Kiso Village and the Mysterious priestess from another time

[Koneko]

Giving a slight nod to the decision they would go to thee shrine as well, Koneko slowly began digging into her food, finding Fusae's request to know more about them and their motives uncomfortable, but reasonable given what they were. Her right ear moved slightly to better hear Mitsuyoshi's explain himself as he was called upon, though both her and Kaito soon turned their full attention as there seemed to be recognition of who he once was among the older humans. Even Kiyomi marveled that he only looked maybe a few years older than her, but apparently had been the son of Daimyo nearly a century prior and a trained warrior along with having just survived fine under a spell in that time with no issue. "So that's why the name Nagano sounded so familiar... Aye, I can recall being told much about the Wolf of Nishino as a child..." Fusae started "... They say that the Lord of the old Province had kept a Wolf demon in his dungeons and would feed it the children of villages that he would conquer and Unleash his beast upon the armies that would try to stand in his way." By the time the woman was mentioning the rumors she had hear, the feline found herself forcefully swallowing her food so she wouldn't choke as she nigh instantly started to quietly giggle. As they continued, she couldn't continue eating, rather she held her chopsticks to the side while slowly covering half of her face with one of her sleeves to keep her laughing and sputters stifled underneath. Having gotten to at least know him somewhat, the daiyoukai was finding all the rumors of him being some terrifying, man-eating monster-like wolf youkai completely hilarious - especially considering how he'd been raised by humans and some of his past that he'd mentioned to her prior to this moment. Though her sleeve slowly dropped and laughter quelled on noticing a true tension fill the room as her companion began to panic.

Alternatively, Kaito was more than decently able to contain himself while munching away at his food fairly contently, watching the exchange with some bemusement, though impressed to hear there was quite a large reputation for the hanyou among humans - albeit a bit of a negative one as was fairly par for the course with many rumors of youkai. Kiyomi even felt herself fall speechless at hearing the tall tales, quietly bouncing her gaze between the village headman, the older miko and the wolf in question. 'Is he really so scary? He just let me pet his ears and asked me not to pull very hard a little while ago and even seemed to argue with Kaito about them...' The young woman seemed a bit more inclined to believe the rebuttal argument of his behavior proving his innocence of the blood-thirsty stories, yet she could at least understand the hesitance given her elders had grown up with stories and actually experienced hardships from youkai. The fox himself had very subtly shifted with some concern and the corner of his eyes focused on the hand the older miko kept in her sleeve while Mitsuyoshi pleaded his case of innocence from any of the rumors accusations, easing as the headman spoke up to ease the tension. A small sigh of relief slid out of him, closing his eyes as Fusae's hand drifted away from her sleeve, then opened as he focused on being called to as the next up to speak, a played up look of offense crossing his face. "How about you, Fox? Have you any tales of mischief upon poor villages?"

"Haaaa, really... Such hard accusations you are keen on lobbying against us," the kitsune started, quickly sliding in another munch of food before speaking again, "I suppose in my youth I was more reckless and eager to impress by playing occasional pranks on humans for a little attention, but most of my dealings are mainly youkai matters... I have loyalties to my particular commune of kitsune, so much of my time has been spent taking care of errands asked of me. Though in more recent times I've been helping defend humans from mostly youkai attacks alongside Konene here at the request of Yuzuki." He started to talk coolly, seeming to revel in having eyes on him to tell one of his tales of successful espionage and battle. "There was this one particular mission my commune sent me on a long time ago where I was asked to infiltrate a den with some oni that had been thieving from and ruthlessly threatening a few of our villagers who ventured regularly. I tracked down the den they'd been hiding in and covertly found my way in without drawing their attention. There were about four of them total, really big guys, probably at least three of me tall in height each! I quietly snuck around them without drawing any suspicion and found some of the goods they had been pilfering from my fellow kitsunes, a fair haul they'd been stealing. I multiplied myself and had my duplicates retrieve some of the goods and sneak them back out towards the village while I decided to take care of all four of them personally myself!" His tails all flitted with pride as he prattled on, even making gestures of self-importance while puffing his chest out in pride as he tried to keep attention on himself, though it could be observed Koneko herself sat somewhat ignoring him, continuing to eat instead.

"Their threat had to be eliminated before they could cause worse trouble knowing what they stole had been reclaimed, and I knew I had the element of surprise on my side, so I set up the perfect ambush. First i spooked them all by setting a massive fox fire exploding from the fire they had going, then I multiplied once again to draw each four into different directions, convincing each they were chasing me around. After I had them all separated and aggressively chasing my fakes, I one by one tripped each up with ropes and used more dangerous parts of their own cave against them: loose boulders and other dangers to silence their threats and troubles they caused us for good!" He paused his prattling only to let his story sink in for a moment, then went on to continue to explain, "I was still pretty young at the time, and my village praised me heavily for my success and bravery, even got recognition from more noble kitsunes of our village! I was still just proving myself to be useful to the needs of keeping our village safe and it was working!"

His story came across with gloating and beaming at his own magnificent abilities, his tails independently shifting in pride as he expected awe for his achievements. He had at least captured the awe of Kiyomi, though at this point it was seeming everything about the three non-humans was leaving her in amazement because she'd never really gotten to personally see or meet any living beings that defied what was considerably normal for her in spite of her already unusual abilities and oddities they brought. "That's amazing! You really did all of that?!" She asked as she stared on, taken in by his grandiose poising. "I did, it's true! Konene here has seen my skills first hand just to prove it! Well, not just seen, but has actively fought by my side as well," he replied, pulling the feline into his musings in attempt to inflate his ego more. Rolling her eyes, she begrudgingly confirmed for him, "I wasn't there for this particular one as it's before I knew him, but he's right in saying we've fought others along-side one another, so it's probably true enough..." The fox's eyes lit up at the hesitant agreement that he couldn't help letting a usual habit roll out, "Konene you DO care enough to praise me! I'm so happy you really do see my talents!" His starry look was met with a detestable look in return before she pouted and turned her nose away, shoving a vegetable into her mouth and speaking rudely, "don't think of it too deeply, I'm just admitting you can do what you say, not that I like you much more than that." This time he seemed undeterred, puffing up a little more, "but you paid attention to what I can do and that's more than enough for me!" Swiveling her face back just enough to look at him with despise written all over her expression, she retorted, "you're irritatingly encourageable, if I didn't know you well enough I'd think you's have the thought capacity of a pebble..."

Their shenanigans starting up were suddenly interrupted by Kiyomi unable to stop herself from laughing, finding some joyous amusement in their bickering, though she soon quieted and pardoned herself. "I'm sorry for the outburst... The way you two were going back and forth just reminded me of some of the times my sisters have bickered with each other, I hope I wasn't being rude or offended anyone," she said with a slight bow in apology. It took both of the youkai by surprise as they turned their focus to her instead, Koneko's ears drooping slightly as she looked off to the empty space next to her to hide any darkened expression the thoughts on her mind caused, 'Yuzuki thought our squabbling was funny too...' Kaito glanced over in concern, but the young woman spoke up again having at least noticed the change, "I didn't mean to upset you, I'm really sorry..." Hearing it and finding the will to collect herself, the daiyoukai put on a cheerier expression with her ears pointing ahead, though melancholy was notable in her look as she stared across at the priestess and assured, "no, it's alright, you didn't upset me. I was just... reminded of something." Not to mention with both her companions explaining themselves, it was about to be her turn next and she needed to keep her head firmly in the moment, lest she slip too much information about herself and draw the concern of Fusae and Kimura next. Though she knew she easily was the biggest threat to all there presently should terms turn to opposition, it would be worse to bring that attention and reaction upon herself before proving she was in essence tame to keep their fears at bay.

[Taishou89]

Mitsuyoshi rolled his eyes and lreturned his gaze back to his food as Kaito told his story. 'He's such a gloater!' he thought to himself as he had some of the vegetables and millet. "I was still pretty young at the time, and my village praised me heavily for my success and bravery, even got recognition from more noble kitsunes of our village! I was still just proving myself to be useful to the needs of keeping our village safe and it was working!" The fox rattled on, but then Mitsuyoshi noticed Kiyomi's expression full of awe at Kaito's story. "That's amazing! You really did all of that?!" the girl asked, the tone of her voice showing a true expression of impression and awe, despite how egocentric Kaito's story had sounded to him. "I did, it's true! Konene here has seen my skills first hand just to prove it! Well, not just seen, but has actively fought by my side as well," Kaito replied, but before Mitsuyoshi could jump into the conversation as well, Koneko spoke up as she had been dragged into Kaito's story. "I wasn't there for this particular one as it's before I knew him, but he's right in saying we've fought others along-side one another, so it's probably true enough..." The Daiyoukai spoke casually which almost instantly drew Kaito's attention.


"Konene you DO care enough to praise me! I'm so happy you really do see my talents!" As his eyes gleamed at her interpreted praise of him. 'Oh boy here we go...' Mitsuyoshi thought as he polished off his meal and began drinking his tea, patiently waiting for his moment to interject and impress the young Miko just as much as Kaito had. As Koneko and Kaito went back and forth, Mitsuyoshi listened. In the short time that he'd come to know Kaito, this wasn't all too new of an exchange between both of them and he had begun to understand why Koneko had tried to avoid Kaito for as long as she did. "You're irritatingly encourageable, if I didn't know you well enough I'd think you'd have the thought capacity of a pebble..." The feline retorted. Mitsuyoshi stifled a laugh at that remark, if there was one thing about the both of them, they could be entertaining at times. Especially with Koneko's colorful choice of words. However it was Kiyomi's outburst of laughter that changed the mood as she delighted in the bickering that the two daiyoukai engaged in. "I'm sorry for the outburst... The way you two were going back and forth just reminded me of some of the times my sisters have bickered with each other, I hope I wasn't being rude or offended anyone," The young girl apologized but she was quickly reassured that no one was offended. "Actually I must confess it can be quite amusing sometimes too and I've only just met Kaito not very long ago." Mitsuyoshi spoke, hoping to reassure her as well alongside Koneko's assurance, though he did note a slight twinge of emotion in her remark.


Sparing Koneko a moment from her turn, Mitsuyoshi found his moment to interject and shine in front of Kiyomi after Kaito. "You know... it is an Impressive story Kaito, but have you ever been dispatched to fight an enemy army single handedly on the field of battle, and fighting your way through until you've crossed swords with the enemy commander?" Mitsuyoshi raised an eyebrow as he looked over to Kaito. "... Or have you ever walked into the castle of an enemy Lord, full of angry and determined Samurai, and fought your way to the keep and brought a Daimyo to his knees in humility and admit his treachery and evil deeds?" Mitsuyoshi added. "There were many a time when my brother wanted to test my skill and sent me alone into battle, and I am proud to admit that I earned his respect. There's nothing a Samurai could ask for more than the recognition of his master for his courageous deeds in battle..." Mitsuyoshi boasted proudly.

"Though I may not have fought very many Youkai in my past, a great many of the world we live in can be men just as  fierce, atrocious, and full of self serving evil deeds as any other Youkai, and I am pleased to have had a hand in dispatching them from this world in service to my Brother." the wolf hanyou said, placing his hand on his chest for added effect as he recalled that final moment with his brother's spirit before he crossed over. Although he did firmly believed that his Brother's deeds were righteous and honorable, it was also equally so that for a good portion of his life, his brother had similar goals and aspirations of much of the Daimyo of the time, up until the incident with Lord Yasunobu that almost claimed Mitsuyoshi's life, did Mitsutada's motives change. 


Both Fusae and Kimura had sat quietly listening and taking in the whole exchange thus far. Fusae's wore no expression on her face, while Kimura seemed awed by the stories told. From the very start that the Fox opened his mouth and began to tell his story, Fusae had already determined that Kaito was the type who enjoyed a good stroking of the ego. Carefully watching the dynamic between the 3 Youkai, she had determined that the likely leader of the group was Koneko and it seemed that both Kaito and Mitsuyoshi seemed to be competing for her favor. 'They really are very much like most humans... Perhaps not all Youkai are as beastly or malevolent as some are and as many stories have portrayed.' The old priestess thought as she silently judged their characters.

[Koneko]

Kiyomi began to look relieved she'd not actually hurt anyone's feelings with Mitsuyoshi following up with more assurance, though, from what he said, she started to get the feeling he meant this kind of interaction was a very common occurrence between the two even in the short time they'd mentioned they'd all known each other. 'I guess this might happen once in awhile, but, if it's funny like this, I guess it might at least be a little uplifting when it does happen,' she thought to herself, attention returning to the hanyou as he seemed to move right into telling more tales himself. She became captivated once again with more stories laid out and even Koneko was pulled from her slight moment of downcast to more of a curiosity of what had gotten into her more recent companion. 'Is... Kaito rubbing off on Mitsuyoshi or something...? It's like they're trying to compete with each other...' The feline watched in bewilderment at the sudden competition while the young priestess became bedazzled by the seemingly fantastical scenarios presented once again. "You really fought a whole army all by yourself Mitsuyoshi? And fought your way to stop an evil Daimyo?!" Her understanding of it was a little more stuck in over the tellings of such things, imagining it all like a big movie with a hero in the center of it all.

The fox, on the other hand, seemed to moue that his glory moment and praise was being cut into and taken from him. Not only that, seemingly called out as well for what he was and wasn't capable of. "Dealing with enemy armies on my own with brute strength isn't the way I do my duty, but I've dealt with plenty more situations on my cunning alone than you've even fought in I'd wager!" Kaito started to ramp up and contend with the challenge to pride and attention laid before him, "I can easily use my clones to distract an army and keep them guessing, leading them into traps and ambush! Hell, infiltrating a castle and dealing with a daimyo myself without his men even knowing to protect him would be more than easy enough rather than tearing through on strength alone." He seemed to be getting cockier in pitting his roguish abilities against the samurai's out-right fighting skills, causing Koneko's expression to become more and more exasperated. "Sugoiiii, can you really do that?!" Kiyomi on the other hand was completely wowed by both of the men having a verbal one-up on each other, so impressed she hadn't quite caught on that they themselves were squabbling in essence for her praise.

