Ghostly Apparitions in the Abandoned Castle(Intro)

[Taishou89]

Ghostly Apparitions in the Abandoned Castle

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It was a cold, and cloudy night in the fields overwatched by the long abandoned and ruined Nishino Castle. Two traveling merchants camped under a large solitary Maple tree as a mist set in across the fields surrounding the old castle. “This place is kind of eerie...” the younger of the two said as he relieved himself on the otherside of the tree. “Relax Jiro, it's just because of the mist from all the rain we encontered yesterday.” The older, fatter man spoke as he sat next to the fire. “But Mr. Murada, the villagers said there were demons that dwelled in that old castle. Demons that hold the spirits of the this land enchained in the castle dungeons.” As Jiro rounded the tree to the camp fire when his hand brushed against a carving in the bark of the tree.

“Mitsutada and Mitsuyoshi,
Brothers forever;
never will we fight again or side against each other.”

A shiver ran down his spine as he read the text aloud. Fearing that he may have just urinated on the headstone of someone's grave he clasped his hands together, bowing fervently and apologizing to the tree. “Would you cut that out! If it were someone's grave, I doubt they'd care if you just pissed all over it.” Murada scolded. Just as Jiro went over and sat near the fire, their horses began to stir and and whinny as the ground beneath their feet began to vibrate. The Vibrations soon grew to a tremble as the ground quickly began to progress and quake fiercely. Their Horses broke from their restraints and took off into the night, leaving the merchants and their packs. A loud rumble could be heard as the walls and roof of the top floor of the Castle's Tenshu, or keep, collapsed inwards and debris slid down the sloping roofs of the next levels, crashing below. Finally the ground began to calm as Mr. Murada rose to his feet “That was some Quake! Damn horses ran off.” he said as he turned to see Jiro still on the ground but praying to the tree thinking that the quake was the actions of the spirits he angered. “You Fool!” Murada gave the superstitious man a kick on his rear. “Come on now! We have to find the horses.” As he then dragged the man to his feet.


In the dark misty night the two traveling merchants set out across the field with nothing more than torches as they set out to find their horses, when a woman's scream pierced the night. Her voice calling out for help. “Someone must have been staying in the old castle! Jiro we must go and help!” Mr. Murada started off toward the castle only to turn around and find Jiro trembling with a look of fright written all over his face. Sighing in annoyance, Mr. Murada walked back tow the frightened man. “You idiot...There's no such thing as ghosts and demons.” He hissed as he took hold of Jiro's arm and dragged the man with him.

The woman's cries for help could be heard louder as the two passed through the castle's damaged gateway, but strangely ceased once they crossed the threshold. It was then that they saw the figure of a woman dressed in the ancient full ceremonial robes of a Shinto Priestess complete with chihaya and crown. She remained in the shadows of the Castle's keep but was walking away from them. It was then that she began to play her shinobue(flute). As the clouds began to clear and the moonlight shone through to illuminate the grounds of the castle's interior, it was there in the moonlight amidst the misty grounds of the castle, ghostly apparitions of Samurai and Warrior monks were locked in full battle. The scene so vivid that even the sound of swords clashing could be heard, but the priestess' flute never grew faint. Suddenly there was a loud creaking and the once damaged and ruined gates, now appearing to be as they once were in their glory days, closed shut with a loud thump both Jiro and Murada to jump, and even now Mr. Murada could not contain his fear at the sights.

Now seemingly trapped in the ghostly castle, the two turned just as the moon went behind the clouds again and the ghostly figures disappeared but the bluish fireballs of their spiritual energy remained floating all within the castle grounds and the priestess remained, playing her haunting tune almost beckoning them further in to the castle. The two men broke and took to immediate flight, fortunately for them the castle gates had returned to their ruined state. Horses and merchandise be damned, the two would abandon everything to go back down the road to the village they passed through earlier in the day.

[Koneko]

Daylight glimmered through leaves along a forested path, normally a calm and tranquil scene, yet this peace was interrupted by the screams of a traveler echoing in desperation. "Help!! Please! I don't want to be eaten!" He shouted as he ran for his life, desperate to get away from the itachi, a weasel demon, that chased him. As it gained on him, it snapped it's maw in attempted to devour him, but found itself clamping it's maw down on a katana coated in a faintly glowing golden aura. "Keep running, don't look back!" the bearer of the blade shouted to the man. He appeared to be a ronin dressed in dark blue, stepping out onto the worn path from the more densely wooded area with a grin on his face. "That's right, eyes on me!" Capturing the beast's focus to give the near victim time to escape, he dodged and twirled quickly around the yokai's next lunge before striking back with his blade, the steel smoothly cutting through the weasel's shoulder. Screeching in pain, the creature whipped around to face the ronin, enraged, then took pursuit with fangs bared. Assuming the O Gasumi position in anticipation of the next assault, the beast instead lashed it's body around in attempt to hit the mysterious warrior from the side, who now wore a look of light surprise. Seeming to disappear in a puff of smoke, it rapidly became apparent the ronin was neither a human, nor a man as he emerged from the cloud to avoid the attack - rather she was a yokai herself with strongly feline features.

