No Moonlight Walks (Private)

[Kairyuu]

Hoshikata looked around his surroundings with what could have been a frown on his face. It had been hard to slip away unnoticed. But all things had a way of happening. He now found himself inside one of the ruins this place was known for, his eyes fastening on this or that item of interest. The walls were growing with lichen and fungus, water rolling down them in sheets and giving them a polished look. All about him were ancient stone funishings from benches to tables.

And writing. He could not even guess what language it was in. His staff was held aloft in his left hand, the orb atop it casting a dim, but pure white light that had the twin effects of acting like a beacon to all around of his presence, and warning the creatures that went bump in the night to hide. He did not fear those things, he had seen, and kill, worse. But he did not like giving himself away so.

But even his eyes, those eyes which could see anything, needed light when it came to absolute darkness. He steps to a pile of rocks and slams the staff down, wedging it into them so it stays. ”Sussunur!” At his word the light brightens, shining upon all of the room he was in and revealing the man in all of his being.

He wore his midnight blue robes on this night, the edges trimmed in silver with black runes in the ancient tongue of his clan. The hood was down to release his shock white hair to the world, and show the oddity of his flesh and eyes to all who looked. Upon his feet were solid travelling boots, and black gloves covered his hands.

Each breath came out in a fog of white, steamy air. And he ignored it. Indeed, he felt find, and he wasn't sure if this was what disturbed him, or if it was a lack of being disturbed by such. He could feel the cold, tell you it was cold, but it held no sway over him. He idly wondered if heat was the same, as he began reading the writing on the walls.

 

[Akako]

All were making merry in their own ways as the Shoukyou and the Isaki clans camped for the night in the country of Lightning. There were tents and camp fires as far as the eye could see and the two families shared supper under the stars. Friends and families were bundled up together, some singing songs of their ancestors, some telling stories, the rare one or two getting imbibed with wine, although most kept silent in their part of the camp.

The twins, with their friends of the medical branch, had a camp fire to themselves and a simple meal of rice and fish and tea. And there was an intellectual argument or another although there was no malice whenever one insulted another. But the elder twin, ever on her guard, kept watch on her family and the family of her betrothed. Which was why she noticed, probably only one of the few to do so, when the leader of the Isaki left the crowds to head for the ruins. With a murmured excuse, she brought a new cup of tea with her and followed curiously.

It was easy to slip by unnoticed from her family. Even if she was from the main branch, she did not have heir status nor as much charisma as her elder brother nor the bundle of energy that made everyone notice her younger brother. She walked, gliding through the camps, without spilling a single drop from the cup as she followed Hoshikata to the ruins.

But she was careful; she didn’t want to announce her presence at the wrong time and be attacked, thought of as an intruder or a stalker. When she had entered the ruins herself, it was just in time to hear and see the man incant something that made the light of his staff grow brighter. The light did not do anything for the cold at all and, when the man grew silent and still, she thought it a good time to speak.

“I have tea,” she said in a quiet voice, not quite wanting to be so… loud in such a place. She knew she was stating the obvious, but what does one say to your, supposedly, future husband?

 

[Kairyuu]

Hoshikata slowly rises to his full height at her voice, his face showing surprise for a brief moment but the look was gone by the time he turned to see her standing there with a cup in hand. In this poor light he suddenly looked older, as if the years since his encounter with the Deep One had caught up to him. As he stepped around the staff, however, the shadows would flee from him and show the youthful face he had carried for so long.

”So you do.” It was a statement to return her own, and for the moment nothing more was said as he stared at her from the other side of the staff. His main thought was wondering what she was doing here. She had spent an eternity avoiding his company, spurning him when she could. He'd never even seen her before this past year, and their meeting had been brief and strained.

But now she was here, of her own accord he would assume since he knew none of her clan's elders had seen him. He doubted Tatsuya would send her by himself, either. As the seconds pass he lets a smile form on his face. ”It is cold, however. Perhaps you would enjoy it more than I.”

