TheShatteredRose

“Yay!” a childish giggle, a giggle so familiar, was heard. “Ao found Mom first!”

Yeyasu felt breathless when his brain finally proceeded that voice and he immediately, and honestly frantically, searched the battlefield. Ignoring all the fallen puppets. Where his gaze finally fell upon the figure of a young appearing demon with a white and blue kimono.

Ao…She was ok!

The relief Yeyasu felt was indescribable.

“Mom!” Ao hurried over to him. “Is Mom ok?”

Yeyasu nodded. “Y-yeah, I’m in one piece. Your timing is amazing, Ao.”

Ao didn’t smile at the praise, however. She kept a frown on his lips as she cast her gaze around their surroundings. And for good reason as some of the fallen puppets began to move, pulling themselves together.

“Ao, the masks themselves need to be destroyed,” Yeyasu quickly explained. “They’re still dangerous, despite being parted from the cloaks.”

“Ok,” Ao replied firmly. “Ao will just have to destroy them completely.” A dark shadow suddenly darkened half of his youthful face. “Ao will destroy them all.”

Yeyasu did not feel remotely sorry for Jigme. Ao was Fuji’s daughter, after all.

Ao didn’t hesitate to attack the masks as they popped up like horrific jack-in-the-boxes. Destroying mask after mask. She was so fleet of foot, easily dodging the rapid attacks from blades and chains.

Haha, yeah, she was definitely Fuji’s daughter.

Still, he couldn’t let her do all the fighting on her Ao. She did seem to enjoy it. A bonding experience with her father, no doubt. But…he could muster up a few spells, too. To show Jigme that he wasn’t completely useless.

He…needed to prove that to himself, too.

Yeyasu tightened his grip on Tokugawa Tenge and raised it before her. Readying it for an attack. But a swift movement from the corner of his eye stopped him. He immediately cast his gaze in that direction and watched in utter disbelief as a mask and cloak slowly unfurled from the forest floor.

Another puppet. Just like the others. Only, it wasn’t. Something was different.

Wait…that mask had been damaged! The lower portion completely gone. Only the splintered border where it once was. How was it moving?!

The puppet stretched to its full height only to pause. It looked incomplete, somehow. Wait…it didn’t move like the others. It was lopsided. One sleeve completely listless, while the other held a sword.

Jigme…didn’t have the entire puppet under his control. Only one arm. One blade. The cloak moved silently. Soundlessly. Halting only to hover directly behind Ao. And raised a blade.

Ao hadn’t noticed it yet.

The glint of the silver blade prompted Yeyasu to lurch forward. No thought, no plan – he just moved forward. And planted himself between Ao and the sharp, single blade from the puppet.

A strange…stinging sensation suddenly spread across his back. Across his shoulder blades. Sharp, biting, and burning. It was somewhat dull, yet intense at the same time. His mind couldn’t fully comprehend the sensation. But his body could.

Tokugawa Tenge tumbled from his grasp as he fell to his knees and haphazardly fell back to sit on his heels. He suddenly felt strangely weak, the burning across his back intensifying when a mysterious warmth spread across his shoulders. And slowly made its way down his back.

He…

Ao spun around to face him, her eyes widening when she spied the puppet behind him. A puppet he himself couldn’t see. But he knew it was there. He felt its presence. And he heard a low mutter. An echo, nearly. Of Jigme’s voice.

“Sacrificing fool. Just like…”

Ao suddenly disappeared from sight, but Yeyasu knew where she went. He also felt her presence behind him. A spike of power followed before the splintering of wood. And Jigme’s existence within the mask abruptly disappeared. For good.

“Mom!”

A split second later, Ao was before him once more. Her hands on his shoulders. She looked at him, unexpectedly teary-eyed and worried. Her youthful face pale.

Hah…he knew it. He was injured. Again. It was…different, though. It hurt. A pain similar to when he was stabbed not long ago. Yet, he wasn’t as perturbed. Not as worried, like he should be. It…was for a good cause, he supposed.

His arms felt heavy. Like blocks of stone. But Yeyasu managed to lift them and around them around Ao’s neck and shoulders. To pull her into a hug. One of comfort and reassurance, though it might be directed more at himself. “I’m glad you’re ok…”

“Mom?”

“Jigme…taunted me earlier. He said that you had been killed. He said such terrible things. I…know how strong you are.” Yeyasu pulled back from the hug and rested his hands on his daughter’s shoulders. He tried to smile, but it felt forced. Tired. “Strong and capable. But…I was still worried. And scared.”

Tears rolled down his cheeks and he pinched his eyes shut. “If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself…”

Under his hands, Yeyasu felt Ao shift. She moved strangely. Erratically. Ao was…trembling?

No, she was seething.

Yeyasu peeled open his eyes when he heard Ao growl under her breath. “Ao is angry. Jigme hurt Mom. Ao knows Jigme is hiding somewhere close by. And…I will hunt him down. And I will kill him.”

Ao suddenly disappeared from in front of him and just a mere second later, he heard a series of explosions and felt the fury of several attacks. Yeyasu lowered his hands to his lap and uttered a sigh. His…back was painful. And his head hurt, too. Too many spells in a short amount of time. He felt strangely lightheaded, despite the pounding of his pulse in his ears. And he felt…cold.

How…bad was the injury on his back?

Yeyasu’s eyes widened and he grew tense when another explosion occurred behind him. Forceful and fiery, a total disregard to their surroundings, and yet still controlled. So, it was familiar to him.

“Someone’s going to be really upset when I shove Kanzan Musashi clean up their ass!”

Fuji…

H-he wasn’t talking to him, was he?

“Dad, Mom’s hurt!”

“What?!”

The sound of footsteps behind him was reassuring. Masks were unable to walk, after all. Despite the chaos around him, Yeyasu felt oddly calm. Merely raises his arms to hug himself as his back continued to hurt, painful with each breathe.

From the corner of his eye, Fuji skidded to a stop and crouched next to him. A hand on his shoulder. Not back. Just his shoulder.

“What happened?” Fuji demanded, his voice gruff, his anger barely restrained.

“A sword,” Yeyasu murmured. “Jigme was just toying with me. I’m…not sure what damage has been done. It…hurts.”

Fuji swore under his breath as he suddenly leapt to his feet, an attack following immediately after. “There’s too many damn masks here!”

As the repercussions of the attack faded, the sound of clinking chains followed. Masks must have gathered around him again. Chains at the ready. Jigme was still trying to capture him through the use of those damn chains. Even when he was hurt. Just what did that…asshole want with him?

Fuji quickly returned to Yeyasu’s side and grabbed him by the arm. And tried to pull him to his feet. Yeyasu uttered a pained whimper as he tried to get his legs to work. But the pressure on his back was almost too much.

“Sorry,” Fuji murmured quietly. “But I can’t leave you here to fight. There’s too many of the bastards.”

Yeyasu didn’t want to move. He truly didn’t. But he knew that Fuji was just trying to protect him. He obviously knew their situation better. So, it was with a lot of effort and help from Fuji himself that allowed Yeyasu to struggle to his feet, Tokugawa Tenge limp in his grip.

He uttered another pain filled mewl when Fuji suddenly released his hold on his arm and stooped down next to him. Where he proceeded to wrap a strong arm around the back of his legs, just above the knees.

“Hold on,” Fuji uttered as he stood up slowly, prompting Yeyasu to grasp onto his shoulders for support, and lifted him up off the ground. Keeping him close to him. “I’m not allowing that bastard to separate us again.”

With Tokugawa Tenge in his left hand, hanging loosely by his side, Yeyasu wrapped his other arm around Fuji neck and shoulders, and rested his cheek against the top of his head. The manoeuvre wasn’t comfortable, but it was…comforting, he supposed.

“Fuji, the masks,” Yeyasu began. “You need to destroy the masks completely. Jigme still has some control over them, even if the mask is half damaged.”

“Fine,” Fuji spat out, lacking his usual sadistic enthusiasm. “I’ll just have to burn this place to the ground.”

Yeyasu squeezed his eyes shut to push back the nausea that just had to stir when Fuji began to move. He sensed the presence of his attacks, heard him cuss out the enemies around them, and felt the searing heat of his skills. Still, despite all the jostling, despite the rapid movements Fuji had to perform for his attacks, Yeyasu’s back didn’t hurt as much.

Was that a good thing?

“Only a few left!” Fuji barked out.

Yeyasu peeled open his eyes, taking a moment to blink back the blurriness of his vision. And stared at the masks that lingered.