Kaito soon continued to nudge, "it may be so that some humans can be just as depraved as many youkai, but there's nothing more satisfying than knowing I outsmarted an especially tough youkai on my own or gave my allies an opening they needed to take it down instead! Just like I do with her, right Konene?!" He gestured to the daiyoukai behind him, the most proud and smug look on his face that even had Kiyomi wondering what amazing things Koneko could do too. It was just as quick the fox was shot down, however, "Oh no, don't you bring me into this one! This is between the two of you." Feeling the meager support to his bolstering he had earlier ebb faster than the tide, he turned to whine at her for back up, "K-Konene... Pleeeeaaaase? Just one confirmation of a big youkai I've helped you take down?" His pleas were met with a hard glare as she placed down her utensils and crossed her arms, threatening him, "keep it up and I'll ASK for you to be restrained so we don't have to put up with your ego all night!" Flinching quite visibly in recoil, the kitsune shrank in some defeat as his request for backup in his pride rivalry was denied, sighing out poignantly, "alright... I'll let it go..."

Shock overcame the younger priestess as she saw how fast Koneko shut Kaito down, 'Oh wow, he went quiet and looks sad so quickly! He said she was strong too, so maybe that's why? Then again he keeps speaking really highly of her... Is it a respect thing? Or maybe they're close since he calls her a nickname...' Kiyomi tried to understand what dynamic was going on that quieted all the gloating of tales and why she didn't seem to want to join in the telling of them either, a little lacking in realizing still that it had been a bit of a competition. The feline soon sighed in relief, taking in the moment of reprieve from hearing the fox dangle his ego out in the open and relaxed her posture once again, excusing them all to the older miko and headman, "My apologies Fusae-dono and Kimura-dono, forgive us for being a little out of hand." Fusae shook her head slightly, "Thine musings are of little consequence, although, perhaps in light of the silence set, I believe we just have need of thee to speak yet."

The moment had finally come that she'd have to say something, giving Koneko a bit of a pause as she considered what she could say about herself to believe her tame. While she wasn't entirely hiding it, her five-tailed companion at least had floated it out there that she was at least some kind of force to be reckoned with: in her mind making her unassuming look a bit more difficult to maintain. A moment later she finally began to speak, "Unlike my companions, I don't have much reputation to my name, nor do I have particularly much honor to speak of either. Much of my life I've only known wandering as a vagrant, defending myself." Releasing a small, more reluctant sigh, she then continued, "Yuzuki and Kaito came across me nearly 40 years ago and were the ones to show me more than just surviving... But Yuzuki gave me more than that - she gave me meaning and purpose, so for her I swore I would protect humans." Despite the sorrow in her tone, this time she was able to hold her composure quite steady, hoping that was more than enough for her motives without needing to spill much more than she wanted. A short silence fell over the room, almost an expectation of another tale of glory that did not fill, and then finally it was Kiyomi that spoke up, "It sounds like she meant a lot to you..." The response she got was merely a nod in return, so she pressed on further, getting the message this time it was a very sensitive topic, "Well, I was wondering... From what we've been learning about all of you, Mitsuyoshi is at least part wolf and Kaito is a kitsune, so, what kind of youkai are you? I was wondering earlier about your tail too, Kaito said on the end are scales..."

Slowly a gentle smile formed on Koneko's lips, sensing at least the innocent curiosity at play. "I'm a tiger youkai," the feline started, sliding her tail around to better let the gold and silver scales be seen, "Kaito is right that these are scales, but they're just something a little unusual I have because I'm a youkai." Koneko seemed to downplay it, talking it up more as an interesting feature than anything all that important, though the lie was pretty blatant to her two companions. 'That's what I thought, she wasn't going to be willing to talk all to much about herself more than she feels necessary,' the fox thought to himself, pretty unsurprised about it, 'I get the feeling she'll push us to move on after she finds out all she can about Yuzuki's involvement in this place too, so I suppose she wants to keep anything about herself on a need-to-know basis as usual. I'm sure it's not like we were planning to stay here too long anyways.' His tails flapped a little as they fanned out and relaxed as the mood in the room moved to more of a general calm, watching her tail shift back around behind her before curling on the floor with a gentle tap of the scales on the wood. "A tiger, huh?" the younger priestess responded curiously, originally thinking at least some kind of cat, "so some youkai can have extra features like that? I guess tiger would make sense why you have those marks on your face and they don't." Kiyomi lightly pointed towards Kaito and Mitsuyoshi as she made mention, the daiyoukai following up, "errr, yeah, I have stripes over a fair bit of me, actually." Scratching the side of her face, Koneko then retrieved her tea and began to drink the rest of it down, now hoping their character was proven to be trustable even with the pride that had been flaunted around earlier.

'She's so interesting, she doesn't want to share nearly as much about herself like the other two did, but she's still answering questions when they're asked. Though I feel like there's so much more to know like how they all seemed to meet each other or why they seem to respect her so much for saying she's not much of anybody...' Kiyomi's eyes also tracked over Koneko's ears again. 'I guess now isn't the time to ask either, but I still wonder if she'll let me touch her ears too, I wanna know if they're also soft... or let me see her tail up close...' Her internal curiosity knew no bounds having her 'reality' changed quite a lot around her in the last day or so.

[Taishou89]

"You really fought a whole army all by yourself Mitsuyoshi? And fought your way to stop an evil Daimyo?!" Mitsuyoshi nodded proudly upon hearing the young Miko exclaim at the mention of his past glories. "I did indeed! I had run the entire night to reach the enemy castle without stopping and I burst through the Castle gates- " Mitsuyoshi was suddenly cut off by Kaito who had felt his limelight being stolen by Mitsuyoshi's sudden interjection.  "Dealing with enemy armies on my own with brute strength isn't the way I do my duty, but I've dealt with plenty more situations on my cunning alone than you've even fought in I'd wager!" Kaito started, ramping up to gloat again. Mitsuyoshi's expression soured in annoyance at the interruption of his story. "That may-" He was cut off again by Kaito as he continued. "I can easily use my clones to distract an army and keep them guessing, leading them into traps and ambush! Hell, infiltrating a castle and dealing with a daimyo myself without his men even knowing to protect him would be more than easy enough rather than tearing through on strength alone." Kaito gleefully boasted much to Kiyomi's curiosity as she exclaimed "Sugoiiii, can you really do that?!".  Mitsuyoshi stuffed his hands into his sleeves as he tried to maintain his composure 'The nerve of this guy!' 


"Well that is all very Impressive and Grand Kaito, but there's no honorable substitute for facing your opponent face to face as one would in a duel rather than relying entirely on trickery. When I had faced Masatoshi Suwa, the enemy commander and brother of the Suwa Clan's Daimyo... This was on the field of battle, as I had mentioned before and when I fought him,  I did so at his level, with a regular sword and without my own abilities. It was purely a match of skill, bravery, and determination. Masatoshi Suwa was renown as his Clan's best swordsman and it was he himself that had sought me out on the battlefield to challenge me to a duel after I had broken the first army he'd sent. Amidst the raging battle between both of our armies, our swords clashed in solitude despite the war raging around us. I will admit he was very skilled and a worthy opponent and he may have very well taken my head if I hadn't been keen and quicker to guard, but I came out as the better warrior. It was an honor to have crossed swords with a warrior as such, but I will say this... It is still a greater honor to have fought alongside Koneko and I will say that for her I do pledge my sword to assist in her quest." Mitsuyoshi was careful to not use the word 'Serve' knowing full well how Koneko felt of such treatment and he also was very careful to leave out the details of taking Masatoshi's head and presenting it before his brother, knowing that it might not be the most comfortable thing to mention in front of humble villagers.


Mitsuyoshi could tell by Kiyomi's expression and the gleam in her eyes that he'd matched Kaito and he calmly removed his hand from his sleeve, picked up his tea cup and took a good long swig, finishing it off before giving a sigh of relief from the contents. It would have seemed like an amazing feat in itself to have finished off his tea like that while everyone else's were still hot, but Mitsuyoshi's in particular had cooled steadily since it had been poured by sipping and blowing on it until the contents that remained were low enough to cool faster on it's own. Mitsuyoshi sat back as Kaito tried to beat compete again, even trying to drag Koneko into it to validate him, but Koneko's refusal to be dragged into the little match, resulted in Kaito backing down. 'If one has to beg for validation, then the battle is already lost Kaito... I win.' A subtle, but smug, smile crossed Mitsuyoshi's face as he sat victorious.


"Thine musings are of little consequence, although, perhaps in light of the silence set, I believe we just have need of thee to speak yet." Fusae quickly shifted the topic and got the conversation back on track as even she had begun to loath the petty gloating of both men. Soon Koneko began to talk about herself and much to everyone's surprise, she said very little in comparison with her companions. As she told of how she roamed and eventually met Yuzuki and Kaito, it was very obvious that she cared little to say much more than was needed. To Fusae and likely Kimura-dono, this signed that Koneko was likely indeed the leader of the trio by her behavior and humility. Mitsuyoshi himself still did not know a lot about Koneko and recognized early on that it wasn't a comfortable topic for her and had never pressed, in fact he respected her for it whatever her reasons were.

"Aye... Yuzuki did have that effect about her..." Fusae admitted as she listened to the Daiyoukai, but if anyone seemed to lighten the mood and draw her out of her shell, it seemed to be young Kiyomi and her innocence as she inquired more about her unique features. 'A tiger youkai? That is quite an interesting one, even I have never seen a Tiger youkai until this day.' Fusae continued to listen to the exchange between the young Miko and Koneko, all the while weighing the character of these Youkai before them. From the information that was provided and by the very nature and conduct of these strangers, they seemed more an asset to have around the village than a threat. Neither of their stories were malicious, but still the Mystery of Koneko did leave quite a few questions, but her mature conduct thus far signed more of that of a splendid leader, than a threat. 

"Kimura-dono..." Fusae spoke up as the elder headman turned to face her. "... It is my belief that these Youkai are not malicious and pose no threat to the village and that they likely speak the truth about Shiori and Kayumi." as she set her tea cup down. "I would have to agree with you Lady Fusae... From the sounds of it you three are more like Guardian Spirits than malevolent entities." The old man paused for a moment as he sat back as he thought upon the decision he was about to make. The room fell silent as everyone waited for the final judgement and then it came. "Based on your character and behavior thus far, I think it is safe to allow you into our village and to roam as you please. I will say further that If the story you told of saving my grand daughters is true, and I have seen no reason to believe it isn't, I would go further to say that you are welcome in our Village any time. You may even prove to be a great supplement to our own defenses." The old man gave a smile before summoning the village girls. "Perhaps time for dessert ne?" The old man gave a big and warm smile, so much so that his eyes almost looking like they were shut. The young Village girls returned with trays with a bowl of sweet azuki bean soup with Mochi. "Zanzai, one of our village's best dishes." The old man beamed as he eyed the bowl.  Mitsuyoshi noticed quickly that it was the very same girls that had served both he and Kaito who returned and giving them side glances as they served them their dessert, giggling quietly as they left the room. "It appears that our girls are quite attracted to you both..." Mitsuyoshi almost choked on his dessert as the old man mentioned it which garnered a chuckle from everyone in the room. 

[Koneko]

After the room fell silent once again in thought of the youkai's words and Kiyomi's open questions had faded, Koneko side-glanced over at Mitsuyoshi, considering the words he had to say about it being a great honor to fight by her side and pledging his sword to her cause. 'Is it really such an honor to fight alongside me? I suppose maybe as more or less a full youkai that's taken on helping to show him a different way of life rather than rejecting him...' she considered to herself, having never thought of herself as one worth such praises. Surely Kaito thought highly of her, but she chocked that up to his infatuation with her and not to mention the technical position over him he did to some degree respect more than he let on, so she just felt that was bias. Then there was how she was with Yuzuki, but even that she could play off as her kind heart and love for her also giving her a high regard. It felt foreign to hear such a notion of praise considering those who felt so about her had been very few and far between, but soon she felt another small wave of shock come over her as Kimura's sentiment reached her ears and pulled the attention of her eyes to him, the end of her tail starting to lift from it's resting place and wiggle with a slight joy. 'Guardian Spirit...! We... might be welcome any time?!' The feline couldn't contain the light blush that showed on her face to the very complimentary words he had to say, lightly bowing in thanks, "Kimura-dono, it's an honor to hear such kind things from a village headman, we are grateful for your words and your decision." As he called for dessert, she couldn't stop her tail's gentle-yet-gleeful flips back and forth, a small happiness like she'd not felt in a long time filling her for the decision while slightly digging into the sweet soup, a relief to be accepted as such despite the initial judging and caution about them.

Even Kaito at the news was pulled from his sulking over getting shut down and shown up, perking up at the good news for them, 'That makes the air here much lighter for us at least, we can move around at least without a suffocating tether to our necks...' As the room breathed lighter and the girls returned, he once again moved into very slight flirts with the attention they gave, this time finding that Koneko was not stepping in to cool him down as she was between focused on some joy and not finding as much need anymore to fully curb him and force him to behave to keep full appearances. "It appears that our girls are quite attracted to you both..." Kimura mentioned, to which Kaito replied with a sultry side-eye to the girls, "I certainly wouldn't mind getting to know them better, their beauty certainly does draw the eye." While he contained his own laugh to respond, he seemed to smirk with amusement of how discombobulated the warrior had gotten, while the feline's attention drew away from internal thought and mentioned between chuckles, "I didn't think you the kind to fluster quite like that about women in the short time I've known you. Well, maybe Kayumi's accusations, but that caught even me by surprise." The fox gave her a bewildered look, that part having been left out of the catching up of situations the daiyoukai had done for him earlier, now wondering what these accusations were. Yet, before he could slide a question out, she moved right into scolding him slightly, "and you, just make sure you don't take things too far." The fox stiffened slightly at the warning, shuffling his spoon around the soup before seeming to try to behave again, though still seeming willing to flirt: it was unclear what exact thoughts had been running through his mind up until he was scolded.