As if those words signalled something, he steps around the staff and lifts a hand to point out their surroundings. ”Ruins of times long past. And yet these are not even as old as the house I left in Mist. I was hoping I could learn something of the people of Lightning from these, for the history of a land has much to do with it's present. But it seems all I'll be able to find are these odd writings.”

His eyes turn to meet her own, those golden eyes with the abnormal pupils locking onto her own. ”You mentioned before that we would have to talk later. Would that be now?”

 

[Akako]

Her hands clasp around the cup tighter as Hoshikata stands. She does not move for the moment, only watching carefully, and wondering if what she saw was merely a trick of the light. She knew it was no illusion or she would have felt it and, even if it were, what would have been the meaning behind it? She forgets about it now but knows she will remember later and will turn the memory over and over until she could decipher the meaning of what she saw or until exhaustion claims her.

But for now, she raises the cup towards him in offering but momentarily flushes in embarrassment when he does not take it. She is not as confident without her brother to anchor her, no, not really the more sociable of the two. Any friends she had made would have been friends too of Akihiko. Otherwise, everyone would have been merely treated as colleagues and allies. “I’ve already drank my fill,” she says but doesn’t quite let it go, letting the heat warm her hands at the very least.

Is this how they would spend their life together if they were to be married? With silence not quite comfortable and few words exchanged? Married only out of necessity for form a greater bond between their clans? Oh, she was not foreign to the concept of a marriage of necessity; her parents were cousins, something or another, and were arranged to marry each other for the better of the clan as well. But… still.

Her eyes roam the ruin with a hidden spark of interest behind them when Hoshikata speaks again. She is no linguistic expert or archaeologist or any of those professions that would specialize in such a thing. But she could at least appreciate the wonder in these ancient writings. His words turn the wonder into a faint hurt though; you are not the only one who has left their home, Hoshikata-san. Years did not matter. It had been her home much as it had been his.

Akane’s gaze does not back down when the Isaki stares once more. Although she wished he had forgotten that. “If it doesn’t inconvenience you at the moment,” she manages to say steadily anyway. “If it does… I would still like to relay my apologies for previous behaviour before you dismiss me.”

 

[Kairyuu]

His eyes move to the ucp as she mentions having some, then back up to her as she speaks some more, but he could tell some words had an effect. At her apology he stops, looking over and nodding his head softly after a moment. ”No time like the present.” He turns to one of the old benches, fallen on one side from a leg broken off, and lifts it up, using a block to hold it up and motioning for her to sit even as he himself does.

”I would accept it, but first I might ask why. Are you truly sorry, or did someone in your clan chastise you?” Blunt words, but he felt that she would not respond well to more political onces, that just like her older brother she would see through the silver-spun words of honey. As he continues to speak his eyes roam the walls to take in the sights.

”I must ask because an apology given for the wrong reasons is not an apology. Only when someone had truly felt guilty for their actions can they be sorry for them. And over the past weeks you have been avoiding me as much as possible.” He takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly before turning to look at her.

”I know you can't possibly be happy with the arrangement made between our clans when we were children. I myself was not for a long time. Who are these people, that they decide my fate so casually? But in the end, I did call on you for a meeting. I would give you a chance, to try and get to know you, before making a judgement on the whole thing. You have not done the same, however. Is your bitterness so great?”

His tone was soft, trying to not put any more sting into the words than he had to. In truth her answer did not matter, words were simply air. Actions were what spoke loudest. But, in hearing her words he could begin to understand her. And from there he could move to understanding why she would do the things she did. And then he would know the truth of her actions.

But for now, the words, the empty sounds in the air, would have to come.

 

[Akako]

Akane had to stare for a moment when she was offered a seat. She didn’t know quite what to think, if he was being a gentleman or there was something else behind the invitation. Much like she didn’t know whether she should have insisted on him taking the tea, drank it herself or disposed of the unwanted drink. But, as she had chosen to keep the cup, she too chose to take the invitation.