There was…hesitation in the cloaked masks, all of them tense and still. Suddenly, they all dropped to the ground. The strings pulling them severed. Despite that, Ao did not appear happy. And he heard Fuji utter a curse of disgust under his breath. They both truly wanted to find Jigme. The both of them truly wanted him dead.

…Hah. Yeyasu was relieved that Jigme appeared afraid of someone.

Still, that caused concern, too. Would he start to target the two of them next? Really target them, and not lie to Yeyasu about them?

Fuji uttered a gruff sigh as he lowered Kanzan Musashi to his side. He remained tense, though. Yeyasu could feel the tension in his shoulders and back. Which was understandable. The masks dropping could be nothing more than a trick.

So, Fuji and Ao remained on alert for a few minutes. And…nothing happened. Still, Fuji tightened his hand on Kanzan Musashi and unleashed a fiery attack, frying the masks and cloaks. And searing the fallen weapons and chains.

As ashes rose, Fuji placed Kanzan Musashi into its sheath. He tightened his arm around Yeyasu’s legs and slowly lowered him to the ground. The moment Yeyasu’s feet touched the dry, rocky soil, his knees buckled. And he crumbled to the ground.

“Is mom ok?” Ao asked as she helped Yeyasu to delicately sit back on his heels.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” A bold face lie, but he felt the need to reassure. And to apologise. “I’m…sorry. For pulling you all into danger like this.”

Ao smiled cheerfully. “It’s ok. Ao finds more danger than this.”

Yeyasu laughed but soon regretted it, his back promptly reminding him of his injuries yet again. “With Fuji as your father, I’m sure you do.”

Fuji didn’t respond to his words, however. His attention was focused upon his back. He felt him tugging and pulling at the clothes on his back. And when he uttered a terse swear word under his breath, Yeyasu knew it was pretty bad.

It would…explain a lot, honestly.

“How bad is it?”

Fuji was silent for a moment. “We need to get you back to the nethership.”

Ahaha…that bad, huh?

“Well, that was certainly quite interesting.”

Yeyasu immediately snapped his head up as a soft, wispy voice suddenly resounded in his mind. He instinctively scanned their surroundings, looking every which way. Searching for a Guardian Beast. One the size as the previous three.

Instead, his gaze was drawn to the ground. Where a small…bird was seen. Hopping across the well-trodden path. Fluffy, white as snow, with light brown feathers on the very tip of their wings. Amongst the fluff, two beady black eyes, a little black beat, and two tiny, spindly legs also the colour of black.

They were so…tiny.

“What the hell is that thing?” Fuji asked, suspicious and tense, as the little bird came to a stop right before Yeyasu.

“Easy, Fuji,” Yeyasu soothed. “They’re a Guardian Beast.”

Well, he was pretty sure that was what the little bird was, at least.

Ao glanced at the bird and frowned before she turned her vivid red eyes in his direction. “But Mom is hurt.”

“N-no, I’m alright,” Yeyasu insisted as he attempted to readjust himself, to take on a more formal, professional kneeing sit. “I just…need to pass the trial now.”

Next to him, Fuji bristled wildly and snapped his attention directly toward him. And snared his hand with his, forcing Yeyasu himself to turn toward him. “Are you kidding me? You can’t even stand on your own feet.”

Yes, Yeyasu was well aware of that. “S-so? I won’t need my back or feet for this.”

“That’s besides the point.” Fuji practically growled with frustration as he tightened his grip on Yeyasu’s hand. He unexpected still and drew in a sharp breath through his nose, seemingly calming himself. “Yeyasu, enough of this. The tonic works just fine. I don’t need all of this.”

Yeyasu was surprised by the level of calm in Fuji’s voice. But only momentarily, as his surprise soon melded into frustration. “What are you saying? Fuji, we have three items already. Just two more. And you’ll be free entirely. Why aren’t you happy with that?”

Fuji aggressive, fiery temperament soon returned. “Because it’s putting you in danger!”

“Wh-what?” Yeyasu spluttered before he waved his free hand toward the charred remains around them. “Oh, and this was just a walk in the park? How am I not putting you in danger, too?!”

“That’s completely different!”

“How!?”

A quiet chuckle suddenly echoed through his head. “Hmm, fascinating.”

Yeyasu instinctively stiffened, something he regretted immediately when, of course, his back protested. He soon realised that his hand was still being held by Fuji. A grip that was both tight, but not crushing. Not painful. And he made no attempt to dislodge his hand. Even as he snapped his attention toward the little Guardian Beast before him.

“What? Oh, right. Ah, my apologies,” Yeyasu rambled.

The little Guardian Beast wagged its tail, seemingly amused. “No, it is fine. Soothe your warrior by telling him that there will be no trial.”

That truly surprised Yeyasu. “What? Why?”

“Because you have already passed it,” the Guardian Beast replied swiftly, yet firmly. “I watched as you fought alone. I watched the devastation resting upon your face when you thought you lost your daughter. I saw the determination in your actions. You came this way for the Moon Bamboo. Despite outside interference, you are still determined. There is nothing more you need to prove yourself.”

“That’s…” Yeyasu sat silently for a moment, just letting himself absorb all the information.

He…passed? 

“Your warrior over there has also proven himself,” the Guardian suddenly added, wagging their little tail in amusement once more. “He did not take kindly to the teleportation geo panels. A lot of bamboo trees will need to be replanted.”

An awkward laugh passed Yeyasu’s lips. “Y-yeah, I can imagine. Do pardon his actions.”

Guardian gave another wiggle of their tail as they hopped closer. Flapping their little wings to come to a rest on his knee. “It is fine. You truly are interesting, young Shogun.”

Huh? Him?

“Hey.” Fuji suddenly nudged him in the side. “What’s going on?”

Oh, right. He kept forgetting that no one else was able to hear the Guardian Beast. “Fuji, there isn’t going to be a trial. We’ve already earned the Moon Bamboo.” He paused for a moment as a smile twitched onto his lips. “In spite of you destroying half the forest.”

Fuji frowned, completely unapologetic. “I wouldn’t have to if some dumbass didn’t get separated.”

That was hardly Yeyasu’s fault. He refused to accept fault for that. So, he just rolled his eyes at the dragon. “Right, right.”

The Guardian chuckled once more. “Your warrior is quite fascinating, too.”

Yeyasu flushed lightly when he finally registered that the Guardian Beast kept referring to Fuji as his warrior. “Oh, ah, th-this is Fuji,” he introduced with a small wave of his hand. “He’s the one who been cursed.”

The Guardian flapped their little wings once more, taking a short flight to rest on Yeyasu’s hand, startling him slightly. But the little bird had their attention directed toward Fuji. “Yes, yes, I see. Quite a potent one at that.”

“If, no when I collect all the items, will…it work?” Yeyasu asked, prompting the little bird to hop around to face him once more.

The Guardian didn’t immediately reply, however, leaving him unsettled. “…It depends on your determination. And his consent.”

He…supposed that made sense.

Consent, huh? Fuji seemed to be against the Purification Ritual. For some reason. Did he…not believe it would work? Did he not believe in…him?

“Hmm, the two of you really need to sit down and have a chat.”

A-ah, he supposed so.

The little Guardian hopped around on his hand once more, to look over at the young appearing demon that knelt at Yeyasu’s side. “This young girl?”

“This is Ao. My daughter.”

“Ah,” the Guardian uttered as they quirked their head side to side. “How precious.”

Yeyasu felt pride swell in his chest. “Yeah.”

“Shogun, I do hope you come to understand how beloved you truly are.”

Yeyasu quirked his own head to the side. “Huh?”

The little Guardian, however, ignored his confusion as they hopped in the palm of his hand to face him once more. They waggled their tail once more; their beady black eyes focused upon him. “Before we part, one final gift.”

Before Yeyasu could utter a word, he felt a strange warmth suddenly engulf his body. A shimmer of light green light surrounded him. And a strange tingling, itching sensation spread across his back. From his right shoulder to above his left hip. Yet, it began to shrink, the numbing, tingling sensation abruptly ending when it reached the centre of his back.

Yeyasu felt slightly breathless as the warmth dissipated. “That-?”

“Yes, I healed you of your injury,” the Guardian Beast replied immediately as Fuji and Ao began to fuss over him, prompted by his tense reaction to the healing. “Your bruises will remain for a couple of days, I’m afraid. As will you exhaustion. Your next trial will not be easy. So, take this time to recover. And to rest. You do deserve it.”

A few days off? A shogun couldn’t really afford to do that. He had already skipped out on a few days of paperwork as it was. He…supposed it wouldn’t hurt to spend a couple of days in his office in Ewwdo.

Guardian shook their little head before they hopped off of Yeyasu’s hand, fluttering their little wings to land on the ground a mere half of metre in front of him. They had their back to him at first, but soon turned around. To look at him once more. “Shogun, one more thing if I may.”

