Author's Note: Thanks to Blueroses97 for the favourite/follow.

Anger

Kai jerked awake by a hand landing lightly on his arm. Restrained himself from the impulse to break that hand's wrist and opened his eyes to see that Chikara leaned over him with a lantern in hand.

The younger man looked even more panicked then when Yasuno had been under the Shi no jumon. Chikara whispered, "Kai, my father still has not come back. Please, help me look for him.", the unbound black-hair that fell in his eyes making Oishi's son look even younger.

Responded with, "You did not have to ask.", as he got up, tying back his hair and getting dressed before tying on his swords. So, he followed Chikara out of his room and into the cool early morning darkness.

Yasu flew above them with a bit of song that slightly calmed both himself and Chikara. Yasu's blue feathers glowed in the lantern's light as she tried to help them by flying low to the ground. As they walked off the dark-wooded porch, across the gravel and the grass, before he scanned the ground for fresh foot-prints.

Worried thoughts flew through his head. What if Kira had learned that Oishi had caught to his plan ? Had Kira sent Mizuki to kill Oishi ? Was Oishi dying and he could do nothing ? Perhaps Father was plotting with Mizuki. Was Aikrou sent to kill Oishi ?

A second later, he sensed the evil magic, then Chikara called, "Father ? Father, come back ! What are you doing ?"

It made him look up to see Oishi disappear through an open door. He and Chikara raced after the chief retainer into the dark-wood floored hallway. Oishi was now running down the hallway with his katana unsheathed. As Chikara's words had not worked, he tried, "Oishi ? Oishi, is something the matter ?"

Oishi stopped for a moment and then an almost lost sounding, "Kai ?"

Slowly, he approached the dark-kimonoed warrior. When Oishi did not move, he found himself answering, "Yes, I am here, come to me. Tell me, what you are doing ?"

While he said such, he grabbed the top of Oishi's katana and guided the surprisingly unresisting hand to sheath the sword. The answer came as he looked into Oishi's dark-brown eyes veiled as they were in dark-magics, just like Yasuno's had and Kira's still were. Though he could not remember the spell's name as it was a rarely used spell, it was one said to control a person's mind; to make the person it was cast upon see whatever the caster wished.

The tanned face took on a panicked look and he pinned Oishi's hands behind his back as the man suddenly lunged forward. He found himself dragged down on top of the other man and started saying part of Fuduo's purification prayer. Oishi twisted and writhed under him, trying to throw him off, eventually Oishi calmed and he saw an aura like dried-blood dissipate from around Oishi in his mind's eye.

A confused murmur left Oishi, "Kai ? Why are you pinning me down ? W-what am I doing near Lord Kira's chambers ? The last thing I remember is leaving Lord Asano's chambers and running into…Mizuki."

He let go of Oishi and got up as he replied, "She put a spell on you, Oishi, like she did Yasuno, as she did me."

Before he moved to help Oishi, the karou snarled, "When I see her again, she will die !"

Unconsciously, the protest left his lips, "Oishi, no ! She would kill you in a second. You cannot face her and hope to live."

Chikara said quietly, but urgently, "Father, we should leave and you need to rest."

Before they could move, but a single step down the hallway, Kira was suddenly shouting for his samurai. Chikara, Oishi and himself, after his turning around, rushed towards Kira's room. Oishi and himself both stopped in shock at what they saw - Lord Asano in a white-kimono stood over Kira's occupied futon ready to slice mountain lord's head off. As Chikara skidded into his shoulder, Yasu zipped between himself and Oishi to fly around Lord Asano with a soft song.

Yasu's song seemed to penetrate Mizuki's spell because suddenly the lord of Ako was backing away from Kira. Lord Asano turned to look in disbelief at them. That was seconds before himself, Oishi and Chikara found themselves shoved aside so Kira's samurai could enter. As he picked himself up and moved to stand beside Lord Asano with Oishi; the, only human, samurai ringed Kira's futon and then the Shogun walked in.

Shogun Tokugawa raised his eyebrows and asked, "What has happened Lord Kira that you felt the need to wake the castle ?"