The Shoukyou sits at a respectful and acceptable distance from the Isaki, her hands holding the cup on her lap, the white ceramic contrasting the jet black kimono she wore that night. And she would have liked very much to just stare at her lap with how uncomfortable she was, she knew doing so was a weakness and, instead, looked about the ruins again.

The question makes her stop as most people would just accept the apology and leave it at that. But now she has to explain and she doesn’t quite know if she wants to or if she even could. She starts: “I’d like to think I can make decisions for myself, Hoshikata-san.” She was briefly bothered about it on the boat ride by the clan elders. But that was not the reason she apologized. If anything, that had given her reason to put off apologies longer than she had intended. No, this was her choice and hers alone. “Nobody told me to apologize to you. And even if they did, I wouldn’t do it for them,” she adds, a little firmer as she meets the man’s eyes with a cold fire in her own.

The fiery attitude was washed away by shame again. It was true that she should have gotten over it now that she was not a child but it was hard, not being ruled by your emotions as an Empath. Many had praised her for her professionalism and detachment, valuable qualities in a kunoichi, but it was harder than anyone could imagine. Her emotions could go from a positive to a negative light in a flash under different circumstances.

And the idea of being married, to have to focus on her husband and any children they have, when she was so attached to her brothers and to their clan. It had worried her. Not quite fear, she and Akihiko would, it seem, be forever incapable of that. Even when their empathy could give them guilt, it could never give them fear. But there was worry. She was unsure if these were things you shared to your betrothed so she chose to speak of something else.

“I… I do really apologize, I should have gotten over it a long time ago. But, before we had met there was someone and… and I thought I found someone I wanted to be with,” she confessed in a detached manner. The discomfort was obvious enough though with how her shoulders tensed. “Our first meeting was soon after that and I let my emotions get the better of me. It was wrong and improper. I thought that you wouldn’t be as… compatible as he was that I didn’t even think of giving you a chance. It was wrong of me. And selfish.”

 

[Kairyuu]

There was a distance still, but that couldn't be helped. In truth neither of them was comfortable with this situation, but he would do his best to keep appearances up. He sits and listens as she speaks, first to berate and then to explain. Her side of the story was the missing piece of the puzzle that made things whole finally. Her apparent weakness was surprising, but the slow gain in confidence was not. She was, after all, a Shoukyou.

And then the thing that was supposed to be big. And it was for a second. His eyes, which had begun to roam once more, snap back to her at this news. Another person in her life. And she saw him as a focus for her grief most likely. But to him the thing that hit him, the first thought that crossed his mind, was to wonder if the woman he was to marry would be pure or not. The idea of someone else being in what was his, his only by arrangement before his maturity but his nonetheless, was not a fun thought.

It was a bit of shock when he realized what he was thinking. This woman wasn't his by any means, no more so than anyone else could be considered his. And if she wasn't a virgin so what. It wasn't like he himself was either. His face would suddenly go blank as he realized he was jealous.

”Apology accepted. And I'm truly sorry for your loss. As for me being compatible, only time will tell.” He reaches across the space to put a hand on her shoulder, and a smile comes to his face again. ”If you don't mine giving this a chance.” His hand falls lower suddenly, cupping and lifting..... the tea. ”Perhaps I will have some, unless the cold is getting to you?”

 

[Akako]

As she spoke, she could feel Hoshikata’s mind moving, probably piecing things together. But, without all the information, she was quite sure he would have some wrong pieces and make wrong assumptions. But what she felt, the judging, made her flush, pale skin glowing red as she made her own assumptions at what he could be thinking.

“W-we did no such thing! And I would never; not until after marriage,” she said, her face aglow at the thought, one would almost think her head would just suddenly catch on fire. “Be-besides, we only met once and I was with my brother! And even if I did meet him again, I would not-not think of a future with Nokugara-san anymore! He used our talents and left us and never showed up again, even if it was to repay the debt he rightfully owed us,” she hissed, embarrassment turning to anger at the thought of that man.

In her anger, she did not detect the jealousy her betrothed felt.