Yeyasu tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “What is it?”

“Your next destination…will reveal certain truths. Information that will be hard to process.” Guardian turned their back toward him and hopped away slowly, quietly, as the fog that Yeyasu had pushed back ages ago began to return. Seeping through the tall bamboo trees to swirl around them.

And allowing the little Guardian Beast to disappear into the white clouds.

“I wish you luck.”

A swirl of mist suddenly pooled on the ground in front of him, only to dissipate a mere moment later. Where a pitch white bamboo fragment was found.

“Mom?” Ao called out to him questioningly.

As they paused at a crossroads, Yeyasu glanced back and forth between the new paths. And jumped slightly when a black figure dart through the bamboo trees and fog. He immediately turned his attention in the direction disappeared in. Yet, he saw nothing. Just dark green bamboo shoots and white fog.

It was just his paranoia. Probably.

Until he caught a similar dark blur from the corner of his eye. He naturally jumped again and scurried close to Fuji. Well, closer as the guy was only a foot or so away. Seemingly at all times.

“Wait,” Yeyasu murmured as he hid behind Fuji. “I think I just saw something…"

Fuji immediately snapped his head up before he quickly surveyed their surroundings with a steely but protective glare. “Where?”

Yeyasu immediately pointed forward. To a path that seemed to curve into a sharp corner. Where the white mists swirled and churned. It…looked like someone had just moved through that path. It couldn’t be his paranoia. Was someone else with them? A local?

The muscles in Fuji’s shoulders suddenly tensed as he slowly reached for Kanzan Musashi. “There’s definitely something there.”

Those words prompted the rest of their companions to circle together; their attentions also focused on their surroundings. Yeyasu ended up in the middle of the protective circle and he idly retrieved Tokugawa Tenge that resided in a sheath that rested on his back. As he wrapped his fingers around the demonic weapon, his other hand touched the material of his hoari. Idly reminding himself to keep the scroll safe.

Something did not feel right. His bony spine was gripped in a violent chill. The staff itself seemed to indicate that there was something in the mists. But it…was not something he could control through Tokugawa Tenge.

So, what meant…

Yeyasu’s train of thought was disrupted when Fuji suddenly darted forward, Kanzan Musashi unleashed with one swift and fluid movement. As he moved through the swirling mists, a dark figure suddenly arose from the group. From the mist itself. Tall, with dark robes, and two swords extended from the long, heavy sleeves.

And a mask situated within the hood.

A mask? The masked puppets were here, too?! In the worse place possible, at that!

“He’s using the mist to hide!” Yeyasu yelped as he grasped Tokugawa Tenge.

Fuji cut through the mask easily, but as the robes fell away, disappearing into the fog, another arose, rising as if pulled upon with strings. Dangerous weapons unsheathed from the sleeves once more.

It was soon disposed of by another swing of the demonic blade.

Only for another to rise. And soon, several more puppets rose from the mists to surround them.

Jigme certainly knew how to hide his puppets. Having them lay in wait, only the silent magic within the mask before he pulled the etheric strings. There could be hundreds of the things hidden in the mist!

As Yeyasu’s companions threw themselves into battle, Yeyasu was struck with a confusing thought. Jigme had…somehow expected them to visit the location. He knew they would be here. How? Why? There were a million places they could have visited. There was no way the guy had puppets in waiting for them in every location.

R-right?

As the chaos of battles erupted around him, Yeyasu knew that Tokugawa Tenge’s innate powers would not be able to help him. There were no souls for him to take control of himself. But he had his wind powers.

Removing the masks from the cloaks should be enough to drop them. Remove them from the cloaks. Oh, it should also dissipate the fog!

Just as that thought filtered through his mind, five masked cloaks arose from the fog. Like deranged and horrifying dandelions. Surrounding him easily. His heart leapt into his throat as he scrambled to unleash a wind spell to push them away.

The sound of clinking metal gave him pause. From the sleeves of the cloaks, instead of long and lethal blades, ropes of chains appeared. A dirty black in colour. They made a distinct but still haunting sound as the links cluttered against each other.

In a terrifying blur, the Masked Puppets darted toward Yeyasu. The chains whipped up from their sleeves…

And wrapped around him.

Yeyasu released a startled yelp as the ropes of chains encircled him, trapping his arms against his sides. He stumbled over his own feet before his body tensed. Against his will. The chains immediately tightened around his fragile body, pinching and grinding into his clothes. Into his skin. His body was to be littered with bruises, no doubt. They were so heavy.

They hurt. A lot.

“F-Fuji!”

A Masked Cloak suddenly darted right in front of him. The mask leaning forward to get right into his face. Where Jigme’s voice echoed forth. “These chains cannot be broken by conventional means.”

Wh-what? What did that mean?

The mask just inches from his face suddenly tilted to the side. Where a clean crack appeared. Top to bottom. Wait, no, it wasn’t from the wood splintering. It was too clean. It was a cut from a sharp blade.

The tight chains suddenly gave way. Allowing him to move. To breathe again.

“Damn bastard,” Fuji snarled as he used his demonic blade to cut through the rest of the chains. “Lucky that I’m not the conventional type!”

The release of the chains freed Yeyasu from the weight, also. And he unconsciously stumbled back a few steps. He buckled forward at the waist as he hands crossed over his chest to clutch his upper arms, a vain attempt to reduce the pain.

Chains…Why did that bastard use chains? They were too rough!

With a flurry of slices from Kanzan Musashi, Fuji quickly dispatched the rest of the puppets that surrounded them. And immediately planted himself directly in front of Yeyasu. Protecting and guarding him.

“Yeyasu?”

“I-I’m all right.”

Kinda.

With the others busy and distracted by other cloaks, continuingly popping up from the fog, Fuji kept himself directly in front of Yeyasu, Kanzan Musashi grasped tightly in one hand, his other arm straight from his side. A motion to keep Yeyasu behind him. And an indication to tell Jigme that if he wanted to get to Yeyasu, he had to go through him.

And that…that was a little worrying. Jigme had planted possibly hundreds of cloaked puppets all over Arashiyama. He was going to great lengths to get to him.

Could those lengths turn…deadly?

Another cloak rose from the fog a few feet from where Yeyasu and Fuji stood. Instead of immediately attacking, however, it just stood there. Menacingly, but seemingly as still as a statue.

“I see,” Jigme’s voice echoed from behind the mask. “I really do need to keep the two of you apart.”

It then dropped down into the fog. Disappearing from sight.

Fuji immediately tensed, his head on a swivel, looking for danger that was sure to come. The mask had to be slinking around in the fog. Like some kind of snake. In search of a weak spot to promptly abuse.

Wait, his wind magic should reveal the ground.

Yeyasu took a half step back from Fuji and took a moment to concentrate. He focused the spell around him, the strong winds radiating outwards. And with it, dispersing the fog. To reveal the ground beneath their feet, a stark deep brown. Speckled with glowing squares of bright green.

Geo panels?

His breath hitched in his throat as he snapped his head down to look at his feet. Where a green panel flickered softly, quietly.

A teleportation panel.

He…had unintentionally activated it.

“Fuji! It’s a teleportation panel!” Yeyasu immediately threw his arm out. An attempt to touch the dragon that stood before him. To…take him with him, essentially. But just as Fuji turned around, startling realisation in his eyes, a bright flash blinded him. And he felt that sicking sensation of weightlessness before sudden grounding. Planted in a new location completely against his will.

Yeyasu staggered on his feet, his hand touching nothing but empty air. It took him a moment to steady himself, only to whip his head around to glance at his new surroundings.

Nothing but fog and tall bamboo trees greeted him.

He…was completely alone.

And surrounded by fog.

If…if he found another teleportation panel, he might be able to find his way back to Fuji or any of the others. But had they been teleported elsewhere, too? They must be scattered across Arashiyama!

Yeyasu stood stock still as he uttered a wind spell, concentrating it around himself like a tornado before exploding outwards. Pushing back the fog. And revealing the ground below. And that was all he saw; the harden soil of an ancient path.

The geo panels were gone.

That was the least of his concerns, however. Masks with bundles of dark brown robes littered the area. Each one somehow protected from the wind attack. Worse still, they were beginning to stir.

Yeyasu could not prevent a yelp when several masked cloaks unfurled from the ground into full form. Each mask turned in his direction. They did not reveal their weapons. Weapons that had to be hidden in the cloaks somewhere. They were still incredibly intimidating.

Crap, what should he do?!

Jigme must be somewhere nearby. But how could he had known that Yeyasu would be teleported to this location? Had he somehow messed with the geo panels? Argh, he probably did. He was known to be a greatly skilled magician, too.