Meanwhile, as the three had their own antics on the opposite side if the room, Kiyomi was left giggling well beyond Mitsuyoshi's near choking. 'They really seem no different than anyone else aside from physically looking different! I was scared at first, but I don't think they're anywhere near as bad as my first encounter with a demon. Maybe things will be kind of fun with them around for at least a little bit,' she thought to herself, before taking a spoonful of the Zanzai into her mouth. "Oh wow! Kimura-dono, this zanzai is some of the best I've ever had!" she soon complimented, politely yet eagerly digging in a little more. There was an all around agreement at least that the dessert was more than satisfactory and well enjoyed by all as they finished and the room this time filled with a more calm silence. Though the young miko wondered what else they could come to know before the night was out about their guests despite everything so far seeming so fantastical and almost unreal. Then a thought came to her mind: she certainly didn't know how long she would be here yet, whether just the night yet and able to get home the next day, or if she'd end up stuck here a very long time and might need to have knowledge from friendly youkai on her side to help her survive here. "Hey, Lady Fusae... Do you think I could stay here with them tonight too and maybe get to know them a little better? While I don't know much about youkai, I want to know more while there's an opportunity, and they already seem friendly and kind enough that I don't think I would get hurt." Her question drew a few curious glances, befuddlement that a priestess, let alone one seeming very new to this whole thing, entertained the idea of being around them further. 'She wants to spend the night around us??' Koneko thought, watching curiously as the older miko considered the younger's request.

[Taishou89]

"My apologies for my reaction, I hope no offense was taken it's just..." Mitsuyoshi hesitated as he thought of how he could present his reasoning without telling too much of his own painful past and losing face or ruining the positive atmosphere of the night. "... I've never been quite a man of the ladies before." He gave a toothy smile, and a slight embarrassed chuckle hoping to redirect the conversation. Behind his smile, he hid a painful and dark past, though it was a truth he told still, within himself he felt that flirting or entertaining another's flirts with him would be an act of betrayal of his late wife. She was the first and only woman to have looked upon him with such attraction and curiosity.

Ayame never regarded him with suspicion or fear that one would normally treat a wild animal from the very moment they met, even if she was in service to Lord Kashiyama. Despite her professional skills for infiltration and otherwise deceit, her feelings towards Mitsuyoshi were true and even when she had tried to kill him, he could still sense that in her heart despite her attempted assassination. Perhaps it is indeed one thing that he had not shed of his past life; his abilities to wear different masks to conceal the many walls that have been erected over the course of his life in the castle to better guard his heart. Digging into the bowl of zanzai, Mitsuyoshi faded out of the spotlight as Kaito was given a stern warning by Koneko. "Oishii!" he chirped, as he resisted smirking smugly at Kaito. 

As both Kiyomi and Fusae sat enjoying their dessert and the interaction between the youkai a thought had occurred to the young Miko. "Hey, Lady Fusae... Do you think I could stay here with them tonight too and maybe get to know them a little better? While I don't know much about youkai, I want to know more while there's an opportunity, and they already seem friendly and kind enough that I don't think I would get hurt." the young priestess asked. "I certainly don't see the harm in it, but perhaps it would be wise to ask Kimura-dono first." Fusae suggested, but the old Headman had overheard the conversation and proceeded to answer. "Tis, alright with me Lady Fusae. I would be glad to have you as my guest as well. It has been quite a long while since we've had such life in these halls, and even more so since my granddaughters left on their annual." The old man smiled warmly. It was nice to have company in such a large home that usually only he occupied with his granddaughters and the servants. Fusae nodded in agreement as she reached into her sleeves hand retrieved several talismans of which she handed to her younger counterpart. "...Perhaps you should keep this with you... Just in case. The fox seems to be the type to fancy such young women as yourself." she said, her voice low and meant to be kept between her and Kiyomi.


As they all enjoyed the dessert that had been provided, the old headman chuckled at the exchange between the newcomers. "You know it can certainly be arranged if you would like more entertainment." Kimura offered as he scooped more of the sweet red bean soup into his mouth with a large mochi ball. Mitsuyoshi was the first to respond "I appreciate the offer Kimura-dono, but speaking for myself I must admit the journey has been quite tiresome with the recent youkai that we've encountered and battled on our way here. I think a hot bath and a good night's rest in such a comfortable setting is more than I could ask for." Mitsuyoshi said as he scooped more of the zanzai into his mouth. "Very well, I could always have Mizuko assist you with your bath and scrub your back for you, I'm sure she'd be more than delighted to." Kimura referred to the girl who served Mitsuyoshi. For a brief moment Mitsuyoshi almost choked again on his food. 'The old man just won't let up...' Mitsuyoshi thought as he finished swallowing his food. "Um, Thank you Kimura-dono b-" but before he could decline the old man responded "Splendid! I'm sure she'll be glad to assist you." the old man then turned his attention to Kaito. "And I suppose you might be tired as well?"

It was obvious that the old Headman's persona seemed to have changed, having turned almost joyous and renewed. He found the trio to be quite entertaining just being themselves. Though his insistence at allowing the servants to entertain both youkai might have seemed the typical sort of most men, having had them in his employ for quite some time and lived with them, he knew that each of them had their own problems and pain, but the sudden appearance of the Youkai seemed to have sprung a new life within them, drawing out their curiosities and seeing them bear a genuine smile that had not been seen in quite some time. Mizuko, whose lover was called on to go to war and died, suffered from this for several years. Yasuko and Asami who both seemed to be outwardly curious and interested in Kaito had their own similar tales. Yasuko's husband had been killed by bandits while traveling with goods to trade in the large town west of Kiso, while Asami's fiance had fallen terribly ill and passed before they could be married. Kimura had taken them on as servants to ensure that they would be cared for and have stability to heal the wounds that only time could heal, but on this day their jovial nature signed that they were beginning to heal.

[Koneko]

Kiyomi's eyes lit up as her request to stay was approved by both Fusae and Kimura, contently replying while beaming, "Thank you so much Lady Fusae, and thank you too Kimura-dono! I really appreciate you letting me!" Before she could take another scoop of her zanzai, she rested her spoon on the side of the bowl to accept the talismans handed to her for just in case. Gently accepting them and sliding them away onto her person, she thanked the older priestess once again for also considering her safety despite the as of currently shown friendly disposition of the youkai - especially as she mentioned the constantly wandering eyes of the fox. "You're probably right... Thank you again, Lady Fusae," she whispered back, taking into consideration as well that the tiger youkai had been scolding the kitsune as well.

While they further enjoyed their dessert, the youkai seemed to come back to attention as the headman then brought up additional entertainment. Koneko watched as Mitsuyoshi responded, popping a mochi ball into her mouth and munching as the exchange went on while Kaito's tails had been flitting a little bit in interest of the proposal for more. From having at least gotten a pretty decent idea of what her companion was like, the feline started snickering a little bit as she munched, noting he was attempting to refuse when the village elder had pushed a bit further, 'poor thing is going to be pushed into at least a little interaction with the lady by sounds of it.' Once the questioning shifted to the kitsune, he a bit more eagerly spilled his thoughts out, a hint of smug as he teased the wolf first, "Sounds like you're bit of a shy one, eh?" Shifting his eyes back to Kimura, he then fairly agreeably said, "Indeed I am rather tired, before we continued our way here I was searching tirelessly for Konene here to make certain she was safe from harm. I wouldn't mind a little time to relax and relieve the stress of all my efforts to ensure her safety." He was hyping up his true worry and actions with a bit more fluff of nobility than had actually been present at the time, clearly trying to make himself come across fairly dashing and more enticing to the two who had eyes on him.

As there now seemed to be a more open invitation from the headman, the daiyoukai swallowed the food in her mouth and actually came across a bit more at ease with the idea now encouraged. "Since it's offered, I don't see the harm in letting you off the hook a little bit, just remember, don't get too in over your head. I don't want any kind of rumors coming back my way that'll find you regretting they did," Koneko said, smiling at him, yet there was an eerie tone directed at him with her smile, a tone he knew meant she didn't want to hear of his heart-breaker ways upsetting the women who took interest or he'd have hell to pay from her personally. A chill went down his spine, but he played it off, only a very mild note of nervousness in his chuckle back as he still put on a rather alluring front, returning himself to a much more openly flirtatious and charming attitude. The feline didn't actually mind him doing as he pleased aside from making sure he still had some better behavior: it removed his focus off of her for at least a night and meant she wasn't about to find herself dealing with his proposals and unwarranted flirt attempts all night, let alone probable jealousy that she gave some kind of favoritism to Mitsuyoshi's better over-all behavior. "Well then, it'll be my pleasure to get to know you, ladies," Kaito spoke up in his most charming voice, adding a little brush of his hair to the side with a wink to come across as more bewitching, "and I'm certainly looking forward to it."

Picking up on the fact there were more antics at play in the actions of the youkai, Kiyomi had to place a hand over her mouth to help stifle another giggle. At the end of it all, these three really seemed funny in a very charming way rather than flat out dangerous, and it was a bit of entertainment she'd not really come to know herself aside from watching her sisters enjoy spending time with their friends. In fact she actually felt almost enthusiastic with how normal this whole thing felt: she got the opportunity to feel normal in this whole thing, in this place. Feeling so included in the moment, she knew no matter what she would probably cherish this night for years to come to truly feel included in a moment with people who weren't solely her family. 'If it's like this to really get to enjoy being around other people that don't mind my abilities and how I look... I wish I could have this more often... I don't know if I'll only ever get to have this little feeling of it, but I wish I could have friends like them...' While the thought seemed a bit sad, she was actually fairly content even just to have the time she could get to feel normal here in the now to have forever. Polishing off the last bit of her Zanzai and mochi, she quietly relaxed back for a moment before speaking once again, "I really don't think I can thank you enough tonight, Kimura-dono, the food has all been wonderful and the company, even with this whole thing being unexpected."

It was soon Koneko that followed up on the sentiment, her tail casually flipping behind her in a calm manner. "I should say my thanks as well, Kimura-dono, this has been quite a delicious meal. I've probably eaten the best I have in a very long time recently since finding Mitsuyoshi, and I feel I've been a bit spoiled to have that much. This meal on top of all of those reminds me of better times and I'm very grateful you've provided us with this and shelter for the night." Even Kaito chimed in a bit of thanks, "You really are quite a hospitable host!" With the tension of a decision weighing over them gone, she'd actually seemed to have completely mellowed out into a content relaxation. The demeanor she gave exuded after the meal came across like any kind of cat laid out and lounging; and she very likely would have looked the part too had they not been still sitting in a a slightly more formal setting. She certainly gave off enough presence to match her being a tiger with Kaito, but, with how light her attitude was to everyone else, she could have almost been mistaken for a much smaller kind of cat. "Ah, since it sounds like my companions will be a little more preoccupied for awhile after this, perhaps you don't mind me finding a place to relax outside rather than sheltering in a room right away," she asked, and, after receiving an answer, she was soon caught off guard by the sudden insistence of the young priestess. "Is it okay if i come with you? I want to know more about youkai and... Well... It sounds like you're the only one who's going to be available to ask questions to..." Kiyomi asked sheepishly. The astonishment on the feline's face slowly ebbs into a soft smile and a slight chuckle of amusement, "Of course, that's fine with me."

[Taishou89]

Lady Fusae smiled in acknowledgement of the young Miko's gratitude while Kimura warmly smiled and waved it off. "Tis no issue at all my dear Kiyomi. Perhaps you will learn more of Youkai by being in the presence of such guardian yokai." The old headman remarked as he drank his tea. Both elders seemed to relish in the young Miko's youthful exuberance. For Fusae, it was certainly pleasing to see her like this. It seemed that this would help dull the pains of homesickness, she knew that the girl still felt. 'Tis probably safer to be here closer to these good natured Youkai, should Fuzenmaru return.' The old priestess thought to herself as she watched the exchange of the group.

"Sounds like you're bit of a shy one, eh?" Kaito teased and Mitsuyoshi shot him a Sour look but said nothing as he just sat back with his hands in his sleeves as he pondered how he might be able to get out of having the servant girl with him as he bathed. He had grown up accustomed to bathing alone and being left to his own, even in the bathhouses for the samurai garrison in the castle, his presence would usually clear the room. Since then, he would do so late at night after the much of the garrison had already bathed and retired or went on their shift. When Mitsutada had promoted him to a Captain of Infantry, he was given his own private bath and upgrade in his residence in the castle. Unlike most Samurai, he was never allowed to reside outside of the castle for fear that he would lose control and kill innocents, but mostly because it was better to keep him a secret from the world even if it turned out to be a poorly kept secret. Mitsuyoshi rolled his eyes as he listened to the Fox puff himself up before the servant girls sitting in the back of the room. 'That Kaito... He's such a womanizing Ham.'


Mitsuyoshi faced the old headman as he stiffened and placed his hand on the floor directly in front of his seated position putting himself in a slight bow. "Kimura-dono, Thank you for your wonderful hospitality, the meal was most delicious and satisfying, and Thank you for generous offer. Please allow me to be excused." Mitsuyoshi bowed his head as he awaited the Headman's response. "Mitsuyoshi-dono, no need to worry. I just hope you and your friends can find some comfort and relaxation after such a long journey. Mizuko will show you to our Bath and to your quarters as well..." The old headman signaled to Mizuko. "Oh Pardon me, I've forgotten. So I thought it right to pair you all accordingly. Mitsuyoshi and Kaito you both will be in one room, while Koneko and now Kiyomi will share the other. Kaito, you may take your time and utilize this room for your time until you are ready to bathe." The old headman explained. "Kimura-dono, I thank you for this wonderful meal as well, but It is getting late and I have some things to do still before I retire for the night, so I shall be taking my leave." Fusae spoke as she rose from her seat with a slight groan. "Lady Fusae it is no problem at all, your company is always enjoyed. I shall see you out" Kimura said as he rose from his spot and followed the old miko out.