His fist clenched and Oishi had a murderous look in his eye as the Mizuki walked in. The witch's blue and brown-eyes feigned shock, but beneath it he saw the rage. Rage that he had stopped whatever she had planned for Oishi and Lord Asano. She might have helped him get Makoto's tusk, but she would not help him anymore.

Kira moved from behind the guards. The mountain lord pointed a finger at them and snarled, "Lord Asano was going to kill me. They did nothing to stop him !"

At those words, Tokugawa turned to look at Lord Asano for a second. Then that cold gaze moved to Oishi, himself and Chikara. Silence before the Shogun was saying, "Is this true ?"

They did not have time to answer before Lord Asano bowed. The old lord's white-hair glowed in the lantern's light as he responded, "It is, Shogun."

"You tried to murder him because his champion saw through your trickery ?"

Whatever Lord Asano answered with, whether it was truth or lie, it would not matter. For Mizuki would make of it what she wished. "I-I thought something was attacking..."

Tokugawa held up a hand to stop the old man and replied, "Your mind has much weakened of late, Lord Asano. First it led you to cheat in the tournament and now it has caused this - you have broken sacred law in trying to attack and kill one of your guests. Had you succeeded in killing Lord Kira, perhaps even you would have continued until you reached myself. As such I cannot allow this possibility to continue. Kira have your samurai take Lord Asano to his jail, his fate and that of Ako's honour will become known by myself and my advisors in the days to come."

Kira questioned then, "Shogun Tokugawa, what is to happen to Karou Oishi and the tracker ? I think they belong in jail as well for complying with him. If I had not woken and one of my samurai or Mizuki had come to check on me, they would have died so that Lord Asano would have completed his task."

Mizuki's tails twitched slightly in amusement, he thought that most likely it was Oishi thinking to harm her. The Shogun answered that they would know their fates when Lord Asano's fate was also known. Only his hand on Oishi's shoulder kept the chief retainer from leaping to kill Kira and, undoubtledly, sentencing himself to death. While Lord Asano went to the jail, Yasu flew after the lord as himself, Chikara and Oishi went outside to return to their homes on their own.

He had reached the door of his room and while Chikara had gone ahead, Oishi put a hand on his shoulder. At the light touch, he turned seeing the dawning light in the sky beyond, "Did you need something ?"

Oishi let go of his shoulder as those sleep-deprived, dark-eyes almost pleaded with him. "Kai, you are not truly sworn as one of Lord Asano's samurai. No matter how I wish it was so. I know you said you would not leave, but do you want to die because of Kira ? When you can leave to find your memories and your true master ? Whoever he is, surely your lord would protect you from Kira."

Part of him wanted to tell Oishi the truth. If only because if they were to die what would it matter ? Yet, part of him refused because if they were 'merely' imprisoned. Well, nothing would stop Oishi from killing him for his dishonour. Not that he'd had any honour before. Distantly, he saw Jinsoku silhouetted against a blood-red cloud and knew that the truth would have to wait.

Visible on Oishi's face as he stated, "Even were I to try to find my lord, Oishi, as I know him not from a stranger, I cannot go to him for protection. Like I said earlier Ako is the only place I can and, like, to remember. Ken, Chikara, Riku, Basho, Yasuno and yourself, you my friends are here. I would rather stay here and if I am to die, I would do so beside you, instead of running like a coward. If I run then I will die by Kira's men on a back road and be forgotten. Here, at least, they would know what happened to me. They would not worry if I am to die somewhere without their knowledge.", were quickly masked disbelief, frustration and exasperation.

A low, wordless growl left the karou's throat before Oishi turned to stalk away from him. Why ever should Oishi care enough to tell him to run ? To be a coward was one of the worst dishonours he could remember Noborou telling him of. If he had actually been a samurai it would surely have led to his becoming ronin - a leaderless and untrustworthy exile that was likely to abandon all honour and become a bandit to survive.

Surely, Oishi's jealousy earlier was only in his mind, the man could not truly feel anything for him. Then also the little fact that Oishi was, happily, married for Amaterasu's sake ! Confused and worried about far too many things he entered his room. Only time, the Shogun and the Shogun's assistants would tell Oishi, Lord Asano along with his and, ultimately, Ako's fates.