Akane took in deep breaths to calm herself down, finding it easy with the man’s level presence, and put on a small smile when he accepted her apology. “It was my childishness that let these unnecessary things happen, Hoshikata-san. I really cannot apologize enough. And I realize it would be childish and selfish of me not to give this arrangement a chance like you have,” she whispered, offering the tea up to him with a shake of her head. “As I have said, I’ve drank my fill. Too much tea can be bad for my health too you know,” she said in an almost chiding, joking manner.

She was okay now. Much better than before.

 

[Kairyuu]

He looks over at her when she has the outburst, one eyebrow slightly raised at it. How in the world could she possibly know what he was thinking, unless perhaps she was better than he at reading people. But his talent there lay in years of experience at the game of intrigue, at spinning words into gold and making people think the way he wanted them. Of manipulation and coercion. As far as he knew she had none of this. Perhaps a lucky guess.

She goes on to mention it was a one-time meeting, making him wonder how you could base such emotion on one meeting. Deciding to be with someone was not a spur of the moment decision, it took time and knowledge of them, to know how they acted and thought and what they liked. He was about to mention this when she said a name.

Hoshikata saw red, briefly. His face twisted into a mask of anger and a guttural sound even escaped before he regained control of himself. As suddenly as the feeling of rage rose, it would vanish. As if a door slammed shut. ”Nokugara.... Koroki?”

He remembered that man. Their first meeting had been pleasant enough. The other was reading a book, and his soul has marked him as cursed in his own way. Hoshikata had taken an interest mainly in the cursed mark he held, something that until then he thought only he could do. He had selected the man to be one of his escort when he was to go to the villages for goodwill.

And Koroki had spurned the offer. Showing up late to the meeting, saying some pitiful excuse, and leaving. A poorly trained shinobi given too high a position. And now he finds that this was the man she preferred to him. Perhaps his original instinct on this whole matter had been correct.

He lifts the tea to his lips, sipping the warm liquid. ”The man you mentioned. That was Koroki?” His voice was less soft now, an iron hardness behind it. ”What could he possibly have about him that is worth having?” Hoshikata could forgive any grudge for the right reasons, but there were none for this man so far. No reason to let go of the anger that meeting had caused.

 

[Akako]

It was a fleeting emotion, one a normal person would say was love at first sight. But she now knew it was not love but just misguided emotions that had made her think in such a way. She nodded, “yes, Nokugara Koroki.” There was much anger in her tone of voice as she said that name. “I… I thought there was something, for he did not shun us when we showed him the talents we knew. But, I suppose, the only reason he did not shun us was because he had use for the talent and nothing more than that. I would sooner kill him the next time we meet and take back the blade that he got by using my brother and I. It will be easy; I have killed those who less deserved death,” she hissed.

She didn’t want to be looked down upon for her knowledge of the dark arts and necromancy. She didn’t want to be seen as weaker, just because she studied the arts of battling with the mind rather than the body. She had thought she would find that someone in the former Medical Sennin. But she thought wrong and she was made into just another naïve little girl; he had used them both and run off with the blade, never to be seen again.

“He is of no worth, lesser than the ground we stand upon right now,” she spat venomously before sighing. She raised an arm, hiding her frown behind the sleeve of her kimono although her brows still went downward as the expression was still on her face. “L-listen to me, talking about killing in such a way. I am ashamed to admit I know little else of what to talk about without my brother leading the conversation.”

 

[Kairyuu]

Her own anger certainly brought more to mind for him. He had spurned her. Perhaps that was something of the basis for her distance. A desire not to be spurned again. His own feelings for Koroki were less fatal and more painful. He didn't want the man dead, dead people can't feel pain anymore. He wanted to hurt the man for his crass refusal, but he realized this was a key to the woman before him.

”Your brother isn't necessary to speak with me. I wish to know you, Akane, not what your brother would have you out to be.” The tea is set down once more as he looks at the ground in contemplation while speaking. ”I spent such a long time honing these abilities I have. I thought I was the only person capable of them for quite a bit of that time. Power has a price. My cost for it was to look like I do now. I'm not sure if you saw the pictures but I used to have pale skin, with gray eyes and platinum silver hair.”