With the event coming to a close and with the departure of Kimura and Fusae, Mitsuyoshi himself rose and was quickly approached by Mizuko who bowed and beckoned him to follow her. Despite her maintained composure, it was obvious to him that the girl fought to resist smiling. For the most part, she was very well composed and behaved totally different from how her and her the other servant girls had behaved thinking that they were out of earshot. Mizuko led the way and escorted him to the bathhouse where she opened the door to allow him in. He could tell right away that water was hot by the light steam that rose from the surface of the water and the moisture in the air. Mizuko bowed as Mitsuyoshi entered before closing the door behind him to allow him some privacy. 'Hmm maybe I will be left alone. I hope I did not come off rude to her...' The hanyou thought to himself as he began to undress, placing his swords and Tanto on a small table beside the bath, His cuirasse clanged as he set it on the floor next to the table before setting the other pieces of his armor with it. Carefully folding his clothes and underclothing and setting them on a stool next to the table before finally getting into the bath.

"T-t-ta ta...." as he stepped in, the hot water shocking his body slightly with the sudden change of temperature. It didn't last long before he settled in comfortably as he let himself sink until just his head remained above the water "It feels like a century since I've had a hot bath... This is very satisfying..." before his right ear twitched and turned to the sound of the door being slid open and then closed again. Opening an eye he glanced to see that it was Mizuko carrying a folded towel and Yukata. A blush crossed his face as he sunk a little lower in the water. The woman placed it on the table next to his swords before she began to gather up his worn clothes, but it was the sound of her struggling to gather up his armor that brought his attention to what she was doing. "You can leave it... It's much too heavy for you, I'll carry it in when I'm done here..." as he sunk his mouth and nose below the surface, catching a glimpse of her smiling at him as moved towards the door with his clothes. Closing his eyes he sat sitting back up and rested his back against the tub as he heard the door open and clothes again.

Unbeknownst to him, that Mizuko had not left the room but instead passed of his clothing to another servant to be cleaned. In that moment as he relaxed his mind drifted to a memory of another bath long ago with him and his Ayame after their marriage. He could feel of Ayame's hands on his shoulders, but it was only then that he was stirred to the present and who's hands it was. Startled he almost leaped out of the water as he broke away from her embrace as he turned to see the servant girl. "Forgive me! I did not mean to startle you." Mizuko exclaimed in fright, as she backed away bowing lowly at the feeling that she had greatly angered the wolf hanyou. Quickly Settling down, the hanyou quickly sank a lower in the water to prevent more of his body from being exposed. "I-it's ok... I just... I-I don't need any help bathing... Thanks... " he said, flustered by the experience. For a brief moment in his state of relaxation, Mizuko's hands reminded him of Ayame's when she would attend him in his bath before. The girl bowed and began to take her leave but in her body language he could sense that she was bothered, whether almost saddened and hurt. "Wait..." He called to her, stopping her in her tracks "... I didn't mean to offend you, I know you mean well. You may stay if you desire, but know this... I am married."


Mizuko turned and bowed before giving him a reassuring smile. "It's fine my lord, please worry not for I too am married." her remark seemed to easy the hanyou a lot more, but it also made him feel even more ashamed for reacting the way that he did. He had thought that she had other desires with him, especially after hearing that her state her attraction earlier during dinner. "Sorry... I..." Mitsuyoshi paused as he tried to figure out what to say. "Please, My lord, do not worry about it. Allow me...?" Mizuko held up a cloth, offering to scrub his back. "Oh... Sure.. Ok... And please don't call me Lord... I'm just a ronin now... You may call me by name, Mitsuyoshi." he said as he leant forward to allow her to scrub his bag. His ears perked up as he felt himself tense when he felt the warm wet cloth touch his upper back. Mizuko had noticed this and smiled to herself as she scrubbed his back. "Has it been a long time since you have had someone scrub your back?" she inquired as she gently worked the cloth over his skin. "It has... I am not used to this.." as a memory of the last time Ayame had done so flashed through his mind.

"Is the other... Your wife?" Mizuko innocently asked, Mitsuyoshi's ears turning slightly toward her as he heard her question. Mizuko smiled to herself, thinking how very much like a dog's ears they were. "Koneko? Oh no, no she isn't." Mitsuyoshi stated simply. It would have been obvious to some that he wasn't feeling to conversational, but the girl continued unaware of it. "Are... Are they real? Can you really hear from them?" but the hanyou didn't respond immediately, as he brooded over the memory of his wife. It had been quite some time since he felt those pains of yearning and longing for her, but what Mizuko said next would draw him from his thoughts in ire. "You're ears are very cute and you're very handsome, I'm sure-" she was suddenly cut off. "I don't think your husband would appreciate such flirty behavior... Kaito may not care, but I do." the hanyou retorted sharply. His words stopped her immediately and she withdrew her hand and turned away as she began to sob. hearing her soft sobs Mitsuyoshi turned around and found himself surprised by the sudden change. "W-why are... Why?" He struggled to find the words. He couldn't understand why she would be crying at a remark that to him did not seem as sharp and hurtful as it could have been and instantly he began to feel bad for making the poor girl cry, he was normally able to keep himself well composed and refrained from saying hurtful things. "M-Mizuko... I'm sorry... I didn't mea-" He stopped mid sentence as the girl quickly tried to recompose  herself and as she faced him. "Please forgive my loss of composure... It was undutiful and of poor respect. Please excuse me, I will get another to help you." The girl voice cracked as she bowed and made to leave. "Wait!" He called out to her. "You may... continue." he said. Now he was determined to make things right, his own conscience and guilt would gnaw at him if he allowed this poor girl to walk away with such a memory of a grumpy ronin.

"Please, I want you to finish your duty..." the hanyou said as he bowed his head in apology. "Forgive my rudeness, it was unlike me and unbecoming of my own personal character." He couldn't see it, but he could hear it in her voice that whatever it was that bothered her went deep. "P-please... Mitsuyoshi-dono It was my unprofessional conduct, You-" He raised his hand to stop her, casually waving it off. "It is obvious that what I said caused you much distress... The fault is mine." as he turned and allowed her to resume. After a brief pause, Mizuko resumed to scrub his back. "They're real and I hear quite well with them..." the hanyou attempted to break the awkward ice that had formed by answering her earlier question. "What?" Mizuko queried forgotten she'd asked just moments before.

 "My ears, they're real." He stated again before continuing "... I must confess, I had heard your hushed confession earlier during dinner and as I'm married it gave me a negative impression that you intended more than just... this... I mean when the Headman insisted, I'm not one to refuse the hospitality of a gracious host but at the same time I did not want to dishonor my wife... I'm sorry I should have just said so earlier instead of being a grouch." one hand resting on his shoulder as the other scrubbed behind his left shoulder. "Oh... I see..." The girl blushed slightly in embarrassment that her conversation with the other servant girls had been known despite their hushed tones and being across the room from the guests. "Please forgive me but your Husband... He's gone isn't he?" he asked gently. It was the only thing he could think of as to why Mizuko had acted the way that she did when he had mentioned her Husband earlier.

(Theme for following scene)

The brief moment of silence that followed was thunderous and Mitsuyoshi began to fear that he had yet again caused the poor girl more emotional distress. "Mizuko, forg-" he was cut off by her answer. "Yes... we had just been married when he was called up for service by our Lord 5 years ago." sadness tainting her voice, a sadness he knew all too well himself. She didn't have to say it specifically, but he knew already just by the information provided. He knew that villagers called up to serve as foot soldiers, or Ashigaru as they were called, often served in a front line capacity and were among the majority of casualties in battle. Widowed at such a young age and not long after their marriage, he felt a strong sense of sympathy for her, but yet at the same time he also knew her grief from his own tragic experiences. Ayame, his beloved wife, was taken from him on the night of their marriage, slain on orders from the very Daimyo who wanted his death by placing pressure on his own brother, Lord Mitsutada to have Mitsuyoshi commit seppuku. When that failed by the intervention of the Hosokawa clan, who controlled the Ashikaga Shogun, Lord Yasunobu Kashiyama sought another way to control the Nagano clan or destroy their one major military advantage that they had... Mitsuyoshi.

"Mitsuyoshi-dono You're a good and faithful husband, I'm sure your wife looks forward to the day when you return to her." Mizuko said, her voice beginning to crack as the terrible memory and the pain of loss surged in her heart, before she could withdraw her hand from his shoulder she felt a warm hand rest on it. Looking down, she saw the wolf tilting his head back and looking into her own eyes. It was in that moment that she could see in his eyes, a sadness that almost rivaled her own, before he even replied she understood that he too still grieved a terrible loss. "She's gone... " Mitsuyoshi quickly broke eye contact from her as he felt his a familiar and shameful feeling swell within his eyes. Casting his gaze at the water he sat in. "She was taken from me on the night of our wedding by a coward..." as the tears started to roll down his face. Suddenly he felt both of her arms wrap around him and pull him back against her in an embrace as she burried her own face into his head sobbing lightly. The move surprised him somewhat, but he quickly brushed off the feeling of surprise and rested his arms over her own in a kind of embrace and leaned into her. 'years of quietly suffering with such pain...' He thought to himself before finally summoning the words. "It's ok Mizuko... Just let it go..." He could tell almost immediately his words had something because she embraced him tighter and her Sobbing became more intense. A faint and light aura had emitted from him, and though he didn't notice it except for a strange and warm feeling within him, it seemed to have some kind of effect on the girl.

Nuzzling gently into his head, as her sobs subsided. A small smile found it's way across her face as she cuddled the wolf hanyou. She would note how light her heart felt afterward, as if a great and heavy weight had been lifted from her. Mitsuyoshi himself would notice it as well from her, but within him his own mood had subsided but there was a strange feeling within him as if he had swallowed a small rock, but he couldn't explain it when suddenly an all too familiar voice came from the door of the bath house. "Oi, Mitsuyoshi," Kaito asked, rapping lightly on the door and at least putting on a slightly more polite attitude in front of the women to downplay his slight impatience, "You two doing alright in there? I'm sure you both cozied up or maybe you both got a little more carried away than was expected since you've both been in there for quite awhile now..." Mitsuyoshi's expression quickly soured upon hearing the all too familiar voice of Kaito. "Ugh... that fool sure knows how to ruin a mood..." Mitsuyoshi muttered under his breath as he sunk beneath the water to wet his hair as it was the only part of him left to wash. Caught off guard and not realizing how long they both had been in there, Mizuko quickly responded to Kaito much more politely than Mitsuyoshi would have. "Uhhhh, We'll be out in just a minutes sire!" as she quickly reached into the water after Mitsuyoshi and began to rapidly scratch and massage his scalp under the water before he came back up, his wet hair hanging all over his face and concealing his annoyance with the Fox.

As she quickly dried his head with a towel, he made to get out of the bath before quickly stopping. "Um... Could you.." he made a swirling motion with his finger to the girl who stood there holding the towel for him. "Oh! Yes..." A blush crossing her face as she placed the towel on the table next to his things before quickly faced away towards the doorway with her eyes glued to the floor. Quickly he grabbed the towel as he got out and dried himself off before going over his hair once more with it. taking the Yukata he quickly got dressed and stuffed his Wakizashi and tanto into it's Obi nice and firm. When his hand touched the Kazega, there was a sudden pulse from it and an almost static shock causing him to flinch. 'What the?! That's never happened before... That feeling in my chest... It's gone too...' it was true, he no longer felt that little weight like he'd swallowed a rock. Once more he reached for the Kazega and this time he grasped it without any problem. Not thinking on it further, he quickly picked up his cuirass and joined Mizuko by the door and they slid it open to see Kaito with both of the other Servant girls waiting.

"It's all yours Kaito... Don't mess up the water, there's still other's who have to bathe." Mitsuyoshi said as he brushed past him, Mizuko following quickly behind him giving a slight bow to Kaito as she passed by. Letting out a slight huff, Kaito felt another nerve get hit as the wolf moved past, wise cracking back, "Oh don't worry, I'm not as messy as you'd care to believe." After he was out of earshot, the fox turned to move in while beckoning the ladies with him to follow and grumbled just under his breath, "thinks he's such a wise guy..."

After setting his things down in their room, Mitsuyoshi emerged back out onto the veranda with Mizuko. "Mizuko... I-" Mitsuyoshi started but he was stopped as she gently pressed the tips of her fingers against his lips. "Mitsuyoshi-dono, you have done more to alleviate my heart than any other remedy tried. I don't know how to explain it or what happened, but I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from me. Thank you..." She said as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head into his chest. Mitsuyoshi was taken aback, he too didn't know how or what he did. 'I don't know why, but even I can sense that a great burden has been lifted from her... Was it really just encouraging her to cry and let it all out?' The hanyou thought as he slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her. "Mizuko, I hope all will be well for you." he spoke before gently resting his chin atop her head and gazing out at the starry sky from beneath the veranda just in time to catch a shooting star.  "As I do for you as well... You will find peace for her... I know it..." The girl softly said.

---------------------------------

Taking their time, Fusae and Kimura walked through the small garden on the estate, on their way towards the gate of the Headman's manor. "Those three... They claim to help humans.. Perhaps they may be of use if... he comes back." the old headman mentioned. "Tis the very same though I had, Kimura-dono..." Fusae responded as she recalled the last battle that nearly claimed took her life.

As she lay there with blood dripping from the claw marks on her shoulder, the Fox youkai standing over her and licking the blood from his hands. His agility and speed and proved to be a challenge for her as he was able to dodge her sacred arrows until he was already upon her. It had been a month since the Kitsune youkai had first arrived in the village, appearing harmless and feigning to be deity, until he began to demand of the villagers their daughters and food, even having ousted throne Kimura out of his home. Fusae had gone to confront the Youkai with the small group of experienced spearmen in the village when this incident occured.

"Fuzenmaru! By the Gods, I order you forthwith from this village never to come back again! Go in peace and I will not purify you." Fusae called as she stood before the gates of the headman's manor as she notched an arrow in her bow and drew it back. Fuzenmaru stepped forth from the gateway, towering over most humans. Dressed splendidly in Emerald Kimono top and black Hakama, his reddish orange hair tied back in a ponytail. "Lady Fusae, why would I do that? I've come to enjoy my time here at this village. The villagers are quite entertaining and as long as I am served, I will provide them the safety and protection they desire. There's no need for an old hag like you!" He called as he suddenly surged forth. Fusae quickly released her arrow, launching it towards the Youkai, but he had managed to dodge it with ease. As she drew and fired two more arrows in rapid succession, the youkai managed to dodge them as well with no problem and before she could draw another he had already come down upon her and slashed her with his claws.