"Heh, think you're really tough, huh?" she snipped at the beast, as she slid out of the way of it's attack. Watching it charge once again, she spiraled in place and slammed it across the face with her tail, the fanned scales at the tip slicing into it's face. "This is the end of you!" she shouted then leapt forward, slicing cleanly through the itachi with her blade. "I guess you weren't much of a challenge, though almost made me think you might be," she scoffed before the weasel's body skidded to a stop. Once the yokai lay dead, Koneko withdrew her aura from over the steel of her blade and returned it to it's saya, the scabbard, before moving a few paces down the dirt road, casting a single glance back at the defeated creature before pressing on in the direction the traveler had fled. Having been wandering through the forested area for days, yet she could fathom a human village must be nearby given the man she came across had to be heading somewhere, and along with it an opportunity of momentary reprieve from her continuous excursion. A short ways later, her triangular ears picked up the sounds of a village in the distance, resuming her human male disguise before getting too close so as not to draw attention to herself.

Soon relaxing back at the room she attained for herself at a modest inn, she took to her habit of allowing the door to remain open for better opportunity to overhear for any signs of trouble, or, more so, any potential whispers of women with spiritual powers. It had been a long time since her previous lover had vanished without a trace, but she refused to give up her search, at the very least desiring answers for the disappearance of the one she loved so deeply. Though, most often she'd hear cries for help from villagers needing rescuing from a yokai attack or even occasionally a fight breaking out with samurai of the governing areas, and these calls she still answered as a form of atonement for her own past misdeeds. Yet, this night she suddenly caught the sound of panicked footfalls of two merchants running down the main road, huffing and panting as they only stopped for a moment to catch their breath from nearly non-stop running. Glancing back outside the door, she caught their mutterings about their abandoned wares, a destroyed castle, apparitions of warriors and the last part caught her attention most: the visage of a priestess appearing to them. It was the first time in a long time she'd heard any potential of a lead, causing her to stand near instantly. "It's unlikely, but... But just maybe... Yuzuki..." Without further hesitation and still in her disguise, she let the current inn watcher know her room had vacated early before taking off in the direction the terrified men had come from.

Approaching the ruined gate, Koneko looked ahead at the decimated ruins, sensing the unease of the land surrounding it before braving the threshold. Moving towards the more freshly damaged tenshu, her golden eyes scanned the area for the sight of a woman and her ears softly swiveled to hear for the most gentle of sounds. Regardless of what would happen, she was resolved to explore here until a glimpse of the mentioned priestess met her eyes to slake or disappoint her hopes. Yet there was something else she was sensing as she stood there aside the eerie atmosphere, only barely though and experiencing difficulty locating it among the permeating smell of dust and moldy, rotten wood. 'I came here looking for a priestess whether apparition or corporeal, yet... Is there another yokai I smell? It's as if it's lingered here recently for the scent not to fade, yet so faint...' Intrigued, she continued to explore the area dauntless of the chilling air.

[Taishou89]

As the clouds moved away from the moon with the evening wind and the moon's light graced the land again, the sound of swords clashing and men yelling reverberated within the walls of the castle. The ghostly figures of the Samurai and warrior monks, locked forever in their endless battle from an age nearly 100 years ago, appeared as the moonlight illuminated the grounds of the castle. Neither of the spirits seemed to notice her until a group of Samurai wielding spears appeared to charge Koneko, just as the Ruined gates behind her, now erect as it once stood in it's glory days, slammed closed and it's drawbar dropping into place with a resounding thump. However Behind her, just within the gates, another group the warrior monks of the Ikko Ikki were trapped as the Samurai charged forward with their spears to skewer them against the gates.

