false light dragging others toward destruction.”

"I know, but still... I expected better of myself."

She was silent for a moment before saying, "It would not change your belief, but it could have changed that of others. If... I find anything that can help you in the next few days, I will do so, at least."

He nodded, “All that would convince others is to reveal him in a public way… Destiny draws he and I together into a conflict. I must merely fulfill my duty.”

He turned forward and stared intently at the wall, “I am a blade… I must cut.”

"The disease must be excised," she murmured. "Regardless of the risk to ourselves."

"Please, try to be cautious. You're... a good person. The Empire needs more like you, not less. If you weren't already a Bat, I would want you to join my family."

He looked down at his knees, “I’m not sure of my goodness… I’m a son who’s absence led to his father’s death and his sister’s disappearance. I’m a man who seeks to protect his family and yet they draw closer and closer to the thing which destroys them… Whatever that is, it hasn’t yet been ‘good’.”

He paused, “But what I do know… is my place in this world. I am to pursue this path no matter the cost. My teacher once told me: ‘A man must find his place in life, or he is a wandering fool never content, never at peace, bringing discord with him wherever he goes’.”

He let out the softest of sighs, “I must be this… I must. I choose this…”

"You, at least, see the problem and want to correct it. All things considered, that is not nothing," she replied with a shake of her head, raising a hand to rest lightly on his sleeve.

"... What was your family like?"

He reached over his other hand to place it gently on hers.

“Good people. My father was noble and strong… a wise counselor. My sister kind and… empathic. Her body was not strong but she had strength of mind and spirit. She could describe the beauty of our world in a single line of prose.”

He paused, “They were too good for the clan Hadananzi is building…”

She nodded slightly. "I have known people that remind me of your description of them."

“They weren’t gods… just good and yet their legacy lives on in such magnitude.” He turned to look at Shosuro.

“I have always respected the children of the kami… you carry with you such strong ties to destiny. How did you come to your path?”

"No... the people I was thinking of weren't gods, either. One served my father, and I learned from. The other a member of my family in the broader sense - a Shosuro," she explained.

"It seemed... the natural path, with my abilities, to be honest. It seemed the best way to serve my father and help others. Now that I understand it better... My destiny may take me in a different direction."

“What are your abilities?” He asked as he looked back to her.

“What path has brought you to be here… now?”

"I tend to slip from people's minds. They look over me, sometimes, unless they know I'm here or I put myself right in their way," she explained. "Like when I came in."

"My parents decided it would be best to use things like that to their full advantage. I thought it was something... special, so I didn't mind. I can go places no one else can. It lends itself to being a subtle sort of blade."

“You speak of your parent’s will. Do you not wish to do this?” He asked intently.

"Duty is duty, and I was eager to see what I could do," she said. "Now..." She shrugged. "Duty is still duty, but I'll see what destiny has in store, too."

“Duty is one of the great constants in life… Gives meaning; gives purpose. Often a lord can provide it. Serving others teaches the value of Duty, but in the end a man or woman only has one judge as to the meaning of their life.”

He points at his chest and then hers, “It is the self. Finding that purpose… that meaning… and clinging to it despite any setback… is the Duty we all must judge ourselves by. Being our true selves…”

"How do you know who your true self is?"