Just to be safe, Nozomi had had a quick check up with Riko, who was concerned about the consequences of her newfound abilities on both her mind and body, there was nothing wrong with her really. If anything, she seemed to be in a peak condition, almost unnaturally so. That was the only worry.

Nozomi shrugged off anything like that though. Worrying was probably what this strange new presence would end up thriving on, if it would inevitably take her body, then she would make sure that it would be when her task was complete.

She returned to her list and realised that she hadn't really done a lot to neutralise Koizumi. In fact, she'd made a pact with her and the ever so slight scar on her hand reminded her of that. Experimentally, she had given herself a small cut which had also healed up. But seeing as it left no scar, she knew this was some sort of blood oath mark. So, she simply left her name on the list. Not a threat, but not exactly someone she wanted to get comfortable around either.

"Nozomi-san?" Kanan stood in the doorway, arms folded, "What happened?"

Nozomi didn't exactly feel inclined to reveal the pact that she'd made, but at the same time, keeping her allies in the dark was something that was not to be done.

"I have information. Koizumi got away, but I was able to get something out of her at least."

Of course, it was a lie, but not necessarily an evil one, so it was morally acceptable, she reasoned.

"And that is…?"

"I need to go to the Sovereign Houses," She said, "Hoshizora will be there."

"Right… That's in the next kingdom over. And this time you're not going along. At the very least, not going alone to travel there," Kanan said, leaning against the doorframe, "And you're not going to be able to insist against this."

"I understand that…" Nozomi paused, "But please, I have to face them all alone. It's far too dangerous for any of you, as you are, to do it too."

"Yeah, yeah. But solitude gets to you after a while," Mari popped up behind Kanan, peeking over her shoulder and seeming to speak from a degree of experience, "I've also started writing down a written account of the devils, names, appearances; abilities. I'd like to tag along too. I'm not sure about Dia, Ruby-chan and Riko-chan though."

"Well, the only way to find out is to ask them," Kanan said, sending a glance over her shoulder at Mari, "We should gather somewhere I suppose…"

They came to the conclusion that it was best to meet in the lounge. Ruby looked as nervous as ever, which she couldn't be blamed for of course. Riko was fidgeting a little bit, but Nozomi knew that she would likely step up to whatever was asked of her, or even not asked. Dia looked remarkably calm all things considered.

Nozomi clasped her hands together and looked at the map that she had retrieved at Kanan's direction. She paced around the table and began to speak, "I've received information on my next target. It will require a journey to reach and whilst I have no problems travelling large distances, I wouldn't want to impose on any of you my own personal vendettas."

That might have been the wrong choice of wording, but no one seemed to pick her apart for that. Everyone had a stake in this fight, otherwise the world as everyone knew it would fall into the hands of the wrong forces. The world as its whole was never meant to be in anyone's hands. But regardless, Nozomi especially held chained up, white hot rage in her heart that even she was starting to grow somewhat worrisome of. It was something to keep a check on, at least.

"And I must confess," Nozomi pivoted and halted to face the group that had gathered, "I don't feel as though I'm the safest person to be around. I have a target painted on my back and I'm going after some of the most dangerous beings to exist. So I'll completely understand those who don't want to go."

"Kanan-chan and I are going, of course. But we wanted to consult everyone to see what kind of plans we should make up for every one of us to be safe," Mari said, standing up next to Nozomi, "Very few places are safe right now."

"I should come along as well…" Dia spoke up, "And I think my… Friend, would agree with me. But, Ruby…" Dia frowned as she turned to her sister, "I'm… Not really comfortable with you coming. It's down to you, at the end of it all, but… As I said, I would prefer you to be safe."

Ruby was obviously scared by the whole thing. Demons, devils, uprisings, riots and more, it was all too much for Ruby to think about. All the wasted life and things that could probably kill her with a flick of the wrist. She nodded meekly to agree with Dia, "I-if I was a little braver I would come along… But I think you're right, onee-chan. But I don't really want to stay here."

"How about with Hanamaru at the shrine? I actually already sent a message off, so that way we wouldn't drop in on her by surprise."

"Shrine?" Nozomi raised an eyebrow, obviously thinking that religious areas weren't safe either.