The Priestess gazed upon the Daiyoukai that had entered the grounds, acknowledging her presence as a living being amidst this realm of trapped spirits. In One hand she held a fan and in the other she held a Kagura suzu, a set of 3 tiers of 12 bells shaped like the branch of a tree, traditionally used for the ancient Kagura dance performed by Shinto priestesses. The colors of her ancient and formal ritual attire and her lipstick shown vibrantly amidst the cold and decrepit surroundings as she turned and began to slowly proceed away from the stranger on the castle grounds. The little bells would ring as she performed the ancient dance, moving further away from Koneko and amidst the spirits trapped. It appeared as if she was attempting to lure Koneko further into the castle as she rounded the corner to where the once well kept garden stood. It's once serene and peaceful environment shattered by the battle that now played out there. A woman's scream pierced the night as her spirit, armed with nothing but a tanto, attempted to fight off an attacker, only to have her weapon parried by a Naginata and her arm severed by the downward stroke of the blade, her screams silenced by the coup de grace when the blade was thrust into her sternum. Not even the women nor the children of the castle were spared from such a gruesome fate.

[Koneko]

Seeming unfazed at first as the apparitions formed and began their eternally repeating battles around her, Koneko thought to herself as she observed them, 'these must be the apparitions those men were worked up about... Seems like quite the battle-' The Daiyokai was pulled from her thoughts and her hand instantly moved to the tsuka of her blade, ready to draw it in thought the apparitions intended to fight her, though soon one of her ears turned, catching to sound of the gate. Daring a glance back, she observed the gate closing in it's original state, then the Ikko Ikki just near to it, easing as she realized the samurai in fact weren't even after her as they dashed past.

"The spell over this place, did the yokai I picked up on place it?" She wondered out loud before feeling eyes upon her and the gentle jingle of bells coming from the direction she'd previously been facing. Koneko's eyes met with the visage of the Shinto Priestess she heard about, resigning to her mild disappointment in the fact she knew it was a long shot for it to be the woman she truly sought. A different determination took it's place quickly, however, a curiosity that this apparition not only stood out differently as if lifelike, she actually saw her, made note of her own presence unlike the ghosts of the samurai and monks. Watching her as she performed the Kagura dance off into the distance and around a corner, it took a moment for the feline to pursue on a whim of caution in self preservation that it could be a trick of some sort. Yet she was here now and something about this whole thing was amiss in and of itself, so slaking her curiosity became the new priority.

Coming about the corner just in time to see the ruined garden change, the sharp sound of the woman screaming caught her by surprise as her hands covered her ears from the sudden noise and some of the fur on the top of her tail ruffled. Watching as the scene before her unfolded, her hands slowly returned to her side and her gaze turned to a look of pity. Of course she'd seen gruesome sights from battle and war, but something like this... It always offset something inside of her a certain way seeing women and children cut down in such an unforgiving fashion. "What a cruel fate these humans had," she commented to herself as she moved through the visions of a slaughter, keeping herself to a light walk as her eyes studied the the dead of this particular scene around her.

[Taishou89]

In the distant end of the Garden, the Priestess continued through the battle that raged, her elegant motions continuing and guiding the Daiyoukai through the sound of her bells that strangely did not fade amidst the sound of battle. As she approached the entrance of the first level of the Tenshu, another figure emerged in the Gardens behind the Daiyoukai, but briskly walked past her seemingly unaware of her presence. This figure, like the Priestess, remained vividly detailed and colored unlike the rest of the spirits by the elegance and color of his Armor and his helmet, one could tell that this was someone of high rank, followed by 10 of his vassals who appeared as all the other spirits. This corporeal figure proceeded to best and cut down the monks whom she had just witnessed, and then briskly continue across the Garden toward the Tenshu. As he crossed the Garden, 7 of his vassals would remain behind in the Garden to fight and hold back another wave of monks as they rounded the corner as well.

As the priestess continued her dance into the Tenshu, proceeding down the stars to the lower levels beneath the grounds of the Castle, the Daimyo would follow her. Once inside the castle, the 3 warriors remained near the entrance to create a chokepoint as the bulk of the second wave of monks pressed past the men in the Gardens. Although the warriors would fought bravely and to the bitter end, their hold on the narrow entrance would be broken, forced back by the varying polearms of the first group of monks and then quickly engaged by the next to group to pour in armed with swords. It was only a matter of time before the 3 warriors were overwhelmed. At which point the spirits of the warrior monks surged and went in all directions into the castle's Tenshu. The bells of the Kagura suzu could still be heard in the lower levels, where the monks had yet to go. If Koneko were to follow the prietess' bells she would be led down a long hallway of holding cells, but as she would round the last corner of the hallway she would come upon a dead end where the Lord of the castle attempted to break down the wooden wall. The priestess now no longer dancing but remaining absolutely still along the wall to the Lord's side.

