Kakita having received a note from the daughter of Bayushi walked his way through the corridors towards her room. As the sun set off to the west his mind wandered to the distant mountains…


—————

“But with the blindfold on I can’t even see… how am I supposed to fight?” Hayaku complained.

“Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.” The beak of Grandfather snapped in reply.

“But I can’t fight in complete darkness…”

“When darkness descends you must find friends in the shadows. Your ears… your sense… your connection to the Void… these can be your friends Osoku-kun.”

“That’s not my name.” Hayaku replied.

“Well neither is Hayaku…” The bird cackled a mocking laugh.

Kakita closed his eyes and attempted to rely on the only aides he had left…

—————

He walked up to the door and tapped gently on it to let Shosuro know he had arrived.

The young woman slid open the door. He could sense her presence on the other side before she did, and see her more clearly than usual. Her kimono was a rich red, with patterns of a court procession and long ribbons, with black accents along the bottom of the sleeves and hem, rather than his eyes passing over it assuming it was generic. It highlighted the near-monochrome nature of her pretty face. Dark eyes like pools of shadow met his, and she stepped aside. "Kakita-san, good evening. Please, come in."

He paused for a moment as he noticed the change… perhaps even admired the beauty which was granted for longer than the fleeting glimpses he had caught in the past.

He bowed politely and entered, finding a spot prepared for him in the room. “Good evening, Lady Shosuro. Thank you for having me.”

"Thank you for coming, " she replied, her voice a soft soprano. "Please, sit. Would you like tea?" It was more of a show of hospitality than was typical for her, but the subject they would inevitably get to was heavy. Sometimes the little rituals of life helped.

He nodded, understanding the need for such observances.

He waited a moment as she began to prepare the tea.

“I hope you do not mind me saying, but you seem.. vibrant tonight. More… yourself than I have previously seen. Truly a daughter of the kami.”

He bowed again, “I’m honored to be here. What is it I can do this evening to assist you?”

She poured them each a cup of tea as she looked down, smiling. He can see the way her pale cheeks turn a little pinker under the compliment. "... Thank you. Nozomi-san is helping me learn to meditate. The feeling of being connected with everything else has helped."

Once each of them had a cup and had taken a sip, she nodded as he got to business. "It's more a matter of how I can assist you." She pulled out a small pouch, setting it on the table. "I couldn't find anything myself... But... with that duel coming up, it occurred to me that you have the potential opportunity to reveal everything yourself."

“A gift?” He asked as he looked down at the bag.

"Yes... Perhaps not the most honorable approach, but..." She shrugged. "I don't know how much that is troubling to you."

She slide the pouch across to him, opening it slightly. Inside was a muted green powder that reflected the light in soft glittering just slightly. "Jade dust."

Kakita bowed and picked up the bag in his hand, “A rare stone. You are most kind Lady Shosuro. Why, now?”

He asked as one unaware of what the meaning of such a gift might be.

"I did a bit of research," she said. "You can apply this to your blade. If indeed he is as you said, the jade will burn the creature. If not, the effects will be as any other sword stroke on a human being."

He looked at the bag intently and molded it in his hand, “It has such an effect… This is… It is a blessing from the heavens.”

He looked up to Shosuro and bowed, “Thank you… I did not know such a thing was possible.”

"It carries the purity of Amaterasu herself," she replied quietly, studying her tea intently. "As a stone, it cannot become mortal lose that. I didn't know if I would find any, but it seems she is with us in this."

Kakita held the bag up to his forehead and bowed to Shosuro.

“Thank you. Your gift means so much to this simple man. I will be forever in your debt.”

A single tear formed in his eye and escaped down his cheek.

She bowed in return, but shook her head. "I am simply glad to be able to help you. I apologize that you are the one taking on all of the attention and danger in this."

“It is what I have been trained to do… The spirits which helped me reforge my soul set me on this path. They believed I could conquer this evil…” He looked up to Shosuro.

“How could I run from their faith and the hopes and well-being of so many?”

She nodded, her mouth a determined line before she speaks. "I also have faith that you can do it."

“Thank you… it means a great deal.” He smiled softly and looked down.

“I often exude confidence to others… probably mostly to assure myself that I travel the right path. It does help to have people I trust inform me I haven’t gone completely off the deep end.”

She smiled softly in return and gave a small laugh. "You haven't by my standards... But those are the standards of a hybrid semi-human entity-slash-Kami with only half an identity, so take that for what you will."

He smiled and chuckled in return. “Well, I’m a once-dead mythical bird-trained blade focused on Destiny… so I’ll take whatever I can get.”

She chuckled. "In a way, we have a lot in common."