"Buddhist and Shinto shrines are worshipping areas that weren't affected," Dia said, crossing her legs and folding her arms, "Whether or not that's an indication of the true faith that exists isn't any of my business, but we checked on Hanamaru-san when some of the news broke about the destruction of churches. If there's anywhere that's safe right now, that's probably the safest."

Ruby seemed happy enough with that outcome, even if it meant that she wouldn't be able to see her sister for a decent amount of time. There was also the conclusion that the house should become uninhabited, at least for the duration of time it took for this whole mess to be sorted out, if it ever was to be. Nozomi's presence hung around here and Nozomi was convinced that meant it was unsafe.

Riko had agreed to travel with Nozomi, as she had promised from the moment they set out after getting off the boat. Besides, she had nowhere else to go and it didn't feel right for her to go encroaching on the Kunikida's shrine if she herself had no prior relation to the family.

So, it was settled. Nozomi, Kanan, Mari, Dia and Riko would travel and Ruby would stay within safety. Dia promised to get messages to her whenever she could, but with the current climate who knew when communication would be made possible on a consistent basis.

Nozomi didn't want to waste any time, so she urged everyone to get their things sorted. No one had any arguments, even if Ruby seemed teary-eyed about the whole thing. Dia had followed her to undoubtedly offer some comfort and everyone else felt it best to leave them be.

"Is Ruby-chan going to be okay?" Nozomi asked, raising an eyebrow as she walked with Kanan and Mari back to the spare rooms.

"I'm sure she will be… I think Ruby-chan has been trying to become more independent and less reliant on Dia, so this might be good for her… In loose terms," Mari said, glancing over some of the notes she'd made, "Not the whole apocalypse thing though…"

"I don't think that's particularly good for anyone." Kanan mused, watching Nozomi enter her own room before she leant against the doorway and paused, "You don't really have any changes of clothes, do you? You can borrow some of mine."

"I… Wouldn't want to impose," Nozomi said, absentmindedly tugging at her shirt collar.

"If we're travelling, it's hardly imposing. And we're about the same size."

"Plus the markets are… Closed," Mari said diplomatically, "You can borrow some of mine too. We're actually about the same size too, give or take a few inches."

"Thank you for the offer," Nozomi smiled and nodded once towards the both of them before gathering up what little she had in regards of essentials and a few extra things. Kanan and Mari left her to her own devices for the time being, not that it would take very long for her to pack everything up.

Dia came back in shortly to check on her, saying that there would be plenty of money available on her part, not that it would be too useful due to the simple fact that markets were collapsing, as was civilised society in general. There might be the odd bar here and there, maybe an inn put in the middle of a long road that wouldn't be too bothered about whether or not money was as functional as before. Money was money to some people.

Riko also came in to check on her. Riko had been rather worried about Nozomi, of course she had. She had known Eli and seen what had happened to her and she could only imagine how tough it was for a spouse to watch and witness that. Powerless was a word that sprung to mind for her. But Nozomi was ever dismissive and insistent that no one should worry about her, but that often had the opposite effect on many people, Riko included. Reluctantly, she'd left, not wanting to instill the fear of God (no irony intended), in her.

Nozomi left her room and placed her bag downstairs, before heading into the Kurosawa's back garden. This would probably be some of her last moments of serenity before her life spiralled even further into a place where she'd never thought it would go. She thought to Ueda-san, but thought it best not to linger too much on that. Ueda-san had likely passed peacefully (or at least, she hoped), at this point. No one should ever live so long and witness the virtual end of the world when they're close to natural death.

Strolling through the gardens was a favourite pastime of Nozomi's. Even if she didn't exactly know how to garden and felt as though it would be too much of a hassle on the staff to learn, she enjoyed learning the names of the plants that grew at least. The cherry blossoms that arrived every Spring were something she could never wait to see upon the arrival of the new year.

Whether she was with Eli or not, a walk was always welcome. Away from politics and generals and armies. An invasion could've occurred whilst she was in the gardens for all she cared, as long as Eli, herself and the calm surrounding the area remained, she would've requested five more minutes, even if there was a sword to her throat.

The Kurosawa's garden was different, of course. It was smaller and didn't have the exoticism that one would potentially expect, but it would do. Maybe she felt as though her past self was dying and this was the last thing it would see. But who knew what would replace that self. She worried about losing herself to anger or vengeance and becoming sloppy or outright cruel.