Suddenly the Lord turned and appeared to look directly at her. His eyes, from a look of desperation, suddenly turned to one of resolve as he squared off against her before sounding a war cry that echoed in the halls as he charged toward her but before he could reach her 3 warrior monks surged through Koneko as if she herself were a spirit, one armed with a spear grazed the Lord's left shoulder but with his sword, sliced the spear in two and proceeded to slash the man's throat. He cut down the next monk with ease as he parried another spear thrust and surged down the side of it's length thrusting his blade right into the face of the monk, but it was the 3rd monk that would deliver the final blow to the Lord with a thrust of his sword just above the his armor under his arm forcing it's blade deep through his ribcage and most of the vital organs in his chest. In a final act he drew his Wakizashi and thrust it into the Monk's neck, angled right under the jaw and right through the back of his throat before stumbling backwards along the wall and sliding down it's surface into a seated position but propped up by his armor, Spear tip and sword still embedded in his body. Coughing up a copious amount of blood as he gasped and struggled to draw breath as his lungs filled with blood. In that moment as death came, his eyes locked onto Koneko seeming to consciously see her before finally he shut his eyes and let it come. 


The image of the spirits started to fade until they fully vanished, leaving the skeletal remains of the Lord and the dead monks in the position they fell as the halls returned to their decrepit state. The Priestess moved from her position along the opposite wall and squarely faced Koneko, her eyes glistened from the dim light of the torches on the walls as she proceeded to assume the Seiza position and bow low to the daiyoukai, bringing her head low enough that it almost her ceremonial crown almost touched the floor. Then her figure suddenly faded and disappeared leaving just a paper doll in it's place. Behind where she had been positioned, a hole in the wooden wall revealed an entrance way that had previously been sealed by carefully placed rocks but now it had given way in the wake of the Earthquake. It is from here that the scent she of a youkai had originated.

[Koneko]

Eyes slowly trailing back to the priestess from the battle scenes around her, Koneko strode ever closer to the Tenshu she was being led towards. Stopping just a short ways before it, she stared up at it's dilapidated state before noticing the next life-like figure from the corner of her eye, watching his vivid and decorated figure move past with his entourage and begin fighting with great skill, cutting down those around him. She could recognize from the look of his armor alone he must have been the Daimyo here, then noticing the next wave of monks, she began to understand bits and pieces more about what had happened here long ago. 'This was not just a battle, this was a siege to end this family line,' the daiyoukai thought to herself as her tail flicked from her pondering. She had little knowledge of human affairs, and, from the extent of the ruin around her, it was unlikely she'd ever know the exact reasons for this assault beyond that. Catching a glimpse of the priestess once more as the Daimyo continued forward, the feline herself soon continued onward inside after them, resolved to at least see this vision through to the end if for nothing else to honor these souls with having seen their last moments. Nonetheless there was also that other concern at the the back of her mind: the scent of a yokai hadn't faded, in fact, it seemed to be steadily getting slightly stronger the closer she approached where the apparitions led, yet only just.

Following inside the she watched the three vassals left attempt to hold off the monks fail despite their efforts, then the building flood with the invading men before her ears flicked and caught the sound of the bells down the only passage left untouched. Gazing down in that direction, she pressed on further, observing the holding cells before rounding the corner where she now focused on the fact the Daimyo was trying to break the wall, ears pointing ahead in interest. "What could he possibly be attempting to break it for? It didn't seem there was anywhere to go from here..." Koneko commented before flinching slightly, this time thinking perhaps this apparition was like the priestess stood next to him and could see her from the way his look changed. Hand quickly grasping her tsuka once more, she prepared to draw until the ghosts of the monks flew through her and began to fight the human lord. Spectating this gruesome last stand before her, she watched the spirit of the lord and monks each breathe their last in bloodied heaps before her eyes locked with the Daimyo's until his closed permanently, unsure anymore if his spirit truly had known she was there or not in the final moments. As the true state of his body came to view, she approached his remains, one of her hands balled into a fist and the other met it in front of her chest, and she gave a slight bow: a small gesture of respect she could show for the valiant fight he had given in his final moments. "Rest well." Soon returning focus to the priestess when she stood fully upright again, the feline stepped forward and returned her fervent gaze, then watched her bow so deeply low and vanish into nothing but a paper doll.