Laying there in dire peril and certain doom, the old priestess wasn't about to give up as she still had one more move up her sleeve. The previous night after scouring ancient and holy text, she had crafted a unique and special talisman unlike her other ones. If all went accordingly, then the Talisman would sap Fuzenmaru's youkai powers, taking his agility and weakening him on par to a mortal, while not making him mortal. As she lay there on the ground she reached into her sleeve and quickly flew the talisman at the Fox Youkai standing above her. At such close range he couldn't dodge the move, and it stuck to his chest with electrical sparks flying about. "ARGghhhhh!" The youkai growled as he could feel himself weakening. "What is!?" He cried amidst the glowing light and static discharge.  "Now! Hachiji! Now!" Fusae shouted. On cue, the villager dashed forward with his spear and thrust it through the Talisman and into Fuzenmaru's chest. In swift reaction, Hachiji was thrown back by a swift kick from the youkai before Fuzenmaru took off running from the village, with the spear still embedded in his chest unable to remove it. It was the last that they had seen of him and because his body was never found, it had been presumed that he survived and would come back with a vengeance one day.

"I can only hope that if Fuzenmaru does return, that they will aid us..." The headman said as he stopped just past the gateway and gazed up at the stars next to the old priestess. "Aye... as much as it pains me to admit... I am not as young and spry as I used to be... we may not be so fortunate the next time if he should come back..." Fusae's eyes also turned skyward to see a shooting star fly across. "That Tiger woman... Koneko. I sense a powerful aura well beyond that of Fuzenmaru's... If her heart be true to her words, I think she would be our greatest ally."

[Koneko]

'So we're being split up and they're going to have me roomed with the young priestess, though it's sounding like his plan was to split us up in this manner to begin with. Interesting... Though i suppose I don't mind getting a little more peace away from Kaito... Especially with whatever this little interaction the headman arranged with these women...' the feline thought to herself as she glanced between her companions and Kiyomi, 'And perhaps a good thing the poor girl isn't over exposed to that degenerate to begin with... Hopefully Mitsuyoshi can hold out.' Watching as Fusae and Kimura began to walk off, Koneko waited until they were out of sight before stretching widely with closed eyes and letting herself be a bit more casual than as better behaved that they'd been exhibiting. Relief finally began to fully set in that they'd somehow managed to smooth everything over in their regular appearances and that, for her, she'd at least found out a little more about Yuzuki, even if it was only a tiny scrap of information. Her ear gently flicked as she heard the soft pattering of someone approaching, and an eye opened to see the miko before her, moving shyly despite her eagerness to get to know more. An inviting smile graced her face, "you must be ready to start asking more questions then, ne?" She was replied to with a nod and a soft, "Yeah, if you don't mind, that is..." With one last great stretch, the daiyoukai got up from where she sat, and smiled a bit wider, "Of course not, let's go before we regret lingering..."

"Alright then," Kiyomi replied, following with the youkai and casting one more curious glance back at the fox before they left the room they had been in to the outside, the pair only pausing to glance over the area before continuing on, beginning to walk the grounds a little. "So, what was it you wanted to know, since you seem eager to know more about us?" The young woman flinched lightly, realizing her more naturally shy demeanor had taken back over a little bit now that they had all split off, but she quickly considered the request, not wanting to be too rude as she was the one to initially insist. "W-well... I guess I can start with, I was wondering..." she started quaintly, trying to find her eagerness again while she'd caught the full attention of the daiyoukai, her own gaze drifting to the triangles poking from the taller woman's head, "I was wondering if your ears were also really soft like the others..." Koneko's face quickly reflected a few different feelings on the matter, the main one being something like a disinterest in the request. "Anoooo, I'm not sure about a comparison, but I would prefer if you didn't touch them," she responded fairly hastily, though tried to not come across too harsh to avoid scaring the girl off, "Surely that can't be the only thing you wanted to ask?" The girl seemed a bit disappointed and a little disheartened to be told no this time since the other two were a bit more eager to at least let her touch, but she decided against any pleading over it since the feline seemed to want to brush past the question quite speedily. "O-oh... Alright, well I do have other questions... Etou... So you, Kaito and Mitsuyoshi are the only other youkai I've ever come across since I had a first bad encounter... and that one disguised as a human too, are all youkai able to do that?"

Hesitance melting away as a much more agreeable question was asked, the feline smiled again and more willingly answered her. "No, not all, but some of the most dangerous can or outright look human. Even though we stood at the other end of her threat, Lady Fusae was smart not to trust us until we proved ourselves. Many like us typically at best are disinterested in humans and at worst despise them." Koneko looked at the girl with a serious look, seeming to want to warn her more directly, "it's best you stay on your guard like that, with strong spiritual powers I can sense you have, you would easily be a target for many to either seek to kill you as a threat to their existence or devour you to take your powers for themselves." Her words did give Kiyomi some pause, an uncertainty if she'd heard that right, "D... Devour...? For my powers...?" The feline nodded in reply, still holding a hard look, though it soon melted as she placed a gentle hand on the girl's back to reassure her, "You'll be safe around us, and I'm sure that Fusae will make sure you are as well. I..." Her words wavered for a moment, unsure if she wanted to finish her statement and dole out more than necessary, but soon decided to continue as her expression sank. "...I used to keep a close eye on Yuzuki too for that reason..." Looking away, she started moving again as the miko watched her, picking up on the drop in mood again and then pursued it, "She... Meant a lot to you, didn't she...? Yuzuki I mean..." Koneko didn't answer, but her gaze did shifted to the sky, listening while she stared up at the stars. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you upset, I've noticed you seem to be sad when she's brought up, so I thought-"

"She meant everything," Koneko cut the girl off, slowly turning back to face her while unable to hide the somber look on her face. "So I have to find her..." The miko stood in silence for a moment before taking a step forward and lifting her arm to reach out in comfort when the feline shifted the subject again, stopping her motions from completing. "What about you? It sounded like you miss your family and home, what is this Tokyo like?" Kiyomi's arm dropped as she processed the sudden focus coming onto her, catching her by surprise, "M-me? Yeah, I really do miss them... It's only really been about a day and a half, but I've really never been apart from them this long... Though helping Lady Fusae has at least been really nice to keep me busy!" The daiyoukai beckoned her to follow again, getting them both moving again to continue their walk. "And well, my home is a lot different than living like this, I thought maybe I was in a dream or a vision first because... Well, the city I come from has a lot more buildings than this, a lot of them are so huge that these village houses more like a small shed. Actually you rarely see houses like these exactly anymore, at least in the city, it's even been at least a little refreshing to see more nature and a little less concrete..." After a moment, the priestess noticed the youkai with her had her head tilted, seeming to try to comprehend the kind of buildings she talked about, "S... So you're saying everyone where you live has palaces for houses? I've been to cities where there's less trees, but I don't understand what is 'concrete'..." The girl lifted a hand to her mouth to giggle, "N-no, that's not exactly it, it's a little hard to explain what they're like when someone hasn't seen them, but I can at least say concrete is, um, I'd say really comparable to stone, though it's like a thick liquid and moldable before it sets so they can shape it." The expression on the feline's face now held shock with her confusion, "What kind of magic do humans from Tokyo use to turn stone to liquid?! Are you sure you've never seen youkai? I've never heard of anything like liquid stone and even metal only when it's really hot!"

Kiyomi soon began to laugh a little bit, wiping a couple tears from the corners of her eyes. "I-I'm really sorry, your amazement is just really cute, though there definitely isn't any magic involved. I wish I could explain it better or show you even, it's really so different than villages and cities I'm sure you're used to," the miko reassured, now seeing a slightly frazzled look directed at her. "I should like to see this kind of strange place for myself since I've seen many things, but can't seem to grasp this... But, could you not refer to me as cute...? I'm anything but and would prefer to be described in many other ways..." Another giggle sliding out, the priestess at least lightly agreed for now, finding even that a bit silly in and of itself, "Sure, I can do that, I didn't realize that you wouldn't like being called cute." Koneko let out a small sigh of relief before fixing her posture tall again, "it's fine this once... Just don't do it again because I'm not cute, rather I'm tough and strong!"

"The way you seem to make Kaito listen to you and that it seems like Mitsuyoshi respects you, I can tell you must be," the young woman followed up, "Actually, I'd like to know more of what youkai can do, would you be able to show me?" Koneko considered what she asked, scratching her head as she walked then peered around. "We'll move a little more out of sight of the villagers and i can show a few small things perhaps... I don't want to frighten them now that we've just barely gotten their trust," she partly agreed, soon moving to lead Kiyomi to a slightly more open spot that at least was more secluded from where too many could see so as not to startle any wandering eyes of a few of the abilities she could show.

----------------

With the room clearing out, Kaito was left alone to begin dazzling the two servant girls left with him, seductively brushing his bangs to the side as he adjusted his focus. Smoothly sliding to his feet from where he sat, he began pulling out a few different charms he often called upon to draw attention entirely onto himself, taking a few steps forward before before bending at the waist in a bow and placing a hand inside of his kimono. "Well then, it looks like now is finally the chance I get to learn a little bit more about you two lovely women, and the pleasure is undoubtedly all mine," he spoke without flaw and removed his hand from just inside his kimono as he rose, pulling out two flowers, both a blue iris, one for each of the two women and handed them over gently. "For each of you lovely ladies, if you would also do me the honor of knowing each of your names?" He asked, continuing to put on a very sultry display, yet gave them his full attention as they answered, "Yasuko, sire." The other followed suit without a beat, "And I am Asami, if I may, thank you for such beautiful gifts!" This brought a haughty grin over Kaito's lips, thinking over further ways to impress them both and revel in their attention. "Beautiful ladies deserve beautiful gifts, although I'm also sure there's some eagerness to find out just what the a handsome youkai like myself can do," he replied, then reaching out to each flower to simply touch them, letting them suddenly turn into arrays of small-yet-colorful butterflies that fluttered of - a little illusion he'd already planned in that short moment to amaze them.

Amaze them he did, relishing in their wonder of the little trick he did to win their hearts over. "Sugoiiii!" one uttered with wide eyes while the other said, "Kireiiiii!" Internally smirking to himself, he kept wearing his most charming attitude and placed a hand over his chest to give himself a look of absolute sincerity, "I'm pleased you both enjoyed this little tribute to each of you, why don't you allow me the honor of basking in your beauty more privately?" Yasuko was the one to quickly take the lead between the two women, "of course, allow me to show you the way to the room Kimura-dono had prepared for you." Guiding them towards the designated room for the men, she opened the door and Asami joined in welcoming the Kitsune into the room. "Here is where you will be spending the night, sire," one said, the other following up quickly, "Please let us know if there is anything else we can fetch for you if need be." A coy smile overcame Kaito's expression, following up the statements with, "I don't think there is anything more I need aside the company of the two of you for now." Adding a few little flirtatious moves like tilting one girl's chin to meet his gaze and gently taking the hand of the other to leave a soft kiss on the back of it, he had them slightly swooning to his charms. "Well then, why don't we get comfortable, tell me a little bit about yourselves, ne?" Guiding them before himself into the room, he was the one to slide the door closed before deciding on which futon he would prefer to sleep on and taking a seat, patting down spaces for the two to join him.

As the girls moved to take a seat, they now could really see the differences in him from a human aside from his tails outright: his bright, light blue eyes, his pointed ears, claws and fangs, and even one of the more obvious features - his fox-like feet. "Kaito-dono, your legs... They really are just like this? Is it a bother to walk on them?" Asami asked curiously, glancing over them. "Not at all, I'd argue I have better agility and speed because they're like this. Go ahead, and feel them over, you can feel how muscular they are - and how soft," he boasted, guiding her hand to feel around his ankle and shins. "Amazing! They really are muscular, I can feel just how strong!" She remarked, while the other looked to his tails, catching his attention, "You're welcome to touch as well, they're every bit as soft as you imagine." Yasuko started running her hand through the closest tail, gently at first in worry perhaps it was rude to touch, but soon more bravely ran her hands through the fur as she realized it was okay, uttering, "So soft and fluffy." It pleased the kitsune greatly to be so fawned over and admired for being simply as he was, really a pretty rare treat from him since even most of endeavors with women he'd either already be looking at a youkai or disguised as a human himself to not unsettle a human woman of interest. "So that lady youkai... She doesn't mind this?" one asked after a moment, the other following up to clarify, "She's not your wife, she means." Looking between them in question at first, he put on his seductive look again, "ah, you mean Konene. Sadly no, she is not my wife even though I have pursued her. I follow her instead to offer my aid any time she need it, seeing as I am unlikely to win her heart. It's an unrequited love, you see but, I decided my services were an adequate replacement for my feelings." He mixed in a touch of theatrics and lied a little bit about the true yearnings of his heart to sound more noble than he really was - but it would be worth it to have the little bit of fun with these girls now in the moment. "So she's not," one said with a bit of relief, "It's incredible of you to still want to look after her even if she doesn't return your feelings!"

After a little more soaking in the attention and praise, he looked between the two again and beckoned a little bit of story out of them, asking the one that seemed younger of the two to speak first. "What about the two of you then, tell me what's brought you to being servants at this place? Asami, correct? You're so gorgeous it's hard to imagine you here instead of keeping your own home," he nudged gently, queuing the girl to go into her story. "Oh... Kaito-dono... I was meant to be, but..." there was sadness reflected in her eyes, a sadness he reached out and touched her face to help subsided, "It's alright, tell me your troubles." He shifted a little closer, moving his other hand to comfort her so she would tell the rest of her tale, "my fiancée, we were planned to be wed, but only a few weeks away from when our marriage was to take place, he came down with a terrible illness that weakened him so bad he couldn't leave his bed... I helped care for him and had hope he would recover, but..." She began to hide her face to help prevent tears from rolling down, but found herself gently tugged into the fox, feeling him stroke her hair in comfort. "It's alright, you don't have to hide your tears for my sake," he cooed gently, "if it's too painful, then just relax here against me as you are."