“Now I look like a sideshow freak. I thought it all worth it for the power I was granted.” He reaches out once more, a hand on her shoulder. Not a threatening thing, by either of the two means it could be, but instead a gesture of warmth. ”What price did you pay for those abilities? To summon the dead to do your bidding? To force an opponent's own mind to work against them?”

For now he would drop the subject of Koroki, if only to calm her down. But that was a topic he would like to speak on more later.

 

[Akako]

She calmed herself down as best as she could once more; there was little point in dwelling in the past. It was in the present and the future she had to focus on, especially as she was with the man she might have to spend her future with. It was… troublesome, having to think of such things. But this union, if anything, was for the good of her clan and, from now on, she’d like to think she’d try to do her best for it.

Akane smiles bitterly; everyone saw her as a set with her brother. She supposed it was their fault, having chosen to train as a unit. But she somewhat regretted that choice in the oddest of moments. It was rare that they were not together, just like now. “We are only a few seven years into our practice,” she spoke in turn. “And the price we paid was to feel what the dead feel. All the pain and the sorrow and anger and grief of those who we take from the grave; it is a maddening thing that we share with each other to lessen the burden.”

There was another price but that was for when they died; Akihiko would be left up to Hypnos for eternal slumber and Akane to Thanatos who would imprison her in Tartarus until the ends of days. Death did not scare them, but the thought of being separated in the afterlife almost made them feel fear. Almost. It would be a long time coming, she’d hope, so it was better not to speak of it.

The girl laughed though, a subdued sound, as she hid her mouth behind her sleeve again. “But yes, I’ve seen pictures of you from brother Tatsuya. You two have been long friends, haven’t you? I do remember going to graduation, trying to catch a glimpse of you,” she said, remembering the pale, almost colourless lad with her elder brother. They weren’t supposed to be there though and she never saw the Isaki in person when a teacher caught them and hauled them off back to class where they snuck away, leaving behind illusions of themselves. She remembered thinking, expecting a snot nosed, spoiled brat of an heir when she was promised to the shinobi and having wanted to confirm it with her own two eyes.

She looked up at Hoshikata for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t think you’re that bad looking, Hoshikata-san. Definitely not a Shoukyou beauty but… you don’t look like a freak,” she said in a manner that said she was sincere, albeit hesitant to have said it out loud. But, of course, no one could match the Shoukyou beauty.

 

[Kairyuu]

He could sense that something wasn't being said, but he did not press her for more information. This was not the time for that. Right now he thought it best to mend bridges that had been burned long before either of them knew to look for them. He rises from the bench and stretches his arms wide to encompass the room before them once more. ”These people had power once. They thought it was something eternal, something to never lose. The price they paid was hubris, for pride will bring down any who fall to its seductive ways.”

He turns around to her now, his robes sending up a swirl of dust at the suddenness of the turn. ”You pay a price for what you do. What you did for him. And he paid none. He used you to avoid having to do so.” His hand is held out to her, and should she take it he would raise her to her feet before him. ”Never give something that costs you so dearly. All things must have a price, else the whole world will crumble. And thank you for the king words, but I have no illusions of what I look like to most people. There are some days I wish I could go back to how I was before, while it was not the most handsome of visages it certainly didn't stand out as much”

This was turning out to be a fruitful trip, when before her arrival it was proving to be the opposite. He hadn't talked to someone like this since.... well since the last time he'd had a long talk with her brother. How odd that the only people he could open up to were members of the Shoukyou clan. Perhaps their good looks had something to do with it. He certainly didn't find them hard to look at most of the time.

”Your brother.... is my oldest friend. And only.” It was not a hard pill to swallow, admitting his lack of friends. He had made himself a distant man, he was the schemer who used those before him. He did not have friends, he had pawns. This was how he was raised, how he was trained by his departed parents. Tatsuya had seen through his persona from day one, however, and a deep companionship had evolved from that. ”We met in the Academy. Early years. He was the only other student who could keep up with me due to the training my parents gave me before I went there. What began as a heated competition cooled into what we have now.”