"A final plea... But what is the plea for...?" Studying the until recently sealed hole in the wall, she now understood the Daimyo was trying to get in there, and now the scent of yokai was more than apparent - this was where it's source was. Perhaps it was a yokai the lord held here for some reason, and had hoped to unleash in the final stand, but she decided she would not let this plea go unanswered and would find out. Carefully yet easily removing a few more of the rocks to allow better access to the entrance, she pushed through to find the room on the other side held the exact source of the scent she'd picked up and, despite the lack of much lighting, she could clearly see a handful more objects around him along with some signs of a ritual that had occurred there. Tail flitting about curiously as she glanced between items, trying to piece together some understanding of what had been performed on the figure in front of her before solely focusing on him and started to realize her misconception of the scent.

"This... He's not a full yokai, he's a hanyou?!" Koneko had only guesses at that moment to what a hanyou had been doing trapped down here, and became more inquisitive that he didn't move yet his scent came off as if still alive. Getting close to him, she knelt down and looked him over. "Between those ears and his scent, he's got wolf blood in him, but this is human armor..." she observed aloud, her ears picking up on the very faint sounds of breathing, "...He's... asleep? This must be who the plea of help was for, but..." She now started looking for anything around her that could give her an idea how to wake him, her eyes passing over a small wooden cat in her search. Backing away, she gently blew across her claws, little flames dancing on them that she used to light a few of the candles for just a touch more light, then let those on her claws extinguish. It was at least clear the ritual here was to put him under this spell, but now she was determined not to leave until she'd found a way to wake him.

[Taishou89]

Mitsuyoshi sat in a typical position for a samurai on guard, crossed legged and with his back against the wall and his sword resting within his folded arms against his chest. The arrow protruded from the inner section of the right strap that held his cuirass in place and was embedded just below his collar bone. The arrow itself showed it's age but it's integrity appeared to still be intact, the paper talisman that wrapped and twisted around it's length just above the feathered fletching of the arrow. The talisman itself remained intact and appeared as clean as the day it had been fixed and although to the human eye it could not be seen, a faint pink aura surrounded it, showing that the spell was indeed still active. Just as Koneko began to ponder how to wake the Hanyou, a small black moth flew not more than 4 inches from her face and appeared to linger almost harassingly for until she would inevitably react to it's pestering. The black moth would then fly away to along where Akari's words were pained on the wall. The wording had faded from age, but the moth began to trace the character's stroke marks and the writing itself began to illuminate.

"Life flows through water; Water flows through all life."

The moth then proceeded to circle a teapot which itself emitted the smell of water and a very faint smell of the blood of a daiyoukai, faintly similar to that of the Hanyou before her. The moth continued to circle the teapot, almost as if to emphasize it. After a short while the Moth returned to appear to pester Koneko yet again, circling her face and head, before flying over the paper talisman on the arrow. The moth then suddenly flew towards towards the pentagram on the floor and circled it once, before flying directly into the talisman on the arrow and suddenly splitting into two the remains of the moth fell gently into Mitsuyoshi's lap and disintegrated into ash. 

[Koneko]

Observing the items around herself better, the Daiyoukai quickly noticed the black moth flitting about her head, at first thinking it a stray insect that found it's way down there with her. Batting at it a few times in a very cat-esque fashion, Koneko soon noticed it seemed to more want her attention and so she began watching where it flew about. Her eyes traced over the faded wording on the wall, now better visible to her since lighting the few candles before they illuminated from the trail of the small, black bug.

Water... What these words said were true, but the way they illuminated much like the talisman wrapping the arrow, there had to be a simpler meaning to these words than a truth of life. She now understood this moth was lightly guiding her to what she needed to help, though water wouldn't be an issue for her one way or another should it come to that. Koneko let her gaze follow the insect, watching it trace around the teapot, then trail over to the talisman before it touched it and fell to dust from the action. "Someone left everything needed here..." the feline commented in intrigue to herself once more, bending to pick up the teapot her head tilted lightly in curiosity of the faint scent of blood of another Daiyoukai that had been overwhelmed by the living hanyou nearby, noting the hint in the scent of a relation. Carefully holding the pot in hand, her head first moved to look back at the wolf hanyou, then her body followed in turn, approaching and kneeling down once more. Reminding herself she was of water by nature, at very worst she could try to draw the water back from where it dripped, though she felt it best to attempt this right the first time should that faint hint of blood be key to fulfilling the final plea.

Casting one more inquisitive look at the sleeping figure before her, the daiyoukai cautiously yet gracefully poured the water over the arrow and talisman, starting from the fletching and moving it closer towards his body, attempting to saturate it as much as possible, her focus mostly absorbed in keeping a steady hand to waste nothing. Holding her breath, her closest ear swiveled in hopes for the sound of movement or waking while just the tip of her tail flipped back and forth in anticipation.