“Ah, much better,” Jigme’s voice echoed from one of the puppets. “Some peace and privacy. A luxury, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Hardly!”

A low chuckle, without a hint of mirth, resonated from a mask. “You will come to appreciate this peace soon enough.”

Yeyasu did not like the sound of that.

He whipped Tokugawa Tenge around in front of him. There were no souls behind any of those masks, no doubt done on purpose. After all, their previous encounter was just for research. To study him. To learn what the demonic staff could do.

Well, he just had to use his elemental attacks!

He summoned another wind attack, concentrated around him just like before. But stronger. Yet, it…wasn’t enough. The winds only served to push them back a few steps. And the masks somehow remained in place.

How? D-did the bastard reenforced his puppets to make them immune to his elemental attacks? Damn it all, the guy had everything planned! Argh, screw him! Yeyasu was going to use as many attacks needed to fell one of those things. No matter the fatigue and migraine.

Yeyasu grimaced as he concentrated on a powerful star attack. As the magic circle appeared overhead, he heard the distinct sound of clinking chains. Just like before. He had the ignore the sound. And just concentrate. The masks were scattered, forcing him to narrow in one enemy at a time.

Just as he threw a powerful star attack at the closest mask, he staggered when something unexpectedly tugged at his right leg. Naturally, he looked down and his eyes widened. A chain had somehow encircled his ankle. Tight and unmoving. All Yeyasu could do was frantically shake his foot, to release it from his western styled boots.

After a frantic tug, his foot finally slipped from his boot and it was snatched away in a second. Finding himself with only one shoes, he felt off balanced somehow. So, he hopped stupidly in place to rip off the other boot, and the moment it was free, he threw it directly into the mask of the nearest puppet.

Ironically, that feeble physical attack was enough to knock the mask from the hood of the cloak. And cause it to drop to the ground instantly.

Ok. Right. Jigme had reenforced his puppets against magical attacks, but failed to also protect them from physical attacks. No wonder he needed to separate him from Fuji and the others.

The guy…was insanely obsessed with him.

“Your feeble attacks are quite charming,” Jigme mocked from his hiding place.

Tokugawa Tenge wasn’t meant to be used for brawling, but if the only way to smack those masks away from their magical source was to physical strike them, then he had no choice.

He…he had to do whatever it took not to get captured. Just fire one star spell after another, taking them down one by one. Use wind attacks to push them away from him. And belt them in the face should they get too close.

Time. He just needed to stall for time before Fuji, before his brother, or one of his companions found him. And…they would. They would come for him.

Wouldn’t they?

Yeyasu was abruptly pulled from his offensive strategy when something suddenly tugged at his cape that held his family’s crest.

A masked puppet. With two blades from the sleeves of it cloak. It…unexpectedly use those blades to slice into his cape. To destroy the Edogawa family crest? No. It seemed that its goal wasn’t to tear the cloth off of him, which was odd enough. But it twisted the blades within the material. Giving it…a grip of sorts. And it soon tugged backwards, the cape strangling him. And as a result, pulled him right out of his elemental spell.

Yeyasu’s hand immediately flew up to the small rope of chain that kept his cape in place. His fingers fumbled for a moment, but he managed to remove a clip. And allowed the cape to be torn away from him.

He staggered a few steps forward before he spun around and aimed a desperate star spell at the mask ripping his cape to shreds. He managed to score a direct hit to the mask, sending both it and the robes sprawling across the ground a few feet away. Completely separate from one another.

That…thing was incapacitated, right?

“I must admit that you are a credit to the Edogawa family name,” Jigme basically taunted from a nearby mask.

Yeyasu yelped as a puppet appeared right in front of him, and out of instinct, whipped out the demonic staff…and smacked the mask right out of the unnaturally empty hood.

“But I’m afraid you’re going to have to work harder than that.”

What? Summoning more puppets to tire him out? Crap, that was exactly what he was doing. He easily could have used those puppets of his to capture him with chains. They did it once before. Why was he so…considerate now? What did that asshole really want from him?

That question only became more distressing as Yeyasu watch the fallen masks move. They floated up from the ground, placid and quiet before merrily making their way to the discarded robes. Robes that seemed to inflate back into full form, the mask taking its rightful place withing the hood once more.

He…can control masks, regardless? That wasn’t fair!

Damn it. He should have realised that earlier. That meant that any mask that wasn’t destroyed or heavily damaged was still a threat. Jigme could use his immense skills to control the masks and shove them onto unsuspecting people’s faces. All without being seen!

“Why…?” Yeyasu panted as he used another star attack to push back a puppet. “Why are you here? Why are you in Arashiyama? What do you want from me?”

Jigme didn’t respond, which wasn’t all that surprising. But his puppets certainly did. Before Yeyasu could summon up another wind spell to push them back, several puppets circled him, chains free from their sleeves. Chains they promptly and brutally wrapped around him. Again.

A strangled cry escaped Yeyasu’s lips as the steel restrains pinched through his clothes to his skin. It was incredibly painful. He bit back another noise of pain as tears prickled his lashes.

Damn it, it seemed that Jigme had his fill with playing with him.

As the puppets kept the chains taut, a sole puppet, without any weapons or restraints, floated silently toward him. Gliding eerily over the ground. It literally did not make a sound. No wonder they were able to slip through the fog without anyone sensing them.

“You are wishing to perform the Purification Ritual?” Jigme’s voice once again echoed from a mask, giving the indicating that he was somewhere close by.

“How do you know of it?” Yeyasu demanded.

Jigme gave a low chuckle. “Of course, I know of it. Such powerful magic. I knew you were…special.”

Yeyasu had no idea what he was on about, but he had been called worse things.

“Fascinating,” Jigme continued. His voice low, husky, gravely. “And you have three of the items. You are very useful, indeed.”

How the hell did he know that? Had he been spying on him the entire time?!

Yeyasu pinched an eye shut in a desperate attempt to ignore the pain. “I won’t give up the scroll. Or the items.”

A sword suddenly appeared from the puppet’s right sleeve and in a slow, nonchalant movement, raised it toward Yeyasu’s face. The blade lingered by his shoulder, an action that immediately prompted Yeyasu to snap his head to the side. But that only caused  Jigme, yet still acting through the puppet, used the very tip of the blade to cut through the bindings holding Yeyasu’s hair in place.

As the pink strands fell down around Yeyasu’s shoulders, Jigme uttered another chuckle. “I care not for either of those things.”

That caused Yeyasu to snap his head up in surprise. “What? Then what-?”

“You,” Jigme stated as he leaned in real close to Yeyasu’s face. Staring at him through those hollow eyes. “My dear Shogun. You…”

Yeyasu would have shuddered in fear if he could move. Damn, he could barely breathe because of those chains!

The masked being suddenly snapped its head to the side. An action that made it almost appear alive. As if there was something hidden behind that mask that made it real. But that wasn’t possible. Was…Jigme’s hold on these masks so strong that he could react to them? Why?

That hollow feeling of dread appeared in the pit of Yeyasu’s stomach. “What? Why did you pause?”

Jigme didn’t respond. And neither did the puppet. In fact, all the puppets became stock still. The chains did not falter, though. He still couldn’t move. But he should have time to summon a spell or two. If he could ignore the pain and concentrate…

“My apologies, dear Yeyasu,” Jigme’s voice suddenly returned. “I just needed to ensure the…kill was final.”

“Kill?” That dread Yeyasu felt earlier promptly turned into fear. “What? Who did-?”

Jigme gave a low chuckle before he replied, sadistic glee in his voice. “I wonder how that warrior of yours will feel when he learns that his precious daughter was killed because of you.”

Ao? What did he do to Ao?! Th-there was no way!

“No…No, you’re lying!”

Jigme quirked the puppet’s head to the side. To mock him. “Wish for me to bring her corpse to you? Perhaps it’s better this way, so that I can whisk you away to safety before her dear ol’ father turns murderous.”

Fuji…No, Fuji would never forgive him. His daughter…his precious daughter…

No. No, it wasn’t possible. It was just a taunt. Something to get under his skin!

R-right?

With tears in his eyes, Yeyasu shook his head frantically, uncaring that the desperate movements were only bringing him more pain. “No, you’re lying! I refuse to believe that someone like you could…could hurt Ao. I refuse!”

Wh-what of the others? Suisen? Fuji? The girls?

“Wh-what is the meaning of this?!” Yeyasu spluttered as he placed his hands upon the brown, scaley fingers and tried to lift himself free. “Put me down this instant!”