"Thank you, Kaito-dono," Asami sighed out, soon hiccuping a few tears, as she relaxed into him. He glanced back over to Yasuko as the younger one calmed slightly and offered his free hand to draw her slightly closer as well. "Yasuko, I imagine you too have a similar tragedy befall you? You seem well organized and I can't imagine you not having had someone who enjoyed your company at one time," he went on to inquire, shifting the hand he used to beckon her to himself to her back in an effort to comfort her in advanced. "You are quite quick to realize that I too have a sad history," she praised, able to hold a little bit more composure than Asami, "I was married myself, my husband and I both put in some effort making goods and extra crops we could trade in the next town for a few better tools to make our work easier or have a few nicer items to enjoy now and then. On the last day I saw him alive... I saw him off as usual and began tending the crops, but a short way out of town he was caught by bandits looking to take anything they could for themselves..." she paused, on the brink of tears, but took in a breath and was able to continue, "it was a few days later before I had found out the news when a few others from the village came by to tell me what had happened... And then a short time after I had to give up our home because I wouldn't be able to keep up with all of the work by myself." She did wipe a few tears away, then felt Kaito's hand rubbing her back to help her settle. "Kimura-dono has been so wonderful to us to take us in and allow us shelter and work here when we could have been left to struggle on our own," she continued after she'd begun to feel a bit of her pain ebbing, "but it is also sweet of you to hear us both out and treat us so gently, Kaito-dono."

"It is no trouble to me to hear the tragic words of women in need," the fox reassured, still a flirtatiousness in his tone, "I would do anything to help mend the hearts of such lovely women." This was the point he'd been leading up towards, peering into the situations of each before he would go on to decidedly make any moves. "I won't be able to fix all the struggles you two have been through, but perhaps I can help lessen the pain for you in current company," he slid out the suggestion slickly, drawing in the slightly older of the two first, "let me be whatever or whoever you need me to be in the current moment." It wasn't long before he was drawing Yasuko into a soft kiss, making clear the depths of his offer for their time together, and soon after he began to put moves on both in the time they had to enjoy the room to themselves, albeit trying to keep in mind a chance of the bath shouldn't be too soon behind to follow as they became a bit more acquainted.

Amidts all they'd been up to, it took a short moment for Kaito to realize some time had passed, the fox gently rallied the the two women with him in thought that Mitsuyoshi ought to surely be done with a bath by now and should have been off towards the room by now if he was as shy as he'd been assuming the hanyou was. "I wonder, perhaps he got on better with the girl than I thought? Well, ladies, why don't we go ahead and see how the other two are doing and see if we can't get our chance at it," he said enticingly, lifting himself up from where he was and offered help to each of the women to their feet as well before letting them lead the way towards the bath, relishing in their giggles and fawning. 'A bath with them around will be one of the most enjoyable than I've had in awhile. Aaaah! If only this could have been something Konene would have been interested in back then with Yuzuki, everything could have been perfect then!' His wishful thinking came to a slow halt as they approached the door, now he brushed his bangs back a little and approached the door, eager to get his chance as he now confirmed his recently gained companion was in fact still occupying it. "Oi, Mitsuyoshi," Kaito asked, rapping lightly on the door and at least putting on a slightly more polite attitude in front of the women to downplay his slight impatience, "You two doing alright in there? I'm sure you both cozied up or maybe you both got a little more carried away than was expected since you've both been in there for quite awhile now..." For a moment he heard very little shuffling around before Mizuko spoke up, "Uhhhh, We'll be out in just a minutes sire!" Then he heard a bit more movement, taking that as he was correct in thinking perhaps the wolf had hit it off better than was insisted against. 'Perhaps he's less shy than I originally thought!' he considered as he heard the movement, finally looking on as the door finally opened and giving a coy, praising smirk to the hanyou as he passed the entrance, only to have it sour as quickly as he put it on.

"It's all yours Kaito... Don't mess up the water, there's still other's who have to bathe." Mitsuyoshi said as he brushed past the kitsune, Mizuko following quickly behind him giving a slight bow to Kaito as she passed by. Letting out a slight huff, Kaito felt another nerve get hit as the wolf moved past, wise cracking back, "Oh don't worry, I'm not as messy as you'd care to believe." After he was out of earshot, the fox turned to move in while beckoning the ladies with him to follow and grumbled just under his breath, "thinks he's such a wise guy..." Undressing and laying his clothing out neatly for Yasuko and Asami, he let his tails seem to merge before stepping into the hot water, condensing the space he would take up as he sat inside. It was his turn to really get to relax this time, and he was already reveling in the enjoyment that had come of it so far, the bath was just an additionally exceptional touch to cap off the evening.

[Taishou89]

After their embrace was broken, One didn't need to be a youkai to tell that Mizuko seemed to be alleviated from what ailed her spirit for so long. For her, the many years of grief and sorrow seemed to have finally subsided. Even though she had been attracted to the hanyou and to an extent still was if not a little more after sampling a taste of the will and devotion in his heart, it did not pain her to respect his wishes as he was still grieving. It was indeed so, even though nearly 100 hundred years have passed, to him it had only been but a year or two since Ayame had been taken from him. "I bid you good night, Mitsuyoshi-dono... If you require anything more, I will be more than glad to help you." she said softly as she bowed. Mitsuyoshi quietly returned her bow before watching the young woman take her leave amidst the dim light of the lanterns shining on the veranda. Returning into the room, he drew his shinobue from his pack as he returned to the veranda and sat on it's edge, viewing the small rock garden before him, bathed in the shadows and the faint light from the stars above. It was a moonless night and ripe for such a majestic view presented by the Heavens above. Like a path made of stars and clouds, The arm of the Galaxy stretched across the sky; a road to Heaven itself. Amidst this magnificent display of such majesty and serenity, now that he was certain he was alone with only his flute and heart, with his eyes closed to prevent the tears from falling, he began to play an ancient tune: Cry of the Dragon(click).

In the silent and dead night, and with the Headman's manor situated atop a hill, the haunting melody carried far even if faintly heard from the village, it could still be identified. With little motion or dramatic flare as he transferred his own pain and sorrow into the energy he poured forth from his flute. It had always served to be a great way to alleviate his internal suffering without having to visibly display them. To some who knew the tune, one could almost imagine a dragon made of starlight dancing across the night sky filling the night with it's lonesome yet serene song. To very few, it almost sounded like a sad wolf singing it's heart out to the heavens, pining for his long lost love and beckoning her to stand at the Gates of Heaven that he might glance her again from this earthly plane. As Kaito bathed with Asami and Yasuko, they were serenaded by the tune. As Mizuko prepared to settle in for the night, she would pause in a moment to listen, a tear of both admiration and empathy would roll down her face as the haunting melody played. For Lady Fusae working on some extra talismans in case Fuzenmaru should return, even she too would pause as she heard the faint melody resounding across the village. Koneko and Kiyomi in their solitude and midst their conversation, would be treated to the music in the silent night. Even the old headman, Kimura-dono, would pause in his preparations for bed to listen to the melody.

Though his eyes were closed to concentrate and to prevent the tears from falling, it did not work so well. Though he couldn't stop it from happening, he continued to play on until the very last note. When his song had been sung, he opened his eyes to gaze upon the starlit road of the heavens adding much effect to the aforementioned image of the wolf seeking to glance upon his love one more time. His moment was interrupted as he heard Kaito's voice with the two other girls approaching. Quickly he wiped his face with the sleeves of his Yukata and rose from his seat and quickly went back into the room. Setting his flute down beside his swords next to his bed as he sat in his bedding.

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Somewhere outside of Kyoto, 2 days ago

(Theme for below(click)

"Fuzenmaru, the 'great' Fuzenmaru..." a dark voice spoke, it's tone laced with sarcasm as it's owner scoffed at the humble image before him on hands and knees. The imposing and large shadowy cloud that stood before him concealed the true identity of the Daiyoukai before him, but his sinister and powerful aura was all that needed to be felt to know that he was before someone far greater than any youkai he had ever encountered. "... Once considered to be among some of the few Kitsune youkai out there to be considered powerful enough to ascend to Lordship..." The voice continued. It wasn't hard to detect that the insult and belittlement had struck a chord in the Kitsune, but bear it he did as Fuzenmaru kept his head low. Even he knew that the presence before him was well beyond him or his capabilities and he had no desire to die. "... That is what you seek Isn't it? You wish to be Lord over the villagers that ran you out, to get your revenge on the priestess who weakened you enough to be mortally wounded by a human spear... I saved you and nursed you back to health and I am prepared to grant you your wish, however..." The shadowy figure paused as Fuzenmaru turned his eyes upwards to gaze at his savior with eagerness in his eyes. "... If I grant you this Lordship, you must pledge your service to me, to come whenever I summon, and to do exactly as I command... Do you agree?"

Fuzenmaru bowed his head low again. "I do my lord, Please grant me the abilities and means to get my revenge on that meddling priestess.. I pledge to be at your every command." though Fuzenmaru could not see the smirk on the owner of the voice of which I pledged his service, Ikari was very pleased to have his first vassal. "Good, then take these..." From the shadowy cloud a spear and a cuirass were presented to Fuzenmaru who cautiously accepted the items and looked them over in awe. "Lord Fuzenmaru... This is the very spear that pierced your chest and nearly killed you. I have enhanced it with my abilities and enchantments, no human weapon will be able to break it and no human armor will withstand it's sharp point. This armor is also enchanted and will act as a barrier against most sutras, talismans, and to an extent sacred arrows. With these, you shall have your revenge and your first fief from there forth you will build an army... My army..." Ikari spoke as he watched the acknowledgement of the humbled fox from his shadowy cloud. "It shall be done My Lord."

[Koneko]

Finding a spot where there seemed to be freer of wandering eyes, Koneko stopped, signalling for Kiyomi to do the same, and turned to face her. "Here should be a good spot," the feline stated, looking around, "I won't do anything too noticeable, I want to make sure there's no confusion on this being just for show and not an ill-intended trick." Refocusing her attention back to the girl before her, she smiled fairly brightly, "now then I can get on with it. Just remember, even though I'm in control of anything I do, it still can be very dangerous, so it's best if you try not to move from that spot unless I say it's okay." With another warning out, she shifted her gaze one more time to the well they'd walked past a short ways back and she raised a hand, palm up, then moved it towards herself, seeming to beckon something. Kiyomi watched the actions then looked back towards the well, shocked to now see strips of water flowing in different sizes from it towards them. Amazement overtook the miko, completely entranced by the small multitude of of watery tendrils that flowed around her, even very gently reaching out to confirm it was just water as her fingers and hand gently passed through it, but didn't seem to disrupt it's path. A few more simple motions of the daiyoukai's hand had them dancing around the girl first before the water weaved it's way around herself, forming a loop as she spoke again, "this is one of my abilities, I'm able to control water to my will. Of course there's more to it, but this is just a small trick to get the idea." While she explained, it was as the tiger's eyes opened that the priestess noticed a gentle glow to to the youkai's eyes, another curiosity catching her.

"Your eyes! They're, they're glowing!" Even in her voice it could be heard her wonder was only growing at the spectacle, wanting to know even just a little bit more. "Y-yeah..." the daiyoukai responded, trying to think how to explain it off without admitting her affiliation with water was because she was actually a half dragon. "I-it happens more specifically when I command water, but it's just a special little trait of my youkai blood, I sometimes use it to be intimidating too, like a show of power," she explained vaguely and partly lied, 'I wasn't going to tell Mitsuyoshi either, but he would have found out eventually since I've decided to have him come with me anyways... This girl I doubt we'll know too well past today, especially if she manages to return home tomorrow, so it's better I just keep the knowledge of being a different kind of half demon to those who have real need to know of it... That fewer who know, the safer for everyone...' The water swirled without any effort as she was lost to thought for that moment, but the look of contemplation on her face made Kiyomi worry for her a little bit, "Are you alright? I didn't say anything I shouldn't have, did I?" The tiger fixed her gaze again and smiled warmly, quickly following up with another white lie, "No, I was just considering what I should maybe show you next that won't be too much. I think I know what would be safe enough to show." The daiyoukai hesitated no further, moving in a short few movements like a very controlled dance and sent the water surrounding her suddenly shooting up a short way into the air and let it disperse in a magnificent burst just above them - falling back down to the ground like a short, gentle rain.

The miko's eyes trailed after the water, watching as it took off towards the sky and soon fell back down, feeling the soft splashes, "Kireiiii! It's so pretty!" Enjoying at least the wondrous awe she'd caused the girl from that tiny display alone, the feline then brushed a hand just in front of her own mouth, coyly setting a flame on her hand as usual and holding just a small one there, then cupping both hands to let it sit in a gentle fashion. "W-what?! Whoa! How did you-? Where did you set a fire from?!" Kiyomi said excitedly, completely stunned to see an ability with fire too. "I breathe fire, but I learned to do it without notice most of the time. You can come closer to see better, I won't let it get bigger than this, but it is as real as any other flame, so I would hope you'll refrain from trying to touch it." The priestess approached, at least holding out her hands enough to feel the warmth of the flames while looking it over, admiration for the unusual talents on display that would normally be explained away by magician tricks or other more down-to-earth explanations. "Sugoi! You're holding it like it's nothing too!" While Koneko held the flame and Kiyomi looked on, the feline's ear flicked just before both of their attentions were quickly caught by the sound of a solitary shinobue echoing it's beautiful music in the night air. 'Mitsuyoshi...' The daiyoukai thought upon hearing the familiar sound playing out this time a different tune than last she'd heard him play, 'What a baleful tone... I hope all's well...' The young miko even gazed off towards the main house to better hear it as the two seemed to pause in place as the music ran it's course. "Wow... What a beautiful song..." she slowly remarked, having for a moment forgotten the flame was just by her hands, "AH! OUCH!" Nearly squeaking in shock along with her exclamation as she felt the sting of the flame, the full attention of the tiger was back upon her in a flash, instantly snuffing the small fire by closing her hand and hastily grabbing for the hand the girl had injured to take a look. "I told you be careful! Are you alright? Let me see..."