[Taishou89]

As the talisman was doused, it's ink began to run and the water ran down the length of the arrow into where the hanyou's skin enclosed around it. The Talisman's faint aura suddenly fizzled out and the paper began to rapidly decay and ruin as 100 years caught up to it. For a good long moment nothing appeared to change until suddenly Mitsuyoshi heaved a loud yawn and attempted to stretch out his arms only to stop short when the arrow's rudely reminded him of it's presence. "Why can't there be a better way to cast a spell?" he muttered to himself in annoyance by it's presence. He casually grasped the arrow and heaved a sigh as he prepared himself for what was coming next and without haste he yanked it out and tossed it aside before quickly grasping his wound and hissing in pain from the action. Just as it happened when it was placed there, no blood flowed and his wound rapidly closed, leaving a temporary scar that his own Hanyou abilities would have to tend to it's own.

Rubbing the spot more out of habit at this point as the pain had quickly faded the moment it closed up, He paused as he caught the scent of a youkai. He couldn't identify it out right, but he knew it was a strong yokai. As he opened his eyes to the dimly lit room, his vision was blurred as they adjusted to being exposed for the first time in so long. What's he didn't smell his brother of the Samurai or people in the castle, which caused him alarm. He blinked several times in an attempt to try and hasten his vision's adjustment as his posture stiffened in alarm. He could make out a faint figure before him, and it became apparent that it was the Youkai he could smell. As his eyes finally cleared enough to make out her unique facial features, her cat like ears, and a tail, he quickly grasped the Kazega by it's Saya with his left hand as he leaped to a standing position as he grasped the tsuka. "Who ar-" His query was cut short as he rose so suddenly, his legs and feet had not had time to adjust to sudden motion, having been stationary for so long, causing him to lose his balance and stumble forward into the youkai before him almost quite comically.

[Koneko]

Seeing the water from the teapot work, Koneko slowly lowered it and held in in her hands on her lap, watching as the talisman withered before then turning her head to watch him wake. The feline sat quietly in hopes not to startle him, especially since she wasn't sure how he'd take a yokai being here or being the one to wake him. The slight things he said gave her a little bit of a clue he'd done this willingly for some reason while watching him remove the arrow and noticing some of the oddities about it consistent with this having been a spell as he mentioned.

Then she saw him pause and she went even more still than she'd already been: Koneko realized he'd finally taken note of her presence and now she had to be predict how he was about to react. There was still hope that staying still would prevent her from seeming as a threat as his eyes blinked and slowly started to focus onto her. Noticing him reach to his blade and begin to shoot up, her ears quickly fell back and she started to try to speak about the same moment he did. "H-Hold on I-!!" Koneko tried to stutter out the fact she had no ill intent, but quickly realized his legs were fumbling under him. Eyes going wide in surprise and her entire tail fluffing lightly, she tried to scuttle backwards from her knees to get out from under him - an attempt made in vain as her hands soon tossed the teapot on their own as they reached to break his fall from over her.

The teapot crashed and shattered with a sharp noise to the ground behind her, the remainder of it's contents spilling out onto the pentagram just behind the feline who now laid in shock under the hanyou above her. She had just barely managed to not get her face squished under his chest, straining her neck up to stay poked out just over his shoulder as she then began to wriggle underneath him. "C-could you please get off of me? I can explain what I'm doing here if you can ask first before trying to attack me!" The tone of the Daiyokai's voice sounded like she was both flustered with some embarrassment and trying to hold back sharper words than what came out while she tried to find leverage to either push the hanyou off or at least scoot out from under him. Her tail tip could even be heard slightly against the floor as it gave away the agitation she was holding back at the awkward position she was in.

[Taishou89]

Groaning as he landed atop her, muttering a curse for his legs for giving out on him. As he soon realized the awkward position he was now in and that it was a woman beneath him, he smiled embarrassingly as he quickly rolled off her and dragged himself a few feet away and quickly assumed a kneeling position using his sword to steady himself. "Well that was unbecoming of a warrior..." He muttered to himself. Just exactly how long had he been asleep that his legs would have forgotten their function? He pondered briefly as he turned his attention back to the woman. "Who are you? Where is Lord Nagano? Where is everyone?" He was still concerned about being awakened by a yokai, much less the lack of any scent of live people or even corpses, however the air was thick with the smell of dust and musty rotting wood. It was unlikely that Mitsutada would have employed another like himself as it would have drawn too much attention from the Hosokawa.