“Yeyasu!” Numerous voices called his name in alarm. He wasn’t sure if he was just being hopeful, but Fuji’s voice sounded the loudest out of them all. There was little doubt, however, that his companions were getting themselves ready for battle.

The baboon, or whatever the hell that thing was supposed to represent, laughed. Loudly. Boisterously. Far too happily. And right into his head.

“Eeeh, don’t laugh at me!” Yeyasu yelled before he had the chance to reconsider. He was talking to a Guardian Beast, after all.

“Now, settle yourself down there, kid. And tell your bros over there to do the same. I’m just preparing for the trial.”

Yeyasu immediately stilled and focused his attention on the Guardian holding him aloft. The voice was deep, husky, and masculine. But the amusement in their tone was obvious. This Guardian didn’t sound like the others, all calm and regal.

No, this guy sounded like an ol’ timey sailor looking for some amusement.

“O-ok,” Yeyasu said in response before he turned to look to his left, where Fuji and the others stood. “Calm down! They’re not going to hurt me!”

“How do you know that for sure?” Fuji immediately countered, his hand resting on the hilt of Kanzan Musashi. The way his fingers flexed and the muscles in his arms taut, he was ready to unleash hell.

“Bwahaha!” the Guardian Beast laughed in his head once more, causing him to wince. “I take it that one is your warrior?”

Yeyasu immediately stiffened and snapped his head toward the Guardian once more. “My what?!”

Somehow, even with their features being made of sharp scales and dry moss, the Guardian Beast smiled at him. Impishly at that. “Your dedicated and oh-so protective warrior, hm?”

“Cursed!” Yeyasu shrilled as his face burned a brilliant red. “He’s the one that’s cursed! That’s why I’m helping him!”

“Right, of course.” The Guardian’s long monkey tail flickered in pure, unadulterated amusement. “So, he’s the one who needs to complete the trial.”

That caused Yeyasu to blink in confusion. “Him? But isn’t the one who-?”

“You’ve already proved yourself to me,” the Guardian unexpectedly cut him off. “After all, I’m the third guardian, right?”

“Y-yeah.” Yeyasu stilled again as the braincells in his head began to work. And a mortifying realisation washed over him. “Wait, do you Guardians gossip amongst yourselves?!”

“Sure do!”

Yeyasu let out a mortified wail as he covered his face with his hands and proceeded to smash his head against the fingers that held him aloft. Gossip. The Guardian Beasts were gossiping. About him!

“Now, no need to be so nervous. Call me Bob.”

Yeyasu paused in his self-loathing actions and furrowed his brow. He soon snapped his head in the Guardian’s direction, completely and utterly incredulous. “Eeeh, you have a name? Wait, Bob? Why Bob? Does it mean something?”

“Nothing at all! Bwahaha!”

…He really should have expected as much.

What an annoying laugh! Imagine traveling around the world with someone with such an irritating laugh!

“Right,” the guard…he meant, Bob, uttered into his mind, their voice unexpectedly serious all of a sudden. “This is what we’re going to do. You’re going to stay right here, while your Lover Boy battles a bunch of zombies.”

Yeyasu nodded his head in understanding before he truly allowed the words to register in his head. And when they did, he felt that all-consuming blush rage across his cheeks once more. “Wh-what?!”

Bob grinned at him again. It wasn’t all that noticeably due to the dark scales of their skin, but Yeyasu saw it. Oh, he definitely saw it. The sheer amusement in his eyes was infuriating. “Which part didn’t you understand?”

Yeyasu flailed. Literally. Smacking his hands repeatedly against the scaly fingers that still held him. “Th-that first part!”

“Go on, say it,” Bob urged, mockingly. “Say Lover Boy.”

“Never!”

Again, Bob laughed at him. In his own head. Being laughed at was bad enough, but to have the guffawing rattling around in his own head? Torturous! “You’re a lot of fun. Now, tell your Lover Boy over there to get ready for battle. This time he’s the one who needs to prove himself.”

“O-ok.” Yeyasu turned his head to the left once more, where his companions continued to stand, no doubt wondering what the hell was going on as they could only hear his reactions, not what the Guardian, rather, Bob was saying to him. “Fuji!”

“What?!” Fuji immediately yelled back, his tense and battle-ready stance tightening further. “What the hell is going on here?!”

Yeyasu pointed toward the remarkably strange Guardian Beast. “This guy is called Bob.” He then pointed directly at Fuji. “And they want you to be the one to pass the trial.”

Fuji frowned. Full on wary and sceptical. “But why the hell are you over there?!”

“How am I supposed to know!?”

Yeyasu grimaced as the quickly becoming irritating laugh bellowed in his head. “Bwahaha! Asking the important questions. Tell him that you’re the prize.”

“The prize?!” Yeyasu shrilled, which was something he had done throughout nearly their entire conversation. “Absolutely not!”

Bob was having way too much fun as he guffawed into his head once more. “You’re probably right. I want him to reach that conclusion on his own!”

Just what was Bob trying to do? Thinking back on the previous two guardians, they had an interest in what his relationship was with the one he wanted to help. The cursed one. He supposed it made sense in a way. To prove that he wasn’t being forced, but out of his own free will.

And he supposed it made perfect sense to test the cursed to learn whether he was worthy of the ritual.

That what he assumed, anyway.

Bob shifted their stance suddenly and clicked their fingers on their three free hands. The noise was impossibly loud, sure to startled anyone and everyone in the area. As the echoing resided, the ground between Bob and the rest of Yeyasu’s companions began to stir.

Where an army of zombies surfaced.

Unsurprisingly, Fuji and the others immediately pulled themselves into battle ready stances. Higan all but smirking in sadistic anticipation. While Fuji himself looked agitated; a scowl on his face and his tail twitching sharply.

“Alright,” Bob said, seemingly satisfied. “He just needs to defeat the zombies on his own.”

Yeyasu quirked his head to the side in question. “Is that all?”

“Nope!” Bob replied cheerfully. And loudly. “I’m not revealing the true trial. He’s going to have to show me without prompting.”

“That’s totally unfair!” Yeyasu immediately protested. Which only got him another irritating laugh in response.

“Bwahaha, not really!”

Yeyasu released a deep sigh. His head was really starting to hurt from all that obnoxious laughter. Laughter only he could hear. But he had to do his job as a translator. “Fuji!”

“What’s going on now?!” Fuji demanded immediately.

“Bob wants to start the trial now,” Yeyasu explained. “And they only want you to fight. Everyone else needs to stay back. So, get ready!”

“Fucking Bob,” Fuji muttered under his breath, doing absolutely nothing to hide his agitation. “I’ll murder that thing after I’m done…”

Bob naturally heard him, and again, naturally, the very eccentric Guardian Beast laughed boisterous and wholeheartedly into Yeyasu’s head.

He was going to have one hell of a headache after this nonsense was over!

Bob clicked their fingers again, a sound that prompted the zombies to advance. Fuji remained still, but only momentarily. He soon sprung forward quickly, Kanzan Musashi unleashed in one fluid, seamless motion. And he unleashed fury upon the zombie horde.

Even though he was held aloft, away from the battlefield, he was able to see Fuji’s taut and powerful muscles flex and ripple smoothly under his battle harden skin. His body was lean, obviously powerful, and his movements undeniably flawless. Each swing of the sword was precise, and swift.

It was, he was mesmerising to watch.

Yeyasu wasn’t entirely worried for Fuji’s safety; the guy had faced far deadly enemies, after all. And, hey, were just zombies. But…they kept appearing from the ground. A little bit alarming. Just how did those zombies come to be there? Who put them there? More importantly…

“How long is he supposed to do this for?” Yeyasu asked, finally tearing his gaze from Fuji’s form and toward the Guardian Beast that still kept him...ah, captive?

“For as long as I want.”

Yeyasu bristled with protectiveness at the Guardian’s dismissiveness. “Totally uncalled for!”

“Bwaha, settle down,” Bob immediately responded. “Your Lover Boy will be fine. Stop fussing.”

Yeyasu immediately blushed deeply and he shrilled in denial once more, “I-I’m not fussing! It’s just…This is supposed to be a place for peace and meditation!”

Bob had the nerve to shrug nonchalantly at him. “Yeah, but that gets boring after a while.”

Bob suddenly tightened his grip around Yeyasu and before he could even comprehend what the strange Guardian was planning next, he was upside-down. Literally turned him one-eighty degrees so that his head pointed to the earth.

Naturally, Yeyasu shrieked and dug his delicate fingers into the scaly skin of the hand that held him. “Eeeeeeeeeh! What are you doing?! S-stop it! The blood is rushing to my head!”

“Bwahaha, you make the most interesting sounds.”