Despite the initial words said seeming harsh, the miko realized there was a genuine concern over how injured she'd gotten from the fire the moment she could see Koneko's expression. "I... Think I'm okay, I don't think it was for that long," she replied delicately, feeling a little bad she'd caused any alarm. A relieved sigh came from the daiyoukai to see it indeed wasn't too bad, "I can see the spot is a little red now, but I don't think it'll blister, thank goodness... Come, let's at least get it under some water to help soothe it for now at least and then we'll start heading back, no more showing off for now from me." Shepherding the girl back towards the well so she could put her hand in the water for a little bit, the feline let the girl keep her hand in the cooling water while she surveyed the area, ears swiveling as if making sure no threats would be attempting to come their way. Kiyomi slowly began to smile as she once again not only felt normal for a rare time in her life, but also was happy to seem accepted by this youkai of the three she'd met too despite how outwardly closed off to others the tiger came across. "Thank you... For watching out for me," she complimented, garnering a quizzical look from the youkai, "Huh? It was my flame that burned you, it's my responsibility to make sure you're tended to in that case." Feeling at least the main sting of the burn fade, the priestess slowly removed her hand from the water, but hadn't stopped smiling, "usually it's only my family and a small handful of other people we know who would do something like this for me... It doesn't hurt anymore, I think I'll be okay now!"

The remark caught the tiger by surprise and struck her as a bit odd, 'Only her family? Are the humans where she comes from not as helpful to each other as I've seen in many villages, especially to a priestess? I've mostly known humans to revere holy people like monks and such, but to ignore when there's a problem?!' Koneko stared at the girl's smile for a moment before returning her own in a slight manner, "Let's head back for the night, it's getting late and perhaps we can catch one of the village girls and see if they can bring anything to dress the burn for the night." Nodding in agreement while she cradled her injured hand close to herself, Kiyomi began to walk with the feline as she was lightly nudged forward, "alright, we'll go back then." As they walked, the youkai glanced from the corner of her eyes a few times before braving to break a few more questions of her own, looking to slake curiosity and understand what was said better, "ano, you seem like a fairly kind human, but, from things you say, it seems like you know few other humans? Why is that?"

Kiyomi's gaze turned towards the feline in surprise at first, then towards the ground in front of them as they walked before glancing back up to her. "It's my own abilities that scare most people off... Where I'm from, people think it's weird and creepy that i can see things they can't and talk to spirits, and the way it's affected my eyesight hasn't helped with any of that..." While she held a smile still, it was plain to see she was disaffected by all of it and that there was a loneliness to her response. "I see. So humans can be cruel to those meant to be revered among them as well..." Koneko replied, a sorry look for the girl crossing her face. "Ah! w-well I don't know that I'd... say cruel exactly... Visitors to our shrine are at worst polite about it, and it's at least pretty rare for anyone to be very openly mean about it... and I can understand why they think it's weird... It's just..." The miko had to take a breath to finally admit the real problem, "It's more that I... Don't really have any friends myself because of it, because they think something bad will happen to them if they get too close to me." She could see the sorry look on the youkai's face and quickly began to reassure in follow up, "Oh! B-but I'm okay though! I have my sisters and their friends to watch over and that's usually enough for me, plus I have other things I like to do to keep me occupied and help my parents with a lot of things too!" A weak smile crossed the feline's face, understanding what the girl was trying to do, but it did erase the pity she felt realizing it was clear the girl wanted to have some connections of her own. Real connections of her own. In a way she herself chased the main connection she'd had in her life barring Kaito's persistent desire to stay relevant to her and the fact she only just took on Mitsuyoshi and had more to get to know about him. For much of her life, loneliness was something she knew well and had found a way to become accustomed to herself, so she understood some idea of the priestess' coping for it. Before she could say anything else, they were reaching the veranda and could hear Kaito, Mitsuyoshi and two of the village girls just around the corner. 'Yatta! Sounds like we got back just in time that I can ask!'

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Meanwhile, in the bathhouse, Kaito had gotten comfortable in the still steaming water with his hair down and Asami beginning to wash his back while he wore one of the most content looks he could possibly have. 'Ahhhhhh, this is the nicest bath I've had in a while, nice and steaming hot with a little pampering from some women makes it that much better!' Leaning more into her gentle washing, the fox soon let out a relaxed groan before working through his long hair a little bit to make sure it was nicely groomed. In the stillness of the moment the door could be heard sliding open once again as Yasuko had returned with a towel and yukata for him as well. "It's nice to see you return, Yasuko," he welcomed her flirtatiously, seeing her giggle and hold a hand over her mouth to seem modest in her flattered state. Shifting to lean himself on the edge of the ofuro, he was about to start flirting when all three were suddenly taken by surprise by the the sound of music echoing over the area from a shinobue. They all gave pause for a moment to listen to the melody, entranced by the tune of longing as it continued for a few minutes and only speaking after it had ended, Asami being the one to break the silence, "that was so pretty! What a nice treat of music to end the night, do you think Kimura-dono asked for that, Yasuko?" The other woman continued her way over to the ofuro after having stood still to listen out of surprise, replying to the other woman, "No, I don't recognize the way this was played as anyone Kimura-dono would request. I don't think he would request someone play this late either nor on short notice." With his lips curling into a seductive grin, the kitsune began to turn back up the charms now that he could somewhat use the music to his advantage in his wanton banter, "hmmm, well whoever our mysterious musician was doesn't matter right now, but they did do us a favor in adding a stunning compliment to the presence of two gorgeous ladies in my company." Having turned the charm up again, he began to openly flirt with the two women present, looking to take things in a more hands on direction while they had the private moment yet. It was a little while longer they stayed in the bath house until he had a little more fill of the company kept.

"Oi! Mitsuyoshi!" the fox called out as he and the two village girls with him approached on the veranda a short while after leaving the bathhouse, "Did you hear that beautiful music a little bit ago?" He could see the wolf seeming to scramble around, but thought maybe he was looking for something or he'd caught him off guard as he heard him respond in confirmation. "I wonder who was out performing music this late, at times it sounded almost haunting..." Yasuko even spoke up slightly to agree, "Yes, it felt sad at moments, but was so lovely. I could feel my heart lightening a little more from hearing it." Asami nodded in agreement with what already was said and it was observable both women seemed to be in better spirits than when they were previously seen. A small smile crossed Mitsuyoshi's lips at hearing the compliments while his back was turned to the Fox and two servants. "I did indeed. I've heard it said of a similar tune... that it is a Dragon calling to it's mate, but there is no response and never will be for he is the last of his kind, but still he wanders among the stars, calling... Never giving up." The hanyou gently tucked his shinobue out of sight beneath the covers of his bedding. "... But that is a tale I was told long ago." Quickly recomposing himself within the room as he turned to face the three. "Still, I found it to match quite an amazing display by the heavens tonight..." He pointed towards the sky, outside. "... and I'm sure that the musician who played it felt so too, whether he knew the old tale or not." The three standing just out the door all turned their attention skyward, admiring the beautiful sight of the stars that he pointed out and able to understand exactly what he'd meant. "It is a welcomed mystery, that I can say for certain," Kaito piped back in, seeming pleased about it at the very least, it could only be guessed that he'd used the music to his advantage with whatever he'd been up to in the bath house. "Is there anything else we can get for you sire, or perhaps for you as well, my lord?" Asami piped up again, wanting to make sure both men were settled before they would depart for the night.

As the small conversation in front of the men's room went on, Koneko and Kiyomi soon came around the corner of the veranda, the feline eagerly looking for one of the servants' attention. "Ano, excuse me," she started, guiding the miko forward with her hand on her back, "either of you two ladies, could I ask one of you to retrieve just a small strip of bandage and some ointment for a burn? Kiyomi was burned a little on accident while we were out." Yasuko took a little more initiative and took a moment to examine the wound so the appropriate items could be fetched, "May I see? Hmm it doesn't look to bad, but we should have something to treat this. Asami, would you go on ahead and bring the ointment for burns and a smaller roll of bandaging?" As her fellow servant bowed and shifted off, she turned back to the two women and offered, "I can stay and bandage this for you once Asami returns." Politely shaking her head, the tiger spoke up, "that won't be necessary, I will take care of it and leave what's left by the door to our room for you. It's my fault, so I should be the one responsible."

"In that case, I will at least open the door to the room for you both and ensure that it was prepared," Yasuko said, going just a short ways over and opening the door to the room for the girls and for a few minutes headed inside. Kaito could be seen staring between them at this point, seeming to have gathered what had happened from the small exchange alone, but refrained from saying anything. It didn't take too long for Asami returned with the requested items, noticing the other room's door had opened and moved to the two women, beckoning them to follow her to the other door. "I found a small roll of bandages and the ointment for you, and it looks like Yasuko made sure everything in the room is ready, please follow and I'll set these down for you as requested." Once they moved inside and settled, the two village women politely excused themselves, then turned and said their fond good evenings to Kaito as well, moving slightly down the way and out of normal earshot before they could be heard at least giggling in elation by the youkai, the fox himself having wished them a pleasant night as well and smirking haughtily as he heard them go. Once they'd gone, he shifted to the door way of the two women left, gently leaning on it as he now observed Koneko already working on getting Kiyomi bandaged up. "So you were out showing off, huh?" he asked, the devious look still adorning his face as he talked. "Shut it! We were being careful, it was just an accident... Besides, it's nothing like that you prick!" she sassed back, the missing context between the two seeming as if they were reading each other's thoughts from glances and few words alone. "Ooooh? It's not?" he teased back, finding a glare directed at him as his tails shifted a bit more unbothered. "You're lucky I don't have anything I can reasonably throw at you," the feline snipped, finishing wrapping the bandages while the tip of her tail slapped the ground in irritation. "You know Kaito, with all of the rocks that I've witnessed colliding with your face, I would think you would have learned to... oh I don't know maybe not antagonize her?" Mitsuyoshi attempted to impart some wise words on his foolish roommate. "Antagonize?! I was just asking a question!" Kaito retorted, feigning a slight bit of ignorance to the information he'd been trying to get out of the feline in his own curiosity and interest. The miko soon gently entering the conversation while missing what exactly had riled up the other woman, "Ano... It was my fault, I asked her to show me some abilities and then we heard the music and I stopped paying good attention to the small fire..."

Kaito soon processed that and seemed to back off of his silent accusation a little bit, "Ahhh, I see, then I misjudged the situation." The feline did cool off a bit, yet her words were steamed enough as they came out, "You certainly did! Now quit being a creep and get out of our doorway before I make you leave!" The kitsune easily removed himself from the door, raising both of his hands in a manner of backing off, "Alright, alright, I get it! I'm just saying I wouldn't blame you for going for it is all!" The sound of Koneko's tail hitting the ground could be heard getting a little faster as her annoyance began to spill over a little, "UGH! You're so depraved! I'd never let you close enough like that anyways!!! Out, OUT, OUT!!! Mitsuyoshi, can you remove this pervert and shut our door, please?" The look on her face spoke volumes that, if she were the one to move, the fox might end up murdered right then and there while Kiyomi was sat looking between the two wondering what exactly she'd missed in the conversation.

[Taishou89]

Mitsuyoshi rolled his eyes at Kaito's response, seeing right through his attempt to feign ignorance. It was a first for him to hear such insinuations of Koneko and Kiyomi, he only knew Koneko for a only a week and Kiyomi far less, but knowing what he knew of Kaito just from the brief time they'd been together since he first met him earlier that day, and just by observing his conduct and behavior tonight, Mitsuyoshi was pretty certain that it likely was just the kind of machination that Kaito's would likely come up with. Even if there may be some truth behind the insinuation, it was improper and rude of him to bring the matter up so candidly especially in Kiyomi's presence. "Ano... It was my fault, I asked her to show me some abilities and then we heard the music and I stopped paying good attention to the small fire..." The young Miko spoke up, alleviating some of the pressure placed on the daiyoukai from Kaito's incessant line of questioning. 


Mitsuyoshi felt a small twinge of guilt knowing now that it was his music that threw off their concentration resulting in Kiyomi getting burned, but refrained from saying anything about it as he had thus far kept the fact hidden that he was they mysterious midnight musician only to avoid having getting close to the topic of his own heartache. Although he kept that little revalation to himself, he wore an apologetic look and his ears dropped. It was only when Kaito spoke again that he was drawn from his thoughts "Ahhh, I see, then I misjudged the situation." By now it was also as obvious to everyone that Koneko was getting increasingly annoyed by Kaito's presence in general now. "UGH! You're so depraved! I'd never let you close enough like that anyways!!! Out, OUT, OUT!!! Mitsuyoshi, can you remove this pervert and shut our door, please?" Recognizing her facial expression and practically sensing the vibes of her annoyance peaking out, Mitsuyoshi quickly stepped in and wrapped his right arm around the back of Kaito's neck, letting his hand rest on the Fox's shoulder. "Kaito, I think it's time for us to retire as well. I don't fancy having to clean up blood after I had such a nice bath and I'm pretty sure you also don't want to die." He began to swing around with Kaito until they were facing their own room. Turning to look back at the two women, "Goodnight you two! I'll make sure he get's to bed and stays there." Shooting them a toothy smile as he practically pulled Kaito along back to their room.


Once back in their room Mitsuyoshi released Kaito and slid the door shut behind them before heaving a sigh. "Kaito... Why do you do these things? Surely you must be able to sense her aggravation? I'd almost suspect that you enjoy the negative reactions no matter how painful it is physically or emotionally..." Mitsuyoshi started as he walked past the Fox. Mitsuyoshi pointed at Kaito's bedding as he passed it on the way to his own. "Sit and Stay." the hanyou said as he took a seat on his own bedding. "Also, why do you insinuate such things about Koneko? Especially in front of Lady Kiyomi... That seemed rather inappropriate and rude." the hanyou then folded his arms as his eyes watched the Fox, waiting for him to sit. "I recognize that you have quite a degree of intelligence, but your actions sometimes baffle me." his tone being one of actual curiosity than one of annoyance or sarcasm. Mitsuyoshi's mood had improved from earlier that evening since alleviating his heartache through music and now he attempted to practice more patience with him, even if it may end up being an arduous challenge. 