As she caressed the petals of a flower, she sensed Dia's approach, accentuated by the demon possession and realised that she had had much less time than she would've liked to. Dia seemed reluctant to actually speak, almost as though feeling somewhat bad for the fact that she had to wrench Nozomi back to an unfortunate reality.

"Is everyone ready?" Nozomi asked, deciding to make it easier for her.

"Yes," Dia nodded once, "We would like to head off as soon as possible, but understand if you want to spend a little bit more time. Obviously not too much though."

Nozomi let the flower out of her gentle grip, before letting out a hum, "Alright. I've spent enough time."

Dia looked like she was about to ask if she was sure, but it probably wasn't best to poke Nozomi on a lot of things right now. Even if she would be polite about them, Dia didn't want to be or seem a nuisance.

With not another word and not another look shared between the two, Nozomi followed Dia back to the front hall, where everyone was waiting with a mix of expressions, the air charged and threatening to crackle if anyone dared open their mouths to speak.

But someone had to break the silence and the only person that dared for the time being was Kanan, "Are we all ready?"

There was another pause and Nozomi couldn't help but feel like the whole thing was horribly awkward.

"Let's go before any of us loses our nerve," Nozomi decided to cut through the silence, pushing the door open and glancing up at the sun that was halfway through the sky. They would probably have half a day or so of travel before either having to find an inn to stay at, or, if worse came to worst, camp out. Nozomi could guess that Kanan and Mari were accustomed to such conditions, but both herself and Dia were not. They likely wouldn't have to worry about whether or not Ruby would be staying with them, as Nozomi had been assured that the shrine wasn't that far away.

So it was to the shrine first. Nozomi had no problems with that and she doubted that placements of any of the devils would change so quickly. With control over the realm, they would probably only need to crush the occasional uprising here and there, at least, until humanity was subservient to their whims, or until they were wiped out altogether. Nozomi didn't intend on letting either of those things come to pass, at least, whilst she still had the ability to draw breath.

She made a small note to talk to Dia's demon about Hoshizora before they arrived at the Sovereign Houses. She knew the overview, but it didn't hurt to be more prepared when it came to this kind of enemy. Nozomi was to be as patient as she could manage and possibly beyond that.

Dia had offered to hold some more of Ruby's things, but had respectfully declined. Nozomi could tell that their dynamic was a strong one, but perhaps a little bit too strong, if Ruby was to become more independent. Dia might have trouble backing off as well, at certain points, used to responsibilities and helping her younger sister, no matter what the issue may be, or if it could have been resolved without her help.

Prior to them heading out, Kanan had already mapped suitable routes to both the Kunikida shrine and to the Sovereign Houses, avoiding major landmarks, areas of population and potentially markets. When they got to certain places, Kanan had decided that she and potentially Mari would go and scout out the area to ensure that it was either safe to cut through, or still active enough for them to stock up.

Whatever happened, there would likely be a contingency plan, or hopefully enough time to think one up. Thankfully, their first stop wasn't too far away. There would be a decent amount of stair climbing, Dia had warned, but if there was any way to start getting into the swing of walking everywhere instead of relying on horseback, staircases were it Nozomi supposed. And to be up in the mountains was likely to be an advantage when an apocalypse was occuring.

The group of them skirted around the markets and past the ruins of a burnt out church, a depressing reminder as well as a sobering one. Nonetheless, Nozomi had no desire to give up and her motivation burned the brightest out of all of them.

Upon arriving at the very bottom of the steps, they looked like they ascended as far as the eye could see, disappearing amongst fog and cloud. Climb seemed an understatement at this point, but Kanan took the first step up, "No time to waste really, is there?"

Oddly though, Nozomi felt almost as though there was all the time in the world. She supposed that that was what a lack of both royal engagements and eerie silence would do to someone. Whilst there was a hurry in the back of her mind, it felt nowhere near as real as it should have done. It was almost surreal. She could almost feel her worries and fears melting away as she undertook the first step as well and inevitably more. It was familiar and comforting, if nothing else, being raised in what was virtually a shrine herself.

They devolved into their own conversations, apart from Nozomi, who seemed to keep to herself, but she couldn't help but notice her name thrown around a few times in Dia and Ruby's conversation, but it would be rude to eavesdrop.