As both of them were preoccupied with their awkward first meeting, neither would have noticed the water from the shattered teapot flow on it's own down the entire outline of the pentagram on the floor, until once fully covered suddenly illuminated the room with a bright light. Mitsuyoshi had to shield his eyes from it as they still had only yet adjusted to the candles in the room, let alone a bright white light. Almost as soon as the light appeared, it disappeared and with it the pentagram that had been lined on the floor. They wouldn't realize it but it's disappearance had broken the bonds of all the spirits tied to the castle freeing them to move on to the next world. "What was that...?" Mitsuyoshi muttered.

[Koneko]

Koneko gave a large sigh or relief as the hanyou rolled off of her, dragging herself back up off the floor and crossing her legs as she sat facing him once more. Seeing as he seemed polite enough in the aftermath of of such an awkward moment, she could at least resume being fairly courteous and try to let go of the mild tongue lashing she'd considered letting loose if the situation had gone differently. While listening to his questions, she slid her hands into her sleeves as if thinking what questions she could answer and how she wanted to proceed in doing so with some form of care. The way he seemed on edge and eager, the daiyoukai knew there was no easy way to say what she saw on her way down to this place, her ears slightly sinking before coming back to attention as she went ahead with answering the easiest of the bunch. "My name is Koneko. I'll answer you first, but I would like to know who you are and why you were down here. As for you other questions..." She paused, her ears sinking again as she looked over to the hole in the wall, knowing an answer wouldn't be avoided either way and debating if it was better to show him. "...the Daimyo of this-"

Suddenly startled by the bright light, the feline tried to shield her eyes as she watched the pentagram with ears alert, whispering, "...another spell?" As the light and the form of the star faded, her arms dropped again and she glanced around, unsure of what it did aside from the overtly ominous feeling seemed to go with it. With hesitance and confusion, words slipped out of her just before she shifted to move to her feet, "...this place seems...lighter now..."

Soon looking back to the the wolf, her eyes held a sorry look for just a moment before they closed, then reached out her hand in an offering to help him to his feet. "I came here seeking a priestess, she... wasn't the one I was looking for, but she led me down here to you," Koneko started, deciding the best way to answer his questions was to ease him into at least knowing some of what she saw. Regardless of if he took her hand or not, she made her way to the entrance of the room, then paused and looked over her shoulder at him. "The Daimyo of this place, Lord Nagano you said? He's... I presume he's just over here in the hallway... I'm sorry, from the apparitions I saw, he and the others battled with all of their might..." There was a gentle tone in her voice, trying to let the meaning of her words sink in softly as she guided him to the remains of against the wall, hands returning to her sleeves as she now keeping her gaze averted out of respect should she have guessed right that the revelation may upset him.

[Taishou89]

Soon after the the light dissipated, The air and energy of the castle's atmosphere seemed a lot less heavier and ominous as it had been, but undeterred by the sudden strange occurrence, Mitsuyoshi heaved a sigh and pressed on with his query but realized he had been rather rude in not introducing himself especially after she had introduced herself. "I am Mitsuyoshi Nagano, brother of Mitsutada Nagano, Lord of this Castle and the Nagano clan. I am pleased to meet you, and thank you for awakening me." Bowing his head in respect. By her actions and restraint thus far, he had determined that she likely was not a threat and he eased up on his guard as he Listened to her speak further. From her body language and the hesitation in answering his other question, he deduced that she bore ill news but he tried to remain composed.

Even if the Castle had fallen, it was likely that Mitsutada would have not been here for it as he likely would have been on campaign for the Hosokawa. At least that is what he deduced given that the last meeting he had attended, everyone in his court had predicted that war very much likely to come between the Hosokawa and the Yamana clans. If war came, Akari would have taken Hanako to the one of the old Shrines in the mountains long before a Siege were to occur. In that short moment before she would explain, these very thoughts had ran through his mind as he prepared himself for the news until the look in her eyes changed. 'A priestess? Akari...' he thought to himself, thinking that it was Akari, but that begged more questions: Where was she? And why did Koneko wake him instead?

He was pulled from his thoughts as she held out her hand, offering to help him stand. Although his pride urged him to turn the help down, Mitsuyoshi was also fully aware that it may very well be needed and that it would be far more embarrassing to stumble over and fall over again. Taking her hand, he rose to a stand and realized that his legs were already starting to return to their strength as he had no problems. Following her into the hallway, he looked past her and saw the skeletal remains. The skeletal remains were enough to beg the question of how long he'd been out, but When he recognized the suit of armor, his eyes went wide. His rigid and proper demeanor changed as he rushed past her and dropped to his knees before the remains slumped against the wall, it was undoubtedly Mitsutada's armor. "Wha-How?!" as the tears began to well within his eyes as he carefully buried his face into the cuirass of his brother's armor, embracing his remains. "Mitsutada...No!" 

