Chapter Four

End of June;

By the time I finally reached the outskirts of the town of Tara, it was raining lightly. The rain was an enormous welcome, for it took some of the scorching heat of summer from the air and brought the temperature down to a bearable degree.

This was a rain which came straight down from the sky. There was no wind to blow the clouds away, therefore in other words, the sky would rain and rain until it was empty. Some people hated this kind of rain. But personally, I liked it. Anyone who had lived in the UK before would be able to relate, for in the UK, when it rained, the wind also howled, which made it impossible to use an umbrella as the umbrellas were always blown inside out, and it was also impossible to use a hood as the wind would always blow the hood back.

Therefore it was nice for once to walk and enjoy the rain with a parasol which was not going to be caught by the wind and either turned inside out or ripped out of my hands.

There were some people on the road despite the rain. Rain did not stop trade, or urgent family business. Most of the passer-bys cast me confused glances, for it was extremely unusual to have a foreigner come this far inland. I confused them even more when I inclined my head politely and greeted them in Japanese.

There was a point where I considered visiting the lake which had brought me here, to pay my respects as well as just to see it again and remind myself these last nearly two decades had not been a dream. However, in all honesty, I was tired. The long travel had been exhausting, and the closer I drew to the town, the more I felt my insides squirm with both trepidation and excitement at the thought of seeing the Akechi again.

Mitsuyasu, Mitsuhisa and Lady Akechi would not have changed. But Mitsuharu and Mitsutada would have grown considerably from the little boys I last saw them as, to young men now. It was odd to think and even odder to try and imagine. I wondered if I would recognise them? Would they recognise me? Would anyone recognise me? For I too had not aged, but my mannerisms were slightly different, as was the attire I currently wore, and the white streak in my hair.

While I tried to focus on the Akechi as a whole, I could not deny however my attempt to not think of Mitsuhide as a separate entity. In reality, he was the only one I thought about. He would be twenty-eight now, coming on middle-aged in these times. Would he still remember me? Would I recognise him? Would he have changed? How would he have changed?

I tried to tell myself these were silly concerns. Of course he should still remember me. Baihu himself said Mitsuhide was often at Kunlun to oversee me from a distance. But it still did not erase the worry and gnawing ache in my chest. I missed him the most, and more than anything I wanted to hug him.

However, it had been ten years. Many situations could have changed in that length of time. What if his feelings for me had changed?

I frowned as I walked, clenching my jaw. It was one of my greatest fears.

Yet I also had to take into account the possibility. Mitsuhide may have given me his word, but ten years was a long time, especially for him given he had not lost his memory, unlike myself. He was the God Emperor of Yomi. No matter his intentions, if it was against Yomi's laws, the fleeting awakening of feelings would have to be brushed aside.

I took a deep breath to calm my worried heart. My breath shook.

Regardless of what may have changed, I will at least remain as his friend. I gave my word I would protect and guide him. And I have no intention of going back on my word, even if his feelings have changed, I thought to myself, trying to bury the pain the thought brought me as I gripped my parasol tighter.

If he takes another wife, fine. I will still serve as his retainer. I have dressed as a man before, I can do it again.

Despite the thoughts I thought to find a logical alternative should things not be as I expected, it did not ease the sting in my heart. I swallowed my feelings down, having become far more proficient at maintaining my composure and emotions over the last ten years, though I still felt them as keenly.

By the time I raised my head, I found myself at one of the bridges into the town. This was the bridge Taka had climbed and fallen from. He fell into the river in winter, and almost drowned.

It was the first time I had done something as daft and as stupid as jump in after the little boy. But thanks to that, I saved his life, and began my unlikely and unusual friendship with Chigusa. It made me wonder how they were doing.

I did not dwell long on the thought, as I noticed a small hut on the other side of the river on the town side, with a few guards. It looked to be an outpost, for checking those coming and going from this side of the town. A tall man was standing outside with a parasol, speaking with the guards inside. Two other men approached the small guardhouse with a wagon, pulling a plaque out from a bag to show.

I groaned. "It wasn't like this before. How was I supposed to know I needed travel papers?" I grumbled under my breath as I imagined a warm place to stay and sleep for the night. Baihu mentioned Yue Lao was still supposed to be here, at least until I arrived back. Perhaps it would be a good idea to stay with him and then visit Tara Castle tomorrow, once I was refreshed and not so tired from sleeping rough most nights in this last month.

From my end of the bridge, I looked down at the river, and followed its path upwards, trying to remember if there was another bridge further upriver, or downriver, which I could use to cross.

The closest one was at least ten miles upriver, a small bridge built by farmers to cross between two fields. I sighed heavily, reluctant to walk such a distance this late in the afternoon and watched the guards in the guard house from my side of the bridge, thinking about what to do.

I guess I could try and cross anyway without travel papers. Tell them I'm Akechi Osamu, and hope one of them recognises me and lets me pass, I debated. Maybe I'll recognise one of them. I could not see their faces from where I stood, for the tall man with his back to me blocked their faces.

