Hermione was annoyed. No, annoyed was an understatement – she was seething. It had been nearly two hours by this point, and every time she started to nod off, she felt something prick her in the side. She knew for a fact Hana would never allow anything sharp to remain in her clothing, so that left only one reason for this.

Eriko.

It was always Eriko. As her eyes narrowed on the girl, she got a smile in return, and another pinprick. The car slowed, and stopped, before Hermione could even begin to tear into Eriko. This only increased the frustration that was rapidly mounting. She was beginning to suspect that, contrary to Akiko's reassurances, this was a test. Judging by the way Eriko was watching her like a hawk, she was very afraid that it was a very, very important one, at that.

It was late, it was dark, and there were only a few flickering lamps to give Hermione any hint of her surroundings. In fact, if she didn't know better, she'd swear they'd gone back in time from the ones standing to meet them, to the lamps that had been placed just close enough to keep the way lit, but distant enough to provide atmospheric shadowing.

Shadows were all well and good in novels and suchlike, but Hermione had absolutely no desire to deal with it in her own life. As the twins placed themselves to either side of her, rather like bookends, Hermione watched a very pale, very formally dressed man step forward from the group of five men on the path. He was the only one, she noticed, not wearing any sort of armor. Even in the shadows, Hermione recognized that armor as something not unlike what Souichiro had worn to the end of the year ceremonies at the school.

Youkai, she realized, noticing the way they moved to place themselves in such a manner as to corner a box around the three girls. The man before her was still studying her, and it was giving her more chills than she knew what to do with.

"Follow me." His lips had barely moved, and there was just the slightest twist of a smile in his eyes, but the way he languidly turned to lead them – the way the youkai guards immediately began to move as well, thereby forcing them forward – did only one thing for Hermione. Discomfort skipped worry and shot straight to paranoia.

Her wand was back at the compound; she had absolutely no weapons on her. Hermione didn't dare let her gaze stray from the figure in front of her, suspecting this was part of the test, but she did have decent peripheral vision.

She saw nothing but shadows, the light pollution of a city overhead, and the occasional hint of a building in the background. It was some ten minutes walking, though that walking was very slow, very deliberate, and very nearly processional, before what had at first seemed a building now, upon reaching it, proved to be a very large, very elaborate gateway.

Hermione felt her blood freeze in her veins. She knew that gate. She knew where she was, and at this time of night it was not a comforting feeling to know you were walking through the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park, stopping before Kenrei-mon. It was more disconcerting, as she knew there was only one entrance the Imperial Household Agency used for tours.

Hint: It wasn't this one.

However, the fence that generally barred the path had been opened, and as they ascended the steps, the gates were opened and Hermione was nearly blinded by the change in lighting. There was no chance of shadow now, though the lamps were still old-fashioned ones, and they were very much not electric – there were just so many of them.

Much to her chagrin, Hermione had to resort to dropping into a semi-meditative state to avoid gawking like a first year at Hogwarts. Every few feet there were armored men standing guard – not in distinctive youkai armor, but that made them no less intimidating. The intimidation factor (along with Hermione's paranoia) escalated as they did not turn – they were heading directly towards Jomei-mon – the gate that would lead to the more official palace building, the Shishinden. That the doors were opened as they approached, and they stopped only upon reaching the very center of the courtyard – the dantei, Hermione corrected herself mentally – did not ease her mind in the least.

"Welcome, children." Mamoru Satoshi was not what one expected from a grandfather; he could certainly pull it off if he ever relaxed, but that was just the problem. His face was always very impassive, more impartial than the statues of Justice Hermione grew up studying as a curious child. He stood waiting, and after bowing to the man who had lead them to this point, he moved forward to inspect the three girls before him.

"Grandfather." Eriko murmured slightly, bowing deep; Hermione and Akiko had already dropped into equally low positions. "You give us great honor with your presence."

"Hmph. We shall see how you repay that honor, my children. Hermione, from here you must part from Eriko and Akiko." His voice was not unkind – but then, it was not much of anything. It was quiet, certainly, and very respectful, as well as inspiring equal respect, but it was distinctly lacking in the softer notes. "Follow me; when I stop, you are to continue alone. Remember to be respectful. Do not show fear, but don't be arrogant."

Don't show fear? Hermione was certain the entire park could hear her thudding heartbeats, if not the entirety of Kyoto. She was comforted by Mamoru's presence, but when he froze just inside the door and turned his back to the rooms ahead, it took everything in her to move smoothly forward into the room.

When her eyes fell upon the curtains shielding the emperor from view, she did the only thing she could think of. Not suddenly, and doing as much as she could to retain every ounce of grace she possessed, Hermione knelt, placed her palms to the floor, and reverently put her forehead to the backs of her fingertips.

Whatever anyone said about this man, and regardless of her intense research revealing him to be kindly, particularly in appearance, was terribly, terribly wrong. Perhaps it was the setting, the build up and the fact that despite the curtains she could see the outline of his figure in full traditional regalia, but the sense of power, of other, had Hermione's skin tingling.

"I am not worthy of the honor you bestow." Hermione managed to whisper. "What may I do to serve you, Tennō Heika?"