“Hey, asshole!” Fuji suddenly interjected, his voice terse and sharp. He sounded furious. “Turn him back around or I’ll cut that damn arm off!”

Bob whistled. Impressed. And of course, amused. “Ooh, he’s a fiery one.”

Fiery wasn’t exactly the right word…

Thankfully, he listened to Fuji’s threat and righted him in a swift movement. Leaving Yeyasu startled and disorientated. And he slumped into the Beast’s hold, slightly nauseous. “Gah…”

What the hell was that about?

“Tell him,” Bob suddenly ordered, unexpectedly serious. “Tell him to look for the Island Pine. Tell him it’s amongst the monsters.”

“Ugh, fine.” Despite the nausea, he straightened up and turned his gaze downwards. “Fuji! The Island Pine is somewhere amongst the monsters!”

Fuji hacked through a small squad of zombies with a single slash of his demonic blade. “I don’t give a shit about that right now!”

That caused Yeyasu to blink in confusion. “Huh?”

But, if he found the pine, that would end the zombie horde, right?

For the hundredth time, Yeyasu winced when Bob laughed. More boisterously than previous guffaws. “Told ya. The kid isn’t fighting for the pine. He’s fighting for you.”

That made Yeyasu still, his eyes growing wide in surprise. “M-me?”

Really? Him? B-but why?

“Alright!” Bob’s voice boomed through his head, immediately destroying Yeyasu’s previous train of thought. “This is the most important decision out of this entire trial. Get ready.”

“Huh?”

Before Yeyasu could demand answers, Bob tilted their hand to the side. An angle that had Yeyasu leaning backwards and he instinctively grasped at the large fingers around his waist. But he had to pull his hands back with Bob unfurled their fingers, prompting Yeyasu to sit in the centre of their palm.

The first thing Yeyasu did was breathe a sigh of relief. Being held aloft by a very large hand was not at all comfortable. His relief was short lived, however, and he grew tense when Bob began to move him. Thankfully, it was toward the ground. Close to where Fuji finished off the remaining zombies.

Bob was finally letting him go?

“Yeyasu!” Fuji placed Kanzan Musashi back into its sheathe and darted straight over to him. “Are you ok?”

Yeyasu nodded his head as he scooted toward the edge of Bob’s hand, his legs dangling over the side. “Y-yeah.”

Just as Yeyasu prepared himself to drop the short distance between Bob’s hand and the ground, Fuji did something wholly unexpected; he reached forward to place his strong hands around Yeyasu’s waist. And with barely a twitch from his taut muscles, lifted Yeyasu up off the Guardian’s hand.

Yeyasu felt another blush as he instinctively placed his hands on Fuji’s shoulders, his breath unconsciously hitching in his throat as Fuji pulled him toward him before he carefully, oh-so gently, placed him back on his feet.

And didn’t immediately remove his hands.

To be fair, Yeyasu didn’t immediately remove his, either.

Fuji stared at him for a moment, his brow furrowed and his eyes flickering, seemingly searching for something. Injuries, perhaps. “What the hell is going on here?” he suddenly demanded.

Yeyasu stared at Fuji for a moment before his gaze flickered back over to the Guardian Beast. Only to find the obnoxious beast smirking at him. However, they did something even worse. They gave him a thumbs up. Something he found somehow smug and patronising.

But it was a positive sign, nevertheless, he supposed.

“You passed the trial,” Yeyasu explained as he turned his attention back to Fuji, neither of them removing their hands just yet. “Bob here wanted you to be the one to pass. As you’re the one the ritual is for and all.”

Fuji didn’t look all that pleased, however. “And you being their hostage?”

“Ah, no idea?” It did make it easier for them to communicate. But the beast was obviously a jerk, so they were probably just having fun at his expense.

“Alright, I’ve seen everything I needed to see,” Bob suddenly announced, his loud voice making Yeyasu jump in surprise and snap his head in their direction. “You earn the Island Pine.”

Bob then lowered a large hand in their direction. An act that provoked Fuji’s protective side and he immediately reacted by removing his hands from Yeyasu’s waist to push him behind him. One arm thrown out in front of Yeyasu in a purely protective stance as his other hand gripped the demonic blade.

Again, Yeyasu made out a smug grim on the annoying jerk’s face. Satisfied, even justified about something. Of course, Yeyasu hadn’t a blue what had tickled the Guardian’s fancy.

“Here you go,” Bob said as he unfurled his fingers and exposed his palm. Where pristine green leaves of the Island Pine were seen.

“It’s ok,” Yeyasu told Fuji to hopefully ease his protectiveness. “It’s the Island Pine.”

Fuji still didn’t look happy, his suspicions remaining on his features. But he did allow Yeyasu to step out from behind him. Though, quite reluctantly.

“Th-thanks,” Yeyasu uttered as he retrieved the Island Pine.

Bob nodded their head. “You’re half way there. Two more Guardians to go.”

Yeyasu actually felt a wave of hesitation. “Are they…as eccentric as you?”

“Bwahaha, you’ll have to wait and see!”

Yay…? Something to look forward to?

Bob suddenly pointed directly at Fuji. “Also, tell the kid I like him.”

“Fuji, Bob says he likes you.”

Fuji narrowed his eyes in silence; his attention focused upon the Guardian Beast before them. After a few moments, he finally snorted and pulled himself from his battle stance. Only to fold his arms across his chest, less than impressed. “…And what am I supposed to do with this information?”

“Bwahaha!” Bob laughed yet again before he used his four arms to push themselves to their feet and then turned their back toward them, slowly toddling off into the dense green forests. “You kids are so much fun.”

Then…they were gone. Leaving Yeyasu stood in the middle of the clearing with the Island Pine resting in his hands. And leaving him to answer the myriad of questions that his companions threw at him.

That…was certainly something.

After answering the questions the best he could, everyone decided that there was little else that they needed to do while on Yakushima, so it was time to leave. However, as they began their journey out of the dense woods, Yeyasu noted that Fuji still appeared agitated. It wasn’t just the scowl on his face that gave it away, either. The muscles in his back and shoulders were tense and his movements sharp and deliberate.

His agitation confused Yeyasu at first. They had three of the items needed for the Purification Ritual. They were moving closer to their goal of remove the Empathy Curse entirely. So, what got him so pissed off?

Wait…

With the others currently out of earshot, Yeyasu turned to the muscle-bound dragon next to him. “It really bothers you that you can’t hear what the Guardians are saying, huh?”

The scowl on Fuji’s face somehow darkened and he snorted out of protest. “I’m not bothered; I’m annoyed. Hearing one side of the conversation is frustrating, ok?”

Yeyasu tilted his head to the side. A thought flittered through his mine, birthed by remembering a conversation he had with Bob. Was Fuji actually annoyed for another reason? A reason that he didn’t want to state out loud. Or even admit. Just like Yeyasu himself did?

Still…

“Is that all?”

Fuji sharply turned his face toward him, obviously confrontational. Something that was a habit for him, having done so for countless years thanks to that horrid curse. So, perhaps surprisingly, Yeyasu wasn’t all that intimidated by the glare. “What are you trying to get at?”

A tall orange shrine was located on the path to the waterfall basin. Quaint but striking in appearance. A place demons and travellers would seek to peace or self-discovery.

However, the shrine was not their ultimate destination. Yeyasu knew that the altar for the Guardian Beast was located elsewhere. Within the crystal pools beneath the waterfall itself, if he remembered correctly.

Bypassing the imposing shrine, Yeyasu took the lead, with Fuji on his heels once more. The path toward the basin was narrow, rarely traversed. Thankfully, they were still sturdy.

The thundering of the waterfall grew louder, a sound that seemed to resonate with the scroll hidden in his hoari. It urged him forward and within seconds, he stood by the edge of the pool of water.

Where he spied the very thing he had been searching for.

The stone altar of the Guardian Beast stood in the clear waters of the catchment pool. Just before the waterfall itself. He had always wondered what that shrine stood for, though he had never made an attempt to approach it. It was under the falling water, after all. He never thought it was the summoning tool for a Guardian Beast.

Yeyasu idly patted his hoari, where the scroll rested. He felt its innate energy tremble stronger than before, like it had done on Sakurajima. It was a clear, positive sign that they were in the right place.

Unfortunately, it looked like he needed to get a bit wet.

“At least this altar was easy to find,” Yeyasu muttered as he undid the buckles that kept his cape in place. He grabbed the edge of it and whipped it around in front of him. Only so he could hand it to Suisen. “Hold this for me.”

Suisen tilted his head to the side in curiosity, but retrieved the cape, nevertheless. Yet, confusion soon reigned as Yeyasu began to remove his western style boots.