How odd, looking back on memories. Rose tinted glasses were not being worn here, he would not do that to himself. But he did sometimes miss those days, when he himself was free not to worry. It didn't make the times any less arduous, it merely made his awareness of it vanish. ”I must apologize for how I introduced you earlier. Regardless of my thoughts at the time, you are still my betrothed, and it is not appropriate of me to ignore that fact amongst others.”

 

[Akako]

It was interesting to think that these ruins were once a symbol of great power of a race long dead. If only she could read the writing on the walls; she would like to know if they used this as a place of worship or a place of politics or something else entirely different. Alas, these words were probably long gone or were probably only privy to the highest scholars native to the land of Lightning. But whatever power lay in these halls were great and were abused to become like this. Greater power meant greater responsibility and also greater means of abuse; those who could not handle power would destroy themselves by wielding it. Such is the ways of the world.

Akane took Hoshikata’s hand and let herself be pulled up to her feet. There was a small smile of amusement on her face, thinking that this Isaki certainly had the like for such dramatic speeches but she particularly didn’t mind. Not when his words rang true.

Helping Nokugara-san had been a political move more than anything. He was Sennin and, therefore, had great power. It was a small price to pay if they were able to use him to politically manoeuvre the Shoukyou clan into even a higher light. But when he got what he wanted, the Sennin position was no longer his soon after. How were they to know that damned man would pull such a stunt?

“But why care for what they think? Your appearance doesn’t lessen your power… and power, they must respect you for it,” she found herself saying. Almost hypocritical of herself as she too worried at times what other thought of her. She was young and she was a woman and, even in this day and age, many still had a misogynistic way of thinking. She had to work twice as hard as Akihiko did to get the same amount of respect and recognition, just because she was born a woman. She found herself uncaring that she was still holding the man’s hand. And she even found the want to tighten her hold as she spoke of power and respect. Appearances were, she thought, a small price to pay for such power and honour even if she and her twin brother had been vain not to do so.

She did not let go of his hand too, unless he made the move to do so, when they spoke of her elder brother. “I’m sure brother Tatsuya treasures his friendship with you as well. He spoke of you sometimes, calling you his best friend. I’m sure he was glad too that he found someone he could be on equal ground with, knowing him,” she laughed, much less subdued than before.

But she did let go then, as she folded her hands together and bowed her head. Both the Shoukyou and Isaki were looking at the past, albeit Akane was looking at more recent events than Hoshikata was. “And it was inappropriate of how I acted as your betrothed. Anyone would do the same, I think, with how I was acting towards you and in front of others. What I did was a disservice to both our families.”

 

[Kairyuu]

Her hand in his, an odd sensation made all the more so by her lack of motion in yanking it away. It had been a long time indeed since he had gotten close to a woman, a very long time since he had felt any desire to. He wasn't sure if it was that she was to be wed to him or if he was simply reawakening a desire he thought long gone, but he was interested in her. And so the pretty words and grand gestures, the flair for the dramatic that so many were captivated by.

”Whol wiles ph'jhal aeros.... “ It was a small reminder to himself, a reminder that his words here were not all that mattered. Her words on power, however, brought one eyebrow higher once more as he considered this. Power was useful, and certainly brought respect, but Hoshikata didn't care if he was respected except for how close respect brought him to his goals. He would chuckle and take a deep breath at her next words of apology before choosing a response.

A hand reaches out to cup her chin and slowly raise her face to look up into his eyes. His smile was kind and warm, and his eyes promised no pain or hurt from him. ”None of that. You have explained yourself, and apologized, and that apology has been accepted. Let it be as if it never occurred.” Indeed to him that would never be the case, but he could pretend it would be for her sake.

”I hope he does, as much as I value his own. It was a hard decision I made before, to replace him as Sennin. It was the first time I put duty above him. It was difficult...and I wrestled with alternatives more many nights before doing it. But on to other matters, I would think.”