I glanced down at myself, dubious over the likelihood of anyone recognising me in my current form. It was unlikely. I looked back up across the bridge to the guardhouse. The tall man was gone now, but I still could not make out the faces of one of the guards who was stood in the doorway, looking at the plaque of the men on the wagon.

So I sighed again and turned around, resigning to the next leg of my journey.

I gasped, nearly walking into someone who was stood behind me. Though I did not look at the face yet, his stature was the same as the tall man who had previously been speaking with the guards.

How the hell did he move that fast across the bridge? I thought.

"I am sorry. I did not realise someone was stood behind me," I apologised hastily, surprised I did not notice as usually I did since my time on Kunlun. As I stepped back, the individual caught my arm and my eyes flashed to the face.

"Did you think I would let you walk away after you finally came back to me?"

Ten years may have passed. He may have matured fully into that of a man, he may have grown even a touch taller than his already taller height from when I saw him last. But I recognised him instantly. He stood with an elegant stature disguising the strength beneath, his hair was as black and as shining as obsidian, within a face more handsome than any I had ever seen in the years I had been alive.

I lowered my parasol, too stunned to remember I was supposed to hold it over my head.

"M . . . Mitsuhide?"

He pulled me closer so I stood beneath his parasol, and smiled. It was a smile which illuminated his face. The tears welled in my eyes very suddenly as his smile chased away all doubts in my mind. He let go of my arm, and with his hand, be brought it to my face.

"At last, you recognise me, Aki," he said softly.

Hearing Mitsuhide say my name sent a surge of joy through my heart and soul. It made me realise how ashamed I felt for not having thought of him nor remembered him for ten years. It made me realise how he must have felt to see I did not recognise him in this last decade. In his eyes I saw it all, the patience which kept in check his impatience for my return, of the ache of having someone dear not recognise who he was, of seeing someone he knew, become a stranger to him.

I stood on my toes and flung my arms around his shoulders, propriety and etiquette thrown aside. "Oh gosh! I missed you so much!" I whispered, my voice cracking with emotion as I realised how true my statement was.

I felt him wrap his arm around my waist, and press me to him as he swept me off my feet with a twirl. "How could you have missed me when you did not remember me?" He chuckled gently.

"I can fill in the gaps in my head for these last ten years. I may not have remembered then. But I remember now," I answered. "I am sorry. I am sorry over everything which had happened."

His arm squeezed me tighter. "Never apologise for that incident. You know not how it has haunted me these past ten years. I am just so, so glad you are finally back. I have missed you more than you can imagine. To be so close to you, and yet so far at the same time, was unbearable."

I pressed my face against his shoulder feeling my smile beam across my face despite an escaped sob of joy. We stayed like that for a moment which was as quick as a heartbeat, yet as long as eternity.

He let go of me after a long moment, and so did I, where he brought his hand against my face, and wiped the tears with his thumb. "At last, I have my Aki returned to me. Welcome back."

I felt my cheeks flush and I laughed. I wiped the rest of my tears away once I had carefully folded my parasol so it did not take so much space. There was so much to say and speak about. Oh how I wanted to talk to him until I had lost my voice. There was so much I wanted to say to him in private. But outside, I could not. I had to remember where I was.

"What were you doing out here?" I asked, clearing my throat from the emotion which had clogged it. "I didn't realise it was you at the guardhouse."

"Just checking up on them," Mitsuhide said, thinking along the same lines as myself. "There have been quite a few changes in the last ten years, which I will tell you later. But I am glad I was here this afternoon."

"As am I," I said quietly with relief. "I don't have any travel papers and I didn't know how to get across without them. I did not want to walk all the way upriver to the next bridge."

"I know," he mused. "I thought I heard your voice muttering under your breath. When I tuned into the thoughts belonging to the voice, I realised it was you." He looked me up and down and his eyes softened. "You look beautiful. No one would have recognised you in this attire. But I have seen you wear multiple forms of hanfu in and around Kunlun." He then glanced across the bridge through the rain, then back to me. "Come. I can see the exhaustion in your posture. Let us return to the castle."

I moved to unfurl my parasol again when Mitsuhide stopped me. "It is fine. You do not need to use it. Walk with me and share mine."

I blinked, feeling a warm and giddy flutter in my abdomen. When I eventually found my words, I stammered, "But, won't that seem a bit odd to the guards and everyone else who sees us for that matter."

"No, it will not," Mitsuhide answered simply. "Come, or do you want me to carry you?"

My eyes widened. "No, no! I'm fine. I can walk."

He chuckled again. "I am glad you have not changed," I heard him say to himself under his breath. He walked, taking one side of the parasol while I took the other. Despite the world around us, our world consisted of just the two of us, sharing the shade of the parasol beneath the rain, listening to the pitter patter of the droplets against the protective cover of the parasol. It was a soothing sound, a lulling sensation which pulled my awareness from my surroundings as I felt myself lower my guard and relax within Mitsuhide's presence.

". . . ki . . . Aki."