She didn't need to worry it seemed. Ruby, surprisingly, came up to Nozomi's side, sending a glance at her sister, whom Nozomi couldn't see, before nervously opening her mouth to speak. Nozomi knew that she would probably have to break down that royal wall that was constructed, somewhat to her annoyance, once again, "N-Nozomi-san…"

"Hm?" Nozomi hummed in a soft tone. She didn't want to be harsh with Ruby at all and from what she could gather, Dia had been a fan of royalty, so it reasonably extended to say Ruby was the same.

"What was it like…? B-being queen that is?"

"Well," It was difficult to know where to start, "Of course, it was wonderful. To be at Elichi's side, to travel with little worry and to meet so many people. They weren't always the nicest, but the experience was mostly worth it. Ruby-chan," Nozomi turned her head to look at her, at which Ruby startled, "Do you enjoy being a Kurosawa?"

Nozomi could almost hear Dia's eyebrow raising at that; Ruby anxiously fiddling with the strap of her bag, "W-well… There's a lot of pressure," Ruby mumbled, sensing that Nozomi wanted to know the truth and not a diplomatic answer for the sake of her older sister, "But I try my best…"

"What kind of pressure?"

"T-to memorise a lot of things… Learn about business… But I'm not very good at haggling and that stuff…"

"Do you need to learn about this kind of business? Surely both you and Dia could work in tandem with each other, both in what you're best at?" Nozomi suggested, even if it likely was an eventuality that Dia and Ruby had realised before.

"Papa always said that it was best to have a rounded expertise in case we were doing different things and so on…" Ruby said, tightening her grip for a moment on the bag strap.

"You know, the woman who was virtually my mother, Ueda-san," Nozomi began, "Told me almost the exact same thing. She taught me how to do tarot, but also forced me to learn palm reading, tea leaf reading and quite a few other things. She told me it was about wider understanding of a subject and that it was good to examine all parts of something, instead of just looking subjectively at one." Nozomi chuckled, "I hated it at the time, but now I see that what she said had its merits. That you can't be good at one thing and expect to be an expert in every aspect of it. And motivation to learn helps as well."

"I… Suppose that makes sense," Ruby nodded thoughtfully.

"But… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it probably doesn't matter right now… And it might not matter even when everything's over," Nozomi remarked, "Granted, it's not all a source of misery, you know? It can be a chance to begin anew, remodel yourself and the family name, whilst still bringing honour to it."

Ruby blinked and nodded, "That's a really positive way of looking at it."

"If I can manage to be positive, then I think anyone can," Nozomi sent a smile towards Ruby, who nearly looked as though she was about to fall down the stairs at that.

"Ruby, you okay?" Dia asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yes!" She squeaked, "I'm fine!"

Nozomi looked onwards, up the still amounting steps as Ruby and Dia devolved back into their own conversation. She was fine with being alone with her thought, but if she was honest, company was always nice. She could only imagine how little she could've gone on whilst only her own thoughts existed in her head.

Nozomi decided to go on ahead. If anyone wanted to talk to her specifically, then she would welcome it, but small talk felt like it didn't belong in her head. Maybe this made her difficult to approach, but she felt as though her companions would know her better, if they truly wanted a conversation.

"Nozomi?" It was Riko that spoke this time, having caught up to her, "I was just curious… Are you religious at all?"

"Well… Not as devout as some people might have liked, but I do believe in a higher power. Or powers. Whatever those may be though, well, it's all beyond me. You can believe whatever you want, as long as you're not trying to force or harm people in my eyes."

"That's a fair way of looking at it. But I suppose this whole thing would prove a faith correct, maybe?" Riko suggested.

"Hm, well… There's a quote that I feel all faiths of the world need to adhere to. That there are many paths up the mountain, but all reach the summit. It doesn't matter what you believe, in some cases," Nozomi mused aloud, "So long as you have faith at least in one way."

"Do you feel like the higher power has abandoned us though? To let this happen?"

Nozomi could tell that was a question from someone of dwindling faith. But tests of faith were inevitable all throughout life, however even Nozomi could admit that there was just a hint of cruelty to leave humanity like this.

"Well… I don't know for sure, of course. Maybe they feel as though we can resolve this on our own. Maybe it's a god's turn to have faith in us."