To her abilities she might sense an intense curiousity radiating from him as he asks this, ”Do you want power, Akane? For what purpose would you desire and use power?”

 

[Akako]

She briefly wondered what those words meant. It was not the ancient cipher of the Water Country, Mizugo, or she would have understood. And she wondered, another moment, if she would become privy to that language in the future.

Still, she really should stop apologizing; she was making much a fool out of herself when the Isaki had already forgiven her. But she felt it necessary to at least apologize that one last time, for it was an apology for a different matter.

When Hoshikata lifted her by the chin, there was a small smile there. It was small but a smile nonetheless compared to the hostile looks and blatant ignoring in the past few days. It wasn’t even a fake smile like the one she wore when they first met in the Isaki manor. “Yes, I suppose that would be for the better.”

Power though? What did she want it for? Oh, for many a thing, some things she would not disclose even to her twin brother. But she knew one answer that was among her reasons, one which was expected of her; “I… I want power to protect my family, of course,” she whispered, flushing a bit at the curiosity just oozing from the man before her. “And… to show my worth, to be feared by enemies or respected by my allies…”

She would never say out loud that she was sometimes jealous of her older brother for being heir. Especially when most of the elder Shoukyou just saw her as a bargaining chip into a closer alliance with the Isaki through his marriage. And even their cousins just saw her as the little sister of the main branch. One has to understand, even with her prodigious qualities and maturity, Akane was allowed to feel such clawing feelings of self doubt and hatred sometimes.

“What about you, Hoshikata-san? You keep asking about me but… why did you sacrifice for power?”

 

[Kairyuu]

His face freezes at her question, mind awhirl with thoughts. Even for someone such as her, it would likely be a jumbled mix as his brain went through dozens of thoughts a second on what to say. In all honesty he had two options however, to lie or to not. Finally after what felt an eternity for the five seconds it lasted, he bows his head just ever so slightly as if thinking.

”My clan, as you might know, used to worship a god of immense power. The Deep One. This being supposedly gave us the land we settled. The land that the Shoukyou moved to four hundred years later. The land that, six hundred years after that, would become Kirigakure. It brought us wealth and prosperity. In more recent times my clan shunned it, thinking it a myth.”

“I found the entrance to an ancient cellar in the Manor that led to a library. The books I found revealed much about the clan to me, including this being. I chose to believe where others did not. I found the hidden shrines and offered my soul to it without thinking of the consequences, for you see, even I was young and foolish then.” He smiles a bit at his own joke before going on.

”What none could have guessed would be that it was indeed real. It lived deep under the city, in the waters of the dead under an ancient city that defied reality. I went down, I met it. And I learned the truth. The souls of my clansmen had not been moving on to the afterlife when they died. It was gathering them, and playing cruel games with them.”

Hoshikata steps back and blinks slowly, letting his vision adjust just slightly. ”I have had a gift since I was a baby. I can see the departed. Hear them, interact with them. What you would call a ghost, I call a person. This was not a learned skill, but a freak chance of mutation. And it let me see in that damned city what my fate was.”

He steps closer to her once more, slightly closer than before. ”I sacrificed my body. I sacrificed my humanity. I sacrificed my...” Hoshikata stops, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Should he? None knew, not for sure. Karu suspected of course, but none knew for sure. ”My parents.”

It was out. And the memories were still there. His father, staring at the knife in his heart. That had been self defense, but the spirit of Kousen drinking his blood through the staff for power had been evil. And his mother, trusting him until he put her in the sack. And likely so lost and confused when he stabbed her through the heart with the staff to draw her power as well.

”I gave up so much, to rid my family of a fate worse than death.” Those weren't tears in his eyes, that glassy look. Hoshikata didn't cry, and he did not get sentimental over such foolish things. They weren't tears.

 

[Akako]

Akane grew quiet, feeling the whirlwind of indecision going about Hoshikata. Perhaps that was not a good question to ask. She would not put it against him, if he didn’t answer because she too didn’t give all her reasons for the want of power. And she would have taken the question back too, had he not started to speak his part.