“What are you-?”

“I don’t want water in my boots,” Yeyasu interrupted as he dropped his boots upon a dry river stone. “I need to reach the altar. Just mind these for me.”

However, Fuji continued to frown. Displeased and likely sceptical. “Yeyasu? What if-?”

“It’s fine,” Yeyasu interrupted again, purposely sounding dismissive. “As I said, I need to reach the altar. And they’ll only speak to the one with the scroll. So, stay here. Hopefully this will be as easy as the first.”

He hoped he didn’t just jinx himself.

Without waiting for approval, Yeyasu turned and walked toward the water edge. The stones were a little bit slippery, but he managed to step into the crystal-clear waters. And immediately shrieked.

“It’s cold!”

He heard a series of muttering and even chuckles from his companions behind him. Sniggering behind his back was so incredibly rude. But he continued to wade forward, the water quickly reaching his thighs. Thankfully, the water was not all that deep as he reached the altar. There was a single stone that stood before the altar, and he assumed that was where he was supposed to go. To reach the altar.

Like other stones, it was slightly slippery. Thankfully, he managed to climb upon it without making a fool of himself. And without getting the scroll wet and damaged.

As he stood before the altar, he was surprised to realise that the stone was dry. Surrounded by water, pooled and falling from high above, but the altar itself was dry.

Maybe…

Yeyasu reached into his hoari and revealed the scroll. He stared down at it for a moment before he leaned forward and placed the parchment upon the dry altar. As he set the scroll down, he noticed the ancient etchings.

“The Waters of the Truthful Lotus…”

Yeyasu was pulled from his musings when he heard a sound over the roar of the waterfall. The distinct sound of…flapping wings. Large wings, if the fact that it resonated over the falling water easily. He instinctively looked up, toward the sky that peaked over the towering cliffs.

That sight was soon blocked by the vision of a large entity.

They appeared to be like that of a heron crossed with a sleek water serpent. The long, spindly legs and wings of a bird, but the long neck and head held serpentine qualities. The feathers that adorned their body were the colours of white and blue. Similar to the waters around them, but the tips of the wings were pitch black. Eyes were also as dark as the night, striking within the scales of light blue.

The Guardian Beast.

They were not quite as intimidating as the one that resided within Sakurajima. But their size, the way it loomed over him, uncaring of the rushing water of the waterfall far above, they were still quite daunting.

He…he hoped they were as chatty as the previous Guardian.

Yeyasu unconsciously braced himself as the Guardian dropped to the waters, positioning themself behind the altar, but with their attention focused upon him. Its long neck craned down to regard him nonchalantly. Despite its size and appearance, he didn’t necessarily feel scared. He should. Much smaller things had caused him to shiver in fright.

Yet, for some reason, he felt that the Guardian before him had no intention of harming him. Not yet, at least.

He could only hope that Fuji and the others felt the same. And if not, then he hoped that they could keep Higan busy long enough for him to speak with the Guardian first. The last thing he wanted was that battle-mad woman unleashing chaos in an important landmark!

“You summon me, child?”

Yeyasu instinctively stiffened when a voice, soft and feminine but calm and elderly, resounded within his mind. Just like before. “Y-yes.”

“Hm,” the Guardian Beast hummed softly as they craned their neck from side to side, as if sizing him up. “You seek the Water Lotus?”

Yeyasu nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Again, the Guardian Beast hummed lightly as they decided to instead tilt their head from side to side. “Hm. You realise that I cannot just hand it over?”

Again, Yeyasu nodded. “Of course. A trial must be passed first.”

The Guardian Beast unexpectedly made a chittering noise. Much like an excited or overly chatty bird would do. “Indeed. Are you willing?”

Yeyasu squared his shoulders. “Yes.”

He had no idea what the trial entailed, but he had to complete it. No matter what.

Unexpected, the Guardian Beast lowered themself into the water. Nesting themself. Making themself comfortable. “Interesting. What is your name?”

“I am Yeyasu Edogawa.”

He suddenly felt something from the Guardian. A sense of…nostalgia. “Edogawa…”

His family name. Just like the previous Guardian, they had stilled upon the mentioning of his family’s name. Why did that cause the Guardian Beast to react? Wistfully, at that. Had one of his ancestors done the exact same thing?

“The Shogun,” the Guardian Beast hummed pensively. “How fascinating. You are able to read the ancient language?”

For the umpteenth time, Yeyasu nodded his head. “I am able to read it fluently. “

The Guardian Beast abruptly quirked their head to the side, a beady black eye focused directly upon him. “Truly interesting. It is little wonder we are able to speak with you so easily.”

That caught Yeyasu by surprise. “Huh?”

But the scroll. Wasn’t he able to communicate with the Guardians because of the scroll? Wait…he wasn’t holding the scroll at the moment. What did that-?

“Your trial starts now, child,” Guardian abruptly revealed. “Are you ready?”

Yeyasu quickly pushed aside his previous thoughts and squared his shoulders again. “Yes.”

The Guardian Beast flared out its wings, the impressive expanse reaching across the water catchment. “Hm. Now, tell me truthfully, why do you seek to conduct the Purification Ritual?”

“There is…” Yeyasu hesitated for a moment, to sneak a glance over his shoulder. Where his companions stood, together at the very water’s edge. Waiting to spring into action at the first sign of danger. His gaze stilled on Fuji for a beat, noting that the dragon appeared agitated. Not hostile. Just…frustrated, probably. Much like he had been during the first Guardian encounter.

It must be hard for him, for them not hearing one side of the conversation.

“There is someone close to me who is suffering from a terrible curse,” Yeyasu explained as he turned his attention back to the patiently waiting Guardian. “The Empathy Curse. Should he feel the slightest bit of positive emotion, he will cough up blood. He can’t even hug his own daughter without suffering.”

The Guardian Beast quirked their head to the side. “Interesting. You seek for another. Unsurprising.”

Yeyasu furrowed his brow in light confusion. There was that nostalgia again. “What do you-?”

“Why do so strongly wish to remove this curse?” The Guardian asked him abruptly. “You stand before a deity. You ask for mercy from a being who guards the object you desire. What drives your actions?”

“It’s…” Yeyasu stilled, the words hitched in his throat.

The Guardian Beast unexpectedly lowers their head toward him. Their draconic features not half a foot away. “I seek the truth, child. Why do you fight for his man? Say it aloud.”

It…should be ok. The rushing water should drown out his voice. Preventing Fuji from overhearing. There was no need to disturb the…peace they had found.

“I…I love him. I’m in love with him.”

He…he said it out loud. He actually said it aloud.

“I see.” The Guardian moved their head closer still. “And he?”

Yeyasu shook his head. And, despite himself, he raised a hand and let it rest gently against the Guardian’s scales. Just beneath their dark black eye. “No. Probably not.” He could not stop a pained laugh from escaping his lips. “No. Absolutely not.”

It was…just duty and the desire to repay a debt that kept Fuji by his side. And tonic he had created to ease the burdens of the curse was likely the only reason why Ao would want someone like him to be her mother.

The moment the curse was removed…

It was for the best.

The Guardian unexpectedly chuckled. A soft, seemingly all-knowing one. “Is that so?”

Before Yeyasu could respond, the Guardian suddenly nudged their head forward. The abrupt action pushing Yeyasu back, his feet promptly slipping off the rock that gave him refuge from the cold water.

He was…falling backwards.

“Let’s see how he responds.”

What-?

Yeyasu suddenly found himself under water. A realisation that left him…numb. Absolutely no feelings of panic. It was cold, yes, but the way the water rippled upon the surface, the bubbles as they raced upwards, and the streams of golden sunlight filtering down upon him – it was quite beautiful.

But…was he drowning? He couldn’t breathe…

A flurry of bubbles and white water blinded him. Yet, it did not desensitise him. He felt…something. Something wrapping itself around his shoulders and another behind his knees. Then, he was lifted through the bubbles and the shimmers of light.

And he could breathe again.

“What the hell was that?!”

Yeyasu was unable to reply as he was too focused upon his own coughing and spluttering. The unexpected dip was just that – unexpected. He didn’t have a change to draw in a lungful of air. But…why did the Guardian Beast push him? What did it say before he fell?

Let’s see how he responds.

Who…Fuji? Respond to what?

Yeyasu weakly grasped at Fuji’s shoulders. He peered around the catchment pool, but the Guardian was gone. Likely having disappeared shortly after pushing him. “Th-the scroll?”

Fuji hoisted him further into his arms, jostling him slight to ensure a sturdy hold as he all but stalked through the water to the shore. “I don’t give a shit about that scroll right now.”