"That's an optimistic way of seeing things," Riko hummed before she could stop herself apparently, "Not that that's a bad thing, of course-!"

"What do I have left now, but optimism?" Nozomi sighed before looking onwards again and being able to spot a thin outline. She felt as though she were a teenager going on her first pilgrimage again, to when she had first met Eli. Nozomi felt her head start to ache, but she doubled her efforts to reach the top, Riko falling behind for the time being.

She was the first to reach the summit, immediately feeling a wave of nostalgia. Of course, it wasn't the same place that she and Eli had met, but it felt eerily similar.

"My father's in failing health. My mother is gone and my sister's too young. Becoming queen seems… Unreal."

She realised she had zoned out, with her companions by her sides and giving her varying degrees of worried looks. Eli's voice rang in her ears, as though she were right next to her once again and she felt empty; devoid. Shaking her head, she ignored anyone's silent questions and pushed onwards to the very entrance, where she felt as though it would be best for Dia and Ruby to lead the way inside. But there was something strange inside, she could feel it.

Dia went inside first, raising an eyebrow at the sight of what looked like refugees packed together, even if it was reasonable that people had seeked out a shrine in hopes of help and being safe.

"The Kunikidas are just in the back room," A woman said to them, "Did Yoshiko bring you up?"

"Yoshiko?" Nozomi's eyebrow shot up and all of a sudden, the strange feeling made sense. That was Yoshiko's presence. Or Yohane's.

"I'll take that as a no, but… Please don't judge her based on how she appears."

"Vague…" Riko mumbled, before Dia led the way again through the crowd of people, careful not to intrude on anyone and knocking on the door to the back room.

"Kunikida-san?"

"Just a minute!" A gruff voice lacking any kind of harshness rang though and the door soon slid open, "Ah, the Kurosawa sisters is it?" To Nozomi's eye, she could tell he was past middle age, but not particularly old, due to his greying features and a few wrinkles here and there, "Some friends too?"

"Ah, yes, well, you surely know Kanan-san and Mari-san," Dia said, Kunikida nodding in approval and recognition, "This is Sakurauchi-san and this-"

The moment his eyes laid on Nozomi, they flashed with recognition, "Your majesty… Ah! Forgive my manners," He said, bowing in front of her, "It's been a very long time since we last had any royalty up in these humble mountains…"

Nozomi sighed quietly, "Kunikida-san, it isn't necessary for you to bow to me or anything like that. I'm no longer royalty. I'm closer to the people than I've ever been."

He nodded in recognition of the fact after straightening himself up, "I apologise if I offended you in some way. Old habits die hard, you see."

"No, of course not," She shook her head, "I suppose it's a default reaction, even with everything that's happened."

"But still, onto the reasons for your visit… I'd be more than happy to look after Ruby here," He said, sending a bright smile in her direction.

A girl poked her head out from behind the old man, her eyes lighting up at the sight of everyone here, it seemed, "You got here safe, zura! Kanan-chan and Mari-chan have changed a lot though."

Even though Ruby had been a little bit out of breath from the trek, she eagerly returned the hug that Hanamaru enveloped her in. Dia smiled happily, but Nozomi's attention turned away from the scene and instead towards a presence that had just entered the room: Yoshiko's and Yohane's.

Yoshiko looked curious, having noticed something strange enter the shrine too and she seemed to be on her guard, until her eyes landed on Nozomi and she visibly startled, "Hey, hey, I swear I'm not dangerous!" She held up her hands in defence, which were gloved.

"You take people up here?" Nozomi asked carefully.

"Well… Yeah. When I was in my cell, I didn't have a lot to do y'know. I had to spend a lot of that talking to Yohane and I started to bargain with her… I know I shouldn't have, but," Yoshiko only shrugged, "I didn't want to wait for an exorcist to come along. Priority wasn't on me," She said with a hint of resentment, not that she wanted to get on Nozomi's bad side, "When Yohane told me when the perfect time to break out was, I went for it and she blasted through the sealing gloves and we left."

"She could do that for all the time you were down there?"

"Not with me resisting."

"Right…" Nozomi nodded, regarding Yoshiko with a certain degree of caution, even if what she had done here was morally pure.