"It has come to my attention that there are those seeking to make you a part of a particularly prominent clan in my nation." The man's voice was not at all what she had heard before, and she had heard his New Year's address, thanks in large part to the Satoshi family. Then, it had been strong, but filled with kindness. "What do you have to say of this matter?"

"I fear that I am not acceptable." This was not what Hermione intended to say. Something told her she would find herself pouring her secrets to this man and she intensely suspected the truth of Imperial history had been greatly distorted, if this was the power they held. "I do not seek to give up my own nation, but find myself longing to serve the Satoshi clan as a member rather than an outsider. I know this is impossible, and so I do not seek adoption into the clan."

"There are Satoshi that are not Japanese citizens." The man murmured thoughtfully, and she knew she was being inspected very, very closely at that moment. "All of them, of course, were born Satoshi… Hermione Granger, I have heard many things about you."

She did not interrupt, though her brain immediately went into panic mode, and began racing through possible outcomes of this event so quickly she suddenly found herself feeling as though it had run into a brick wall as it stopped dead shortly after.

"You have comported yourself admirably in all situations; you have shown neither disdain nor fear towards some of my more unique subjects. In all ways you have served me as any other member of the Satoshi clan – given your potential, I expect much from you." He paused, and there was a very tangible feeling of deliberation in the air for some moments before he spoke again. "Do you want to be a Satoshi? Truly a Satoshi? It is not a choice to be made lightly; there is no turning back. You will become as Mamoru's granddaughter, a sister to the two already in existence. It will change you… It will change you greatly."

"I seek only to serve, Tennō Heika. I will do so to the utmost of my ability in whatever place I am put." She whispered, trying not to let the tears that had welled up fall. "I cannot, however, deny that I long to be one of them. Though I have been treated from the very beginning as a sister, I want to be Eriko and Akiko's sister. I have no other wish that is stronger."

"I can grant that wish…" The emperor shifted slightly. "You may feel a great deal of discomfort, and the weakness will…linger a while. Are you certain?"

"I wish to live, and die, a Satoshi. Even if it is not granted to me now, in my mind – in my heart – I will be a Satoshi as best I am able."

"Truly an inspiring answer. Look at me." Hermione slowly straightened at the command, careful to do so as was proper, and as her gaze fell upon the outline, she felt her heart stop. What sat behind that curtain, she had no doubt, was in fact a simple, ordinary human being that happened, by luck of birth, to be in a position of great power. It was not, however, the only thing present – and regardless of the normalcy she was certain was this man's daily claim, he was at this moment something other. Something more. The power she felt had increased, and she suddenly felt as though it was a great pressure rushing in on her from all directions.

When the pain hit, it was like pinpricks in her bloodstream, every drop at once. She was blind, she was deaf, and much to her surprise she was completely silent as she straightened fully, arched her spine, and then collapsed backwards to the floor when the pain finally, blessedly, stopped.

"I am proud of you." The words were faint, drifting in the haze so slightly she wasn't entirely sure she hadn't imagined them. When she finally managed to gather herself and rise to a kneel, the shadow was gone. Haltingly, her body full of tremors she couldn't control, she backed out of the room without looking at the screen again.

As soon as she exited the building, Mamoru began to lead her back to the twins. Her steps were still slow, and she could barely hold herself upright properly. No one made any move to help her. The guards were again around them, and their guide was now ahead of the twins, who were just ahead of Mamoru.

She was certain the trip back to their vehicle was going to kill her; it was eternal. It was grueling. By the time they finally reached the vehicle and she slid into the seat after Akiko, she wanted to cry. It was not surprising to her that she simply could not, and as Eriko closed the door and she was again bookended by the twins, she felt herself begin to shake uncontrollably, far worse than she had before. Mamoru, now safely settled in the front passenger seat, merely nodded to signal the driver to return them home.

No one spoke. Hermione found herself drifting out of focus, though she sat rigidly in position for fear of Eriko's retribution, for the entirety of the ride back to the Satoshi compound.

She had no memory of getting out of the vehicle, or of changing and making her way to bed. In fact, she didn't realize it had happened until she was quite suddenly aware that she was staring at the ceiling of their bedroom, and the quiet, sleeping breaths of Eriko and Akiko filled the room.

If she was entirely honest with herself, she had absolutely no idea of what had just happened to her. There was also a great deal of wonder left; had any of these things really just happened?

Author's Note:

Okay, I'm a terrible, terrible person and an awful updater. HOWEVER, this was a scene I was terrified to write. I have no idea how one would actually address the Emperor in a situation like this. I just kind of went with what came to mind.

There is in fact only one IHA accepted entry into the Kyoto Imperial Palace. In fact, the Imperial family doesn't actually use this palace any longer, in any sense. I decided that would make it perfect for the Emperor to use in the dark of night for less than mundane matters.

Yes. He is, in this particular scene, a kami. No, I do not hold that he is one always, thus the very overwhelming emphasis of Hermione's mind being blown, as the Emperor is nothing like the man she researched. That just stands to reason, as day to day the Emperor is simply a normal man – until he's being The Emperor as of old.

I now have a splitting headache. This particular chapter title is from Kalafina; I felt it suited the eerie feeling this chapter gave me while writing it.

Hope you enjoyed, and here's to hoping I can finish this dang thing and get started on what everyone really wants to see – the sequel to Moonlight Sonata.