B-but they needed that. What of the Water Lotus? Did he manage to earn that?

“Yeyasu, are you all right?” Suisen asked him the moment Fuji stepped upon the shore.

“Y-yeah, I’m…fine.” Probably.

As Fuji lowered him down upon a smooth boulder, Yeyasu began to shiver. The water was cold yet the air felt colder. Didn’t help that his thick clothing stuck to him like glue. Hnnng, why did that Guardian push him into the water? That was unquestionably rude!

“What happened?” Pirilika asked as she carefully draped his cape around his shoulders, a small act to offer him some warmth. “It looked like you were getting along with the Guardian. Why did it do that?”

Yeyasu shook his head and grabbed at the edges of his cape, pulling it closer around him. “To…prove something.”

“Prove?” Fuji repeated as he crouched next to him. “Prove what?”

Yeyasu raked a hand through his hair to pull the pink strands from his eyes and forehead. “…I’m not sure. But the scroll? We still need it.”

Next to him, Fuji uttered an exasperated sigh. “One track mind with you.”

“I’ll retrieve it,” Suisen volunteered before Yeyasu had a change to response to Fuji’s muttering.

As Suisen flitted over the rippling waters, Higan looked around at their surroundings and planted a hand on a well-defined hip. “These Guardian Beasts aren’t what I expected. I was expecting more violence.”

Hoped for it, probably.

“I can’t sense any malice to them,” she continued around an exasperated sigh. “Hah, I probably wouldn’t get a worthy fight out of them.”

It was possible that the Guardians knew how violence hungry demons could be. So made themselves scarce. And made trials that didn’t depend on how well someone fought. Well, he hoped so, at least. He’d rather avoid battles, if he could.

Mere moments after setting off, Suisen returned. In one hand was the scroll, thankfully dry and in one piece. But in the other was a blue flower.

“Yeyasu, is this what you wanted?” Suisen asked him.

Yeyasu nodded his head as he breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s the Water Lotus. I managed to get that, after all.”

So, it was worth the trip, after all.

… … … … …

As much as the western traditions interested him, Yeyasu was grateful that Pirilika insisted in having a traditional eastern bath in her Nethership. The large tub, made from wood and waters a toasty forty-degrees. It definitely helped in ridding him of the shivers that had overwhelmed him from his untimely dip in the waters of Nachi’s waterfall.

Yeyasu sunk into the warm, still waters, his head rolling back to rest on the wooden rim of the bath. He still had no idea what that Guardian had tried to do. It was to prove something, but that was all he knew.

They were talking about Fuji beforehand. Was it somehow about him?

Yeyasu lifted his hand from the waters and stared down at the lines cross his palm. The…the only thing he could think of was that Fuji chose him first. Not the scroll, not the Lotus. Him. But that was because he was quite literally drowning. He kinda needed him alive if he wanted to be free from the curse.

But that brought another train of thought; was he the only one who could complete the Purification Ritual? The Guardians seemed only interested in speaking with him. Of course, he had only spoken to two out of five. The other three could be far more feisty or hostile.

He dropped his hand back into the waters. There was only one way to find out.

“For a scaredy cat, you sure are incompetent in being vigilant of your surroundings, huh?”

Yeyasu immediately shrieked as a family voice resounded in his right ear. He sat up straight, slapped his hand over his right ear and spun around. Where Fuji stood, one hand on the wooden rim of the bath and the other on his hip. His expression remained stoic as he arched his eyebrow at him. Not at all surprised by his reaction.

The jerk probably hoped for it!

“Eeeeeeeek!” Yeyasu sunk down further into the water and grasped onto the bath’s wooden perimeter. “What are you doing here?”

Fuji removed his hand from his hip and had the audacity to poke him on his forehead. “I told you; I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”

Well, he did say that. “B-but the bathroom?”

“The perfect place for a kidnapping.”

Eeeeeeeh?! The bathroom? While he was naked!? That was a humiliation he would never live down!

But…if Fuji was nearby. In the bathroom. The maybe he could indulge in just a little bit.

Yeyasu swatted Fuji hand aside. “Hey, you got wet, too. At Nachi. You should have a warm bath, too.”

Fuji arched an eyebrow at him again. An expression that made Yeyasu expect a retort or even insult. But instead, Fuji glanced around the bathroom before he raked his hand through his hair.

“Yeah, I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” he muttered as he pushed away from the bath and turned his back toward him. And then began to remove his clothing.

He…didn’t even tell him to leave.

Yeyasu sunk back into the waters, settling to have his nose just above the waterline. He probably shouldn’t…watch. But he was a pervert, right?

And Fuji was extremely good to look at.

H-he did look away when Fuji unfurled his hakama.

Ok, look, he needed some restraint.

Yeyasu was ever-so pleased that the water was piping hot. He would blame that for the flush that was absolutely raging across his cheeks. He was used to Fuji strutting around without a shirt, the muscles of his chest flexing with every movement, glinting under the light when he was becoming sweaty from battle. The muscles on his back were equally impressive. Rippling much like the waters of Nachi, easy and mesmerising. And of course he couldn’t forget his arms. Strong, powerful, but…gentle when necessary.

But, despite all their traveling together, he had…never shared a bath with him.

Hm…yet, as of recently, he had found himself in Fuji’s arms. A lot.

As Fuji sat down upon the wooden stool to wash before bathing, Yeyasu folded his arms atop of the edge of the bathtub and rested his chin on his forearms. “Hey, Fuji?”

Fuji didn’t pause in his washing, but his tail twitched lightly. “What?”

“…I think an ancestor of mine had done the same thing in the past.”

That made Fuji still before he turned to look over at him. “What do you mean?”

“The Guardian Beasts,” Yeyasu explained. “They regard the name Edogawa fondly.”

“Is that so?” Fuji soon continued his actions, his back rippling with powerful muscles as he dragged a soapy washcloth along his muscular arms. “Well, I guess it’s possible. You did find the scroll in your family library.”

Yeyasu lolled his head to the side to rest his cheek upon his arms. “Yeah. I just…wonder who they helped.”

Fuji drew a bucket of water and threw it over his shoulder, letting the soapy suds roll effortlessly over his back, trailing all the way down to his…ah, tail. “Maybe they helped themselves?”

Yeyasu lifted his head and repositioned his body, to rest his back against the wall of the bath. Allowing him to rest his head back to stare up at the tiled ceiling. “No. It was for someone else. I’m sure of it.”

The way the Guardians spoke to him. It felt as though the ritual could only be fulfilled if it was sought by the one who wasn’t cursed. A selfless ceremony. Not something all that common in a Netherverse filled with demons.

Of course, he could just be making excuses.

Behind him, Yeyasu heard Fuji utter a sigh. And the sound of his wet, bare feet slapping against the stone flooring. A mere moment later, the waters next to Yeyasu was momentarily disturbed as Fuji slid in to sit next to him.

“What are these Guardian Beast saying to you?” Fuji suddenly asked. “Why won’t they let anyone else listen?”

Yeyasu idly shook his head. “I don’t know. They mentioned Jōdai Nihon-go. Maybe they’re only interested in those who can understand the ancient language.”

Both had mentioned them, after all.

“You know, you’re really determined about this.”

Yeyasu uttered a purposely dramatic sigh. “Is that a bad thing? You should be thrilled as it will help you the most.”

“…But it’s constantly putting you into danger.”

Yeyasu rolled his head to the side, to gaze upon Fuji. The dragon had one muscular arm over the side of the tub, the other attempting to balance a wet cloth upon his head. He had his attention forward, staring seemingly at nothing. On a surface level, he looked relaxed, if not a little bit bored.

But his gaze was purposely narrow, his shoulders tense. He was on alert to ensure another kidnapping attempt or attack did not occur. But the tension in his shoulders wasn’t just due to his protective instincts. Not entirely.

Did he…feel a sense of guilt?

“Not really. I mean, we’ve been through worst.” Yeyasu lolled his head lazily to stare at the ceiling again, finding the courage to raise his hand from the waters to lightly slap him on the shoulder. “And I know for a fact that you find said ‘danger’ on the regular.”

Some of the tension in Fuji’s shoulders eased as he allowed his head to drop back. And he uttered a snort of amusement. “Yeah, not entirely my fault. I don’t go looking for it.”

“Oh, of course, you don’t,” Yeyasu replied with a short chuckle before he turned pensive. Sullen. And probably apologetic. “Besides, some of that danger is because of me.”

From the corner of his eye, he watched as Fuji sharply turn his head in his direction, his eyes narrowed with muted anger. “And that’s not your fault.”

Maybe. Didn’t mean he didn’t feel a bit guilty about it.