"Yohane told me what was happening and I suggested riding it out at the Kunikida shrine. When we got here, we agreed to sealing gloves. She says she might leave when this whole thing is over though. And I got sucked into helping."

"You volunteered, zura."

"Hey!" Yoshiko snapped.

"Is it truly okay to leave Ruby with you here, Kunikida-san?" Dia asked, cutting through Yoshiko speaking any further.

"Of course! Besides, we're fit to take on a few more refugees anyway. Maybe she can help us too."

"I'd be happy to do that!" Ruby declared, sending a quick look to everyone who was already here.

"But what will the rest of you be doing?" The old man raised his eyebrow at the group of them and his gaze drifting to some of the weapons on them.

Nozomi felt most of the looks on her and so, she felt it was her place to explain, "We're going to right some wrongs, quite simply."

"I assume you're being vague, because in the eyes of other people, it would be something quite stupid?" He asked with a small chuckle.

"Well… You have to admit, he's got us there," Kanan said, scratching her neck with a look in Nozomi's direction.

"Better than not trying at all," Nozomi shrugged, "And if I feel as though I can do something, whatever that may be, to help, then I will try it."

"I suppose that's as admirable as one can get," He hummed, folding his arms in thought, "I wish you luck on whatever you're doing. But if I'm getting the message correctly, then can you please follow me?" He said, gesturing to Nozomi alone.

Nozomi nodded and followed the man into the back rooms, that seemed to stretch quite far, with a few scattered people inside who were injured, mostly. It appeared as a makeshift hospital and Nozomi felt her heart wrench at the sight of a few of them, who probably wouldn't make it. But the sights only seemed to stoke the fire inside her all the more.

"I trust the message you got was that I intended to fight?"

"Mm," He grunted with a nod of the head, "And I don't doubt in your abilities. But I would like to help you carry out what you want to do."

He reached into a storeroom, shoving a few bags and training items aside, "It's been a while since I've rummaged through here, so forgive me if this takes me… A moment," He grunted, dislodging a few things that looked like they hadn't seen the light of day in years, "I always felt it might have been a little cruel to have anyone clean this out, you see…"

"Take your time," Nozomi said, glancing over her shoulder once more.

"I think it's right at the very back too…" He stepped inside and his foot was met by an unhealthy amount of dust, but cleaning this storeroom would be the least of anyone's worries at this point. He coughed, holding his sleeve over his mouth and nose before there was a clunking sound, stability shifting and something was finally brought out.

"I know I probably should have treated this with far more respect whilst it was in my possession, but I was never a huge fan of weapons. I was better at hand to hand myself," He remarked, backing out of the storeroom and shutting the door with a relieved sigh, glad to be done with the constricting air, "But I feel as though if this were in someone else's possession, it could do far greater good."

Carefully held in both hands and in an ornately engraved black sheath was the unmistakable shape and length of a katana. The handle looked somewhat weathered, but that was more due to age and a sheen of dust lay over the shape of the dragon on the sheath.

"You're sure about giving me this?" Nozomi had often found herself turning down gifts, unless they were from Eli.

"It isn't doing any good tucked away in a dusty old storeroom. It seems out of place up here, does it not?"

"I suppose so," Nozomi said, watching closely as he held it up horizontal to her. She extended both hands as well, taking it from underneath with respect, "I will treat it and use it well."

He nodded, whilst she brought her hands to both the handle and the edge of the sheath and pulling just an inch of still gleaming blade out with the face of an oni carved there. She pushed the blade back into its sheath and bowed to him, before gently dusting it off until it was to the glory it deserved.

"How long is your journey?" He asked as they began to make their way back towards where Kanan, Mari, Riko and Dia were waiting.

"My first stop is the Sovereign Houses."

"Really? So far? And that's only your first stop?"

"Correct, yes. I've already been to the castle here and had one… Altercation," She said carefully, "My next mark is there. But I'm unsure just to what extent I will be travelling."

"I see… I don't know if this will be of any use to you, but if you ever find yourself needing somewhere to stay around here, the shrine will be open to you."

Nozomi nodded in respect, before they finally returned. Kanan blinked at the sight of the new weapon in her hand, but any help was welcome help, even if it came from unusual sources. Nozomi looked to Dia and gave her a small nod to say that she was ready to go and Dia sighed quietly in response. She knew it was tough for her.