But yes, she knew for a fact that the Isaki of old worshipped a god. She had been unsure if they still did in the recent days but, apparently, they still did. It was a shame that they were not in their homeland anymore though. For she would like to have the chance to see this Manor cellar and the library. One could just imagine what sort of things would be written in there; all kinds of knowledge and records, forbidden and otherwise. And she too wondered what this Deep One would have looked like; what sort of eldritch horror had he the honour of witnessing? She would very much like to see it too, to see if it would strike fear in her heart.

The thought of dead souls not allowed to pass on made her still. Laughable, considering she practiced the dark art of necromancy but it was merely that of the body. Never of the real soul, even if it seemed so for the body held echoes, memories of the spirit that had inhabited it. If… if she had been the one to see such a thing, she would have no doubt that she would do something similar as well. Although she questioned the necessity of sacrificing one’s own family, she would believe Hoshikata-san had known what he was doing.

She felt as if she wanted to cry seeing the man’s eyes. She would cry, perhaps at another time, as Hoshikata did not allow herself. But not now for she wanted to look strong in front of her betrothed. She had already acted like a weak, emotional little girl when she admitted the reason for her hostility and her childishness and for so many apologies.

Which was why she whispered: “I’m sure you did the right thing, Hoshikata-san. It was for the sake of your family… and I’m sure your parents would have understood too, to be allowed the freedom to move on.” She couldn’t help her eyes from getting glassy as well but she did not shed any tears. What they did, as far as she could see, was for family which was honourable and right.

She put a hand up to the man’s cheek, brushing golden skin with her own pale one before she stood up on her tip toes. With a small smile, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before stepping back with a small blush on her face. Perhaps, she would do more than give this man a chance if it meant the greater good for both their families and, maybe, for the two of them as well.

 

[Kairyuu]

It was most of the truth, there were some bits missing. Of course anyone in his shoes would want the power of a god, the power over life and death itself. He had done all he did for the clan, but if he were to be true to himself, he had done it mostly for himself. To secure his own soul, to obtain the power of a god, and to spit in the eye of that bastard for casting him aside after treating him like a chew toy. But now, here, he would simply look down at the woman before him and let serenity come over him.

How odd, this feeling. The chaotic maelstrom of thoughts in his mind would slow, the schemes going away as he simply looked down at her and found the sight to his liking. Perhaps he had lost his humanity, and likely something was bringing bits of it back. Hoshikata found himself feeling something he had not felt in a long time. Desire. He desired this woman suddenly. Not in a sexual manner, but just for company at the moment.

As she spoke her words and put her hand on his cheek, he would watch her face come close to his own. And as her lips touched his cheek, he turns slightly, brushing his lips across hers in a moment of affection so out of place for him. His golden eyes look down into her red ones as he speaks in that strange tongue once more once they part.

”Evagna uns'aa. Usstan gumash naut xxizz usstan.”

 

[Akako]

It was reflexive more than anything, the way Akane’s hand went up for a quick and stinging strike to Hoshikata’s cheek when their lips met. Much was said in the way her red eyes went wide and her pale face glow redder than ever. She put her hands up to her mouth, trying to hide how she gasped, not expecting that at all. But she somewhat recovered as she clutched her hands together and lowered them.

“W-what was that for? St-stupid?!” she said in an accusing manner, displaying how flustered she was much more than Hoshikata did. Never had Akane looked more young and awkward than she did right now, as she shied in on herself. That was… was her first kiss! Well, technically not her first but family didn’t count. Even if she may have kissed her twin when they were younger.

No. She was supposed to be… supposed to be pure until marriage! Well, not pure considering she practiced dark arts like necromancy but pure! It wasn’t that she disliked it either! It was too swift and short to really tell if she liked it or not! But what if big brother found out? Big brother told her kissing outside the family was a problem, even if he was being a huge, fat hypocrite. But big brother Tatsuya said kissing other people had to wait until they were married and… aghghhghg! Akane had to fight the urge to pull her hair.