How could this have happened? How long had it been? Given the state of his remains, it had to have been at least 10 years given the state of decay for all of the clothing and the cloth on the armor. All these things ran through Mitsuyoshi's mind as he grieved, but he would never have suspected that it would have been nearly a century since he had been put under. A short moment later he attempted to regain his composure, breaking from his embrace yet still trembling as the emotions still ran strong within him. His back still facing Koneko, he dared not to show his face, not just to spare his own dignity but to spare her the discomfort of having to see such a painful and pitiful display of emotion across his face as he mustered the strength to ask her "What year is it?"

[Koneko]

Koneko's ears drooped once again at the fast change in his demeanor, her tail swaying only a couple of times as she thought, 'so that Daimyo was his brother... and this place was his home... I think I can understand a little more what I saw earlier down here.' Her thoughts peeled through a couple flashes of her own familial tragedy for just a moment before his question pulled her attention back to him, glancing at his back that was towards her. "The current year is 1555," the feline replied softly, unsure herself how long he must have been down here, but she could guess from his reactions and the state of everything, it had been much longer than he was intended to be and, given everything in the last few moments, she was prepared for this too to perhaps overwhelm him and gave him some time to absorb the information.

Soon she thought over how his disposition had been in this short time, her ears coming forward again, 'He did show quite a bit of respect and he is fairly polite despite that embarrassing moment earlier... even at least thanked me in the end. He might need some help getting his bearings from having lived among humans for so long, he seems to only know himself as a human...' The daiyoukai gave a few moments more thought, then spoke the culmination of her thoughts to him, addressing him in a much more respectful manner this time in light that he'd shown courtesy. "It has been amiable to make your acquaintance, Mitsuyoshi-dono," Koneko began with a light bow of her head, "though I wonder, with what it seems you used to know changed around you, what will you choose to do now? You have daiyokai blood and I caught the faint scent of a related wolf from that teapot. Do you have a place among them?" She quite obviously knew very little about him and by all respects she had played her part in answering the plea to help him, yet a part of her felt it wouldn't be right to just call it at that. Perhaps if he had other family she could at least escort him there or, if he was receptive, perhaps she could at very least show him some insight of what living as a youkai now may entail before letting him wander on his own.

[Taishou89]

'1555? 90 years... I've been asleep for 90 years? Why didn't they wake me before this happened?' Although he was shocked to learn the present year, his mind raced to understand how this could have all happened. As his mind wandered trying to make sense of everything, it wouldn't be long before the predicament of his situation became apparent. With his brother dead, the Clan long broken, It was also reasonable to assume that both Akari and Hanako had also long gone the way of time,  and the sudden realization that he was now not just a Ronin, but entirely alone in the world. How cruel could fate have been to bestow this ordeal upon him, what kind of life could he live beyond his well established position here? Beyond these walls the Human world regarded him with fear and apprehension, to the Daimyos of neighboring clans, he was nothing more than an useful weapon to be used in their own personal ambitions, but never the less still regarded less than their own foot soldiers in terms of status. A dog to sic upon their foes as desired, as despite his status born into a Samurai family, he was still a half breed. It had been, by command of his father, a forced kind of tolerance on the subjects of his realm to regard Mitsuyoshi with the respect according to his position as his son, this undoubtedly was not the case elsewhere. In his mind there was only one option left to pursue something not uncommon for a Samurai to do... to follow his brother and Lord into the afterlife. 

His thoughts were interrupted when Koneko returned his courtesy, but probably more so when she mentioned his 'Daiyoukai' bloodline. "Daiyoukai? You'll have to pardon me, I was only aware of 'Youkai' and that I was born a half breed." He responded, but the thought that the teapot had the scent similar to his own, was still news to him. Was she saying that it contained the blood of a wolf youkai relative? As she continued on, he caught onto the the relation, but the thought of a relative from his wolf side had spilled their blood still captured his mind. "All I have ever been told of my Mother's side, was that my Grandfather was a great Lord of a wolf yokai clan in a distant land and that this sword..." he held up the Kazega "... belonged to him, but that he died a long time ago. My mother, I was told, had to leave me with my father as she had been arranged to marry some other great lord in their realm." Mitsuyoshi promptly stood up, and ran his sleeve across his eyes and face before slipping his sword into his obi. Partially ashamed to have shown such emotions to a stranger, a female no less, but with such losses he'd sustained before going under the spell, still fresh to him even today, now added to the revelations he'd just received, it was hard to contain.