Mari jerked her head to silently convey that it was probably best they wait outside and leave the sisters to say their goodbyes as privately as they could and no one had any arguments. Saying their goodbyes to the Kunikida family and Nozomi profusely thanking the Kunikidas for their gift. Time dragged on as they waited outside, but that was understandable, seeing how closely connected the two were, until a slightly red-eyed Dia left the shrine with a slump in her shoulders.

"You okay?" Mari asked her quietly, almost out of earshot to the others, whilst Dia sniffled and nodded silently. It was probably the best they would be getting out of her.

But there was no time to waste and even if Dia was emotionally drained and worried sick about how long she would be going without seeing Ruby, she knew there were bigger problems to be dealt with.

Starting down the steps and traversing the fog once again, there was no attempt to rescue the mood. Instead, it stayed dismally low, Kanan turning her head towards Nozomi, "Which devil are you going after now?"

"Hoshizora. I don't know a huge amount about her, but our demon might."

Dia's head rose slightly at the mention of that, "Do you want to call on them? I think a rest for myself would be welcome anyway…"

"If that's alright with you. It's better to walk and talk rather than waste time being silent during our journey," Kanan said in agreement with Nozomi.

Nozomi raised her hand to Dia as she'd done before, letting her thumb press into her forehead, before her entire body shuddered and the familiar dark blue eyes of the demon came into view.

"You're not annoyed about being woken up from your nap this time?" Nozomi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No…" The demon mumbled, seemingly suffering from some emotional bleed from Dia's current mood, "What did you want me for?"

It seemed a lot less curt than before. Perhaps it knew the gravity of the situation, now that they were actually travelling and preparing to take the fight to the beings that had caused it in the first place.

"I'd like to know everything you can relay to me about Hoshizora. Rumours and facts, please, so long as you tell me which is which."

It was as good a thing as any to start with as they made their way down the vast staircase.

"Well, if I can remember what I said before, I told you she was extremely quick, correct? That much holds true. Agile and some say as fast as a lightning bolt. But I've heard she's young. Requires too much direction to be a real threat on her own," The demon shrugged, "She's a threat right now of course. She has direction, under their leader. But she's probably less of a megalomaniac and more a prankster. She lacks a place in the world."

"I think that here's where my true job begins… She sounds tricky to deal with. Koizumi was… Weak," Nozomi said, finding a diplomatic word to describe her, "But as I said. She got away."

The demon snorted, sounding a little bit skeptical of Nozomi's claim there, "I trust that you're not going to be overconfident in your dealings with any of them."

"Of course not," Nozomi shook her head, "I understand the risk."

"Maybe if you understood the risk, you'd call of your crusade. But I don't know how you're feeling," The demon sighed, "I'm going to rest now, if that's alright."

It was strange to see a demon so exhausted by mere events, or somewhat contradictory, seeing as though their kind were the ones ruling over this realm, at least, for the time being. But that was the least of Nozomi's worries right now. She steadied Dia's body as the demon returned control to its rightful owner; the last thing she wanted was her to tumble down the stairs.

Nozomi fell into a comfortable silence shortly afterwards. The conversations continued between Kanan, Mari, Riko and Dia, with the occasional word from Nozomi, but they could all tell that Nozomi had her sights set on bigger things than her opinion on certain political figures that likely didn't matter at all now, if any of them were still alive at all.

Finally, after reaching the bottom of the steps, there was a short break whilst Kanan and Mari talked out the route to the Sovereign Houses and Dia asked politely to take a look at the gift Nozomi had been given at the temple and Nozomi wasn't one to deny her.

She held it with the proper respect it deserved, which was something Nozomi expected from someone who came from a traditional family. She brought out only an inch of the blade and inspected the oni that had retained its detail, however long it had been locked within the room. Returning it to the sheath and back to Nozomi, Riko gestured the two of them closer so that Kanan and Mari could explain the route they were to take.

They would largely be taking longer, around urban areas routes. Law and order were likely failing, as scavengers and those who had nowhere else to turn would likely take to attempting to form roaming bands and whilst they probably wouldn't entirely avoid them, groups on the fringes of a collapsed society could be taken care of. But mercy would be shown, if the opportunity arose of course.