[Koneko]

Kaito's entire body could be felt twitching as Mitsuyoshi's hand came to rest on his shoulder, but he didn't seem to resist much at being shuffled away as his face wore a slightly rattled look knowing he'd poked the tiger so to speak. "Goodnight you two! I'll make sure he get's to bed and stays there." Koneko's tail began to slow it's tapping as her friend handled the audacious buffoon and she managed to cool down enough to speak, though her irritation was still apparent in her words, "Thank you, Mitsuyoshi, I hope this degenerate doesn't cause you too much trouble tonight." Kiyomi herself was still lost on exactly what had happened, but found it in her to find the exchange a little funny again, slightly giggling as she also spoke up with a small wave, "Good night both of you too!" Once the door slid shut behind the men, the feline got up and slid the door to their own room closed, her frustration gone as she heaved a great sigh, "finally, some actual peace for tonight!" Slinking back towards the futons, she practically flopped back down onto her butt and let out a more contented sigh this time. "So," the miko started, having watched the whole time between her roommate for the night settling from being steamed, closing the door and then shifting to a much calmer presence, "I was wondering... What was it he was trying to say? I don't think I really understand what he misunderstood..."

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Meanwhile, over in the men's room, Kaito began to scratch the back of his head now that he was pulled away from setting off a bit of danger, though he could easily sense the wolf's own frustration with him. Seeing his bedding for the night pointed out, he shifted over to it with a barely noticeable sulk to his step and seated himself on top of it. "Well, sometimes it's pretty fun," he responded, not exactly fully confirming the notion, though definitely not denying it per say either as he shifted to lean his arm on top of one of his knees and rest his head in the nook of his elbow, "I just wanted to know if she was getting on with our new little priestess friend a little better than expected since I could tell she was showing off is all. Besides, I'm sure you've noticed how she gets every time Yuzuki is brought up, it's undeniable a little distraction to take it off her mind for awhile would be good for her." There seemed to be a little bit of an innocent act to his words, but it was hard to place where there was actual concern and a bit of smoothing over why he'd been fishing for information. He began twirling a little section of his longer bangs with his index finger while staring at it before speaking again, "Besides, it flew over Kiyomi's head and Konene will have moved past me saying anything by morning, so there's no real reason for concern over it!" He seemed more matter of fact about his last statement, but didn't seem to answer the 'why' part to Mitsuyoshi's question, more like absolved himself of crass behavior by assuring he hadn't caused any real problems.

The kitsune continued a bit further with a bit of the topic, "that miko certainly is cute, I'm more surprised she wasn't showing off on her own volition to the girl... though it was a little unforeseen to have angered her so much over it..." With the last comments, there was at least a hint of this behavior being more confirmably habitual of his as he'd expected snipping, but not such full-blast heat for it. Kaito's eyes tracked more directly to Mitsuyoshi before he slightly turned the subject over, "Also I did notice moments ago you seemed a little dismayed about Kiyomi having received that burn. For a samurai you seem to get fairly upset in the case of innocents being harmed." The way his statements rolled out, it was surprisingly more sincere than most of what he'd said in the short time they were in the room so far, devoid of his normal badgering tone, undoubtedly jarring considering all of his behavior up to this moment. "It was a very similar look to the one you wore over those birds at the river, quite a refreshing thing to see in these current times." It led right into a compliment, praising the attitude and intentions the hanyou seemed to have about him despite their butting heads all those moment earlier. A moment later he unfurled from his posture and stretched his arms and legs lightly and shifted to poise himself to get comfortable on his futon. "I do suppose it is late and it sounds like tomorrow will be an interesting day, ne?"

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"Don't worry about it, just know he's probably the most degenerate refuse you'll ever have the displeasure of knowing and don't think much of it," Koneko replied to the priestess, a slight glare sent over at the door just thinking about Kaito. "Keep your eyes on him, he may not be evil as Lady Fusae had thought, but that doesn't mean he's got a squeaky clean personality either, the scumbag." Kiyomi was at least starting to understand the feline must have had some kind of scrapes with the fox, and had at least an inkling of what she was meaning between her accusations of calling him a pervert earlier and her clear distaste for him despite still not exactly understanding the full context of the earlier exchange. "Oh, so he's a little bit creepy like that, huh...? Is it going to be okay to have him that close by then?" The tiger seemed reluctant to do any walking back on her view of the kitsune, but she knew she should at least reassure the girl, "He won't do anything too terrible, and I hate to admit he is good at what he does and I guess has a good heart. Just watch your back when changing or bathing while we're here yet, that guy has a bad case of fatal gutter-brain and he'll do anything he can to steal a look." Her slight scowl as she talked soon turned to a fiery grin and her tail swayed eagerly at whatever was running through her head which became easy to interpret with her next words, "But, if he does try that on you at all while we're here, you let me know and I'll take care of him for ya." Her private thoughts brought back some elation to her as she thought of different ways of beating him to a bloody pulp in turn for his projected transgressions.

A moment later Kiyomi smiled and seemed to get a little amusement out of it all again between the reassurance there was a limited amount of issues to fear with him and that it seemed it might be of even less concern with this youkai around for the time they'd have yet to know each other. "Well, I'm glad it's nothing too worrying, even if it sounds like he's pretty bad still, but I'll be sure to let you know if he gives me any trouble," she said in a chipper tone, more out of a content feeling she seemed to at least be making a temporary friend and that her safety and security even seemed valued despite having barely met. Koneko's grin began to beam more genuinely at the miko's agreeance to her offer, "Good, then don't let thoughts of him bother you unless he actually does, then I'll just show him what-for! Or maybe ask that Lady Fusae to purify him instead with some talismans." After a moment, she then set her weapon aside before taking her hair down and placing the hair tie over the weapon to prepare for going to sleep in a little while. "Ano... Koneko," the priestess started up after thinking for a moment, catching the youkai's attention, "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow once we finally go to the old shrine, but... If it turns out I can't get back home... Would you all come back and visit here at least once in awhile?" It was so quickly she was asking for their return, yet it was because it already felt so close within her reach that she might eventually be able to call these youkai friends of her own, to have a wish she'd hoped for granted for herself and be able to return the joy it brought her. Even if the answer was to turn her request down, she could at this moment only feel the small happiness she'd gotten from this night would be something to hang onto forever. The request took the feline off guard, but her stunned expression soon turned into a gentle smile. "Of course we can," she replied, lifting the girl's spirits further with the favorable answer, "after we move on from here, I can't say when we'll be back, but we can make the journey back this way now and then."

An overjoyed shock had come over Kiyomi, freezing her in place as her faded eyes seemed to glimmer with an overwhelming happiness. The pause she gave almost seemed to worry the tiger, thinking she'd somehow upset the girl even with that answer, only to in a flashing moment watch as the young priestess nearly jumped forward and gave her the biggest hug she could muster, sharing her glee visibly. "Thank you so much! I... I know I barely know all of you, but I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am to just feel like a normal person tonight, or at least get that feeling from people who aren't my family." For a short moment after she was practically tackled and left stunned, Koneko soon wore a gentle look and placed a hand on the girl's head, comforting her. "I didn't think my answer would merit this kind of response, but it seems it would mean a lot to you," she replied, gently patting her, "so I'll make sure of it." Allowing the miko to just stay there clinging on for a short while, she eventually patted her back and then delicately had her sit up and shift back over to her own bedding. "Why don't we get some sleep, ne? Tomorrow sounds like it'll be a a very decisive day for you, so you should be certain to get enough sleep now." Slowly agreeing, the priestess crawled under the blanket on to of the futon and laid down, "Yeah, you're probably right, but-" Her words paused again, but because she couldn't stop flashing the sunniest smile she'd had since arriving in the village, "Really, thank you so much! I hope you sleep well too!" Laying down herself, the feline couldn't help but catch the contagious smile from her roommate, "You're welcome. Good night, Kiyomi."

[Taishou89]

'So he is masochistic...' Mitsuyoshi thought as he listened to Kaito explain how he thought it was fun to poke her. "True... her mood did seem to improve since learning that Yuzuki had not been sighted in quite a long time and it did seem that Lady Kiyomi might have something to do with that." the hanyou gazed off across the room as he recalled it. "Besides, it flew over Kiyomi's head and Konene will have moved past me saying anything by morning, so there's no real reason for concern over it!" The fox followed up with, defending his position attracting Mitsuyoshi irritation again. "But still, perhaps a little discretion might be more courteous to the both of them. Especially since Lady Kiyomi seems so innocent of your... perverse and venturous mind" the hanyou chided. Scoffing lightly, Kaito seemed like he'd rather handwave his behavior slightly more, "Maa, maa, it's not like I said it so blatantly, there was some discretion! Besides, if I'm right about it flying over her head, and I usually am, it'll be fine this one time." The end of his statement seemed to subtly hint that he was unlikely to ask the feline about it again, at least not likely so openly again. "I like to save all the straight and narrow attitude for when it really matters anyways, it's not me to be too serious all the time and it keeps others on their toes!" Mitsuyoshi gave a light sigh as he resided himself to acknowledge Kaito's casual behavior, even  though he felt that Kaito could be more discreet and not such a joker all the time, he had to admit that the fox was right. Furthermore, his personality and the trouble he'd get himself into was often quite amusing at times so far.


"That miko certainly is cute..." Mitsuyoshi perked up slightly as he instantly shot Kaito a scolding gaze as he himself began to blush at his own guilt for thinking so as well. "... I'm more surprised she wasn't showing off on her own volition to the girl... though it was a little unforeseen to have angered her so much over it..." the Fox continued despite his gaze "K-Kaito!" the hanyou started to scold him but couldn't find the right words to respond. "Hmmm?" Kaito turned to look at him after hearing his name called. "Never mind..." Mitsuyoshi said, scowling as he avoided eye contact. "Also I did notice moments ago you seemed a little dismayed about Kiyomi having received that burn. For a samurai you seem to get fairly upset in the case of innocents being harmed." Kaito's comment caught him further off guard as he felt the attention and focus of the topic shift to him. 'Koneko wasn't kidding, he really knows how to get under someone's skin...' the hanyou thought to himself, carefully trying to hide any of his emotions from showing, but it was hard not to blush at the insinuations that he was not as rough and tough as he thought of himself. "It was a very similar look to the one you wore over those birds at the river, quite a refreshing thing to see in these current times." The fox continued. "Eh? W-well we Samurai aren't all cold and mindless killers..." Mitsuyoshi shot back as he shifted his seating position slightly to avoid facing Kaito directly. 

Almost as if sensing that he'd touched a nerve with the hanyou, Kaito seemed like he offered a chance to spare him "I do suppose it is late and it sounds like tomorrow will be an interesting day, ne?" It was in this moment and thinking back to the fox's previous statement, that he had rashly missed that Kaito was actually complimenting him. Mitsuyoshi sighed as he thought of how rash he had been to misjudge Kaito. "I was raised by a Priestess... It's because of her that I was educated in more than just the ways of war. Back in the Castle, no one knew how to raise or educate a... Half breed..." It felt almost like a dirty word to use, but even more so hard to hear himself say it of himself. "... Anyway,  She taught me that all things living each have a spirit and a strong desire to live; that life itself is sacred and that one should not take a life so casually without reason and that proper respects be paid when doing so." Mitsuyoshi's turned to face Kaito. "I mistook your intentions and I was a bit harsh and treated you unjustly just now, I'm sorry." Mitsuyoshi said as he bowed his head slightly, vowing silently to himself to practice more patience with the fox, even if his ceaseless gloating, womanizing, and overall character tended to be well over the top. 

[Koneko]

"Eh? W-well we Samurai aren't all cold and mindless killers..." Taking note of the response, the fox's facial expression didn't change, hiding any of his inner thoughts about his actions or the subversion he'd done to change the subject. 'Ahhh, that's better, shifted my actions out of the question so I don't have to explain myself,' Kaito silently thought in some relief as the topic now shifted to Mitsuyoshi and his more gentle nature. With his good night offering the hanyou an out, but was surprised to have him decidedly explain a little bit more about his past. "I mistook your intentions and I was a bit harsh and treated you unjustly just now, I'm sorry." A light, genuine smile crossed the kitsune's face, and a small feeling built in him that perhaps it was worth sharing a bit more about himself in this moment to this newer companion. "You are quite fortunate you were taught such a thing instead of needing to learn it the hard way, the priestess taught you spoke wise words," he started, raising a hand slowly to grasp the towel he'd kept around his neck since leaving the bath in place of the blue scarf he normally wore, "though cold, mindless killer wouldn't be how I'd describe my past goals so much as showing off and gaining praise when I began honing my skills to become what I am." Carefully he unwrapped the towel, revealing a grouping of long, thin scars around his neck, their slight blending into his skin signifying they were quite old, but prominent enough. "These are permanent reminders of my own past arrogance and caused me to reconsider my reasons for putting my talents to use for my village."

His own hand ran over the scars and the grouping of them were noticeably corresponding with the form of a hand: four lined up on one side while the opposite had only one. "In my youth I thought my skills unmatched by anyone and that I was fast enough to be impervious to being spotted or capture and, as you can see, I paid for woefully underestimating my opponent along with misjudging just what I was getting myself into. Normally cuts like these would have healed completely and easily been forgotten on our kind, but suffice to say I was lucky to get away with just the reminder." He paused momentarily to reminisce of the youkai's hand crushing his neck with the iron-tight grip, his struggle to get out of the grasp and his eventual narrow success that left him no choice but to flee while catching his breath. In those moments he ran he'd not even realized the youkai's power had cursed him as well until he'd finally found a spot to weasel away to complete safety, the curse itself left him weakened and prevented any possibility of the wounds completely healing as if they'd never been sustained. "As for mistaking my intentions, don't worry about it much. I changed up my approach since that first-hand experience, it's easier to have an upper hand when you keep a slight air of unpredictability. And perhaps keep your life much longer as well."

The last statement he spoke sounded something like it was both a bit of advice and as if he wasn't too terribly offended about being misjudged as he gave a more friendly grin. "Likewise to what that priestess taught you, I seek to give others a chance at having a fair chance at living, and I've gotten the feeling there's a few of us who need that." Soon Kaito was stretching before he then wrapped the towel back about his neck to cover back up the scars he'd showed. He slid another compliment to the wolf out in his moment of talking more seriously, "I know I irritate her, but I am relieved to see Konene is alright and keeping good company."