They all agreed that it was best for them to avoid trouble unless absolutely necessary and soon the first steps towards a gruelling journey would be ahead of them. Luckily, this crossover with the kingdom provided a relatively straight path through it, rather than requiring them to deviate around an ocean, like it would if they were going the other way.

They would likely make it to the Sovereign Houses before sundown, if they didn't take breaks and everything went according to plan.

They crossed through villages, to find them mostly deserted, but with a few who had banded together to survive. Tragedies not only brought out survival instincts, but also, brings people together to ensure that everyone may live. But they couldn't do anything for these people and so, they left them undisturbed, not wanting to initiate a confrontation, as they might admit that they could look a bit menacing from a distance. Three of them were unarmed though and up close, it might be found that they were kinder than first appeared.

After crossing the border, Mari had taken the initiative, as being born and raised here gave the rest of them confidence that she could navigate her way around. But even then she seemed distant, as she looked around the once flourishing markets and cultural areas, that had been turned into an ugly disaster.

Nozomi could always tell that this kingdom had been one of the most affluent. It managed to avoid inflation by allowing an influx of immigrants to stay and do lower paid jobs, at varying degrees of wages, from fair to unliveable. Mari was obviously one of the richer people who had once lived here, but now wasn't the time to call her personal morals into question about how she could live here when people were exploited so readily.

Kanan suddenly grabbed Mari by the shoulder and pulled her back, shaking her head and holding a hand up to the rest of them. Nozomi at first thought it might potentially have been one of the devils, but found that the prickling sensation felt more like gazes piercing into her. Kanan pulled everyone towards an alleyway, whilst Dia did her best to hush Riko who was starting to panic.

"There are people in all those buildings. I could feel the eyes through the barred windows."

"You mean the-"

Kanan cut Mari off with a sharp look, nodding silently. Dia wanted to ask what they meant, but Mari was already leading the way through the other end of the alley without anyone catching a glimpse at her face. Kanan grimaced and jerked her head for everyone to follow.

None of them felt like it was their place to ask what Kanan and Mari had meant, not even Dia.

Kanan looked over her shoulder and mouthed the words "later," likely to put their minds at ease and even if it seemed like an empty promise, it made them feel slightly better at least.

When they exited the alleyway, there seemed to be a breath of fresh air to greet them, away from the tense atmosphere of having eyes on them at all times.

"If we go up these steps, there's a garden at the top, leading through to the Houses. It's usually guarded, but…" Mari trailed off, her tone less jubilant than before. She started up the steps first and everyone followed in silent agreement. It was just beginning to dawn on Nozomi however, that she wasn't the only one with a personal stake in this. Everyone in the world likely had a personal vendetta to fulfil, but she was just the only one with the means to carry it out. With the weight of the world on her shoulders, Nozomi was the second to make the trek up the staircase.

Upon reaching the garden, the gate was open, likely because of an evacuation of the persons inside and the guards simply not bothering to close it up. After all, there seemed little point. The garden however, was sprawling. It hadn't had the time to be overgrown and had been nurtured by the weather to a certain point, but with signs of weeds beginning to sprout up from the soil. It was almost ethereal, with the archways and the fountain that lay in the centre of it all, virtually untouched and still functioning. The plantlife enveloped everything, even creating a canopy over to blot out the sky.

Nozomi's shoulders slouched, feeling almost as though nothing quite mattered anymore. She was back in her own home, in her own garden, Eli with her every step of the way. But it was all the more sobering when reality crashed over her and she sighed languidly as rain began to drip through the thick canopy and onto her shoulder, her hair; her face.

But as the canopy and the garden cleared, it revealed a towering building before them, with everything about as ornate as one could expect. The door was great and wooden, the windows were stained glass of intricately detailed scenes and the brickwork seemes as immaculate as when it had first been built. The silhouette of the sky encompassed the spires and cast a threatening shadow, as rain began to drip off the sills.

Everyone exchanged varied glances, apart from Nozomi who kept her eyesight trained forward.

They were standing in the presence of the Sovereign Houses.


A/N: so uh this is probably where i end up trying to write a fight scene of some sort

wish me luck (sweats nervously)

also i watched kill bill the other day and i thought "fuck why didn't i give her a katana"

so now nozomi has a katana. i'm not sorry.

but anyway! please leave a comment and i will see y'all next chapter c':