"Hmm? What?" I realised I had not been listening and blinked the fatigue away. I realised at that moment how tired I actually was, as if I had been running on adrenaline longer than what my body should have. And now that I knew I was safe in Mitsuhide's presence, the need for being alert, for the adrenaline, finally gave out, and the exhaustion came crashing over my head.

Mitsuhide stopped walking and took my shoulder carefully. "You are exhausted. How long have you been travelling?"

"Just a month," I breathed, rubbing my eyes. "Shifu thankfully dropped me off at Hangzhou, where I made the rest of the journey alone. The sea passage and walk through Mino was lovely. But making my way through Owari was stressful."

"Owari?" He repeated sharply.

"Nagoya was the closest and easiest port. I went through unnoticed, pretending I was a disciple on a pilgrimage, or part of a dancing troupe and could not speak much Japanese. It seemed to do the trick. But I could not relax, not until I was well within the boundaries of Mino."

He frowned, as if he was going to say something, before he then changed his mind and looked thoughtful. "Get on my back, Aki. I will carry you the rest of the way. It is still a fair walk to the castle."

It was my turn to frown. "I cannot do that, Mitsuhide."

He rolled his eyes. "I will carry you regardless, lest you fall asleep while walking. I saw you do something similar in Kunlun. Your Second Disciple disciplined you by having you sweep the courtyards for breaking one of Baihu's wine bottles. You fell asleep against your broom and fell over and broke your nose. Luckily High God Baihu forgave you and fixed your injury."

I gaped, clamping my hands to my nose anyway. "You saw that?" I exclaimed, horrified.

Mitsuhide laughed. "Didn't High God Baihu tell you I visited Kunlun often?"

"H-he did, but . . . but I did not even consider you would have seen some of my greatest embarrassments there!"

He smiled and sighed. "I have known you for twenty years, Aki. I have seen nearly everything at this point. Now get on my back."

I scowled at him, face burning. I tried to hold onto my annoyance, but the happiness of being within his company and just talking to him again like this, overruled any annoyance and horror I still had.

"Fine," I said with reluctance. I put my parasol into my pack first.

He crouched down, allowing me to climb onto his back. I haven't had a piggy back ride since I was in primary school, I realised.

His shoulders and back were wider than I remembered. He was still slender in form, but he had more muscle than previously. I wrapped my arms around his front and he took my legs under my knees. He straightened, and I had a far better sense of how tall he actually was.

"I didn't realise you were this tall," I noted.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

I smiled. "A good thing," I affirmed. "Though I suppose if you fell over from this height, you'll definitely break your nose."

"And perhaps a few other things as well," he added.

Of course, we both knew he would never fall over. For someone so supernaturally enhanced, clumsiness of any sort was impossible, even if he tried.

"You seem older as well," I added thoughtfully.

"That is because I am older. Ten years is a long time. I am twenty-eight now, and I look it. You on the other hand are thirty-seven, but you have not aged since you came to us. You still look eighteen."

I felt my cheeks redden. "You look good," I said quietly.

I rested my head against the top of his shoulder, which in turn rested a little against his own head. He smelt nice, and the safety of his presence washed over me like a warm blanket. It made me wonder how on earth I smelt. My clothes had been made from the silk of the silkworms from the Pearl River too, and so had been enchanted to resist dirt. But even after a month of constant wearing, it was beginning to show some stains. And though I had bathed in fresh rivers and lakes along the way, I did not have any soap.

I was looking forward to having a proper bath when I reached the castle.

"How have you been this last decade, really?" I asked sleepily, closing my eyes as I listened to the rain against the parasol. It rested on top of my own shoulders now, keeping our torsos dry, as Mitsuhide's hands were now full supporting me instead. The sound of the rain was a lullaby of white noise.

"I will tell you when you wake, Aki," Mitsuhide breathed. "For now. Rest. I am here."

Ok, I will rest, I thought, the words slow in my mind. And before I knew it, I had indeed dropped into an exhausted sleep.

xxx

Aki dropped off to sleep within seconds as Mitsuhide felt her arms slacken around his shoulders. He paused, smiling to himself, still wondering if he was dreaming or if this was indeed reality. From where he had spotted her, she stood like a wraith in the rain, an entity formed from the weather. He even thought as much at first as there were faint tinges of magic wafting from her aura. It was only when he heard the entity grumbling about travel papers, and the voice was so familiar, he realised in a heartbeat who on earth it was. It was confirmed even more when he heard her think of trying to cross the bridge anyway, tell them who she was, and hope the guards would let her pass.

Only Aki could think and utter such grounded words while appearing from the Heavens itself. It was one of the few things which kept Mitsuhide himself grounded to reality, in helping him realise his current reality was real.

He felt the warmth from her body against his back. He listened to the deep and slow breaths of her breathing. She had embraced him without a second thought for propriety and etiquette.

It had taken everything in his power to not squeeze the air from her lungs as he had embraced her back. She was still tall and slender, perhaps even more graceful now than she had been previously. Her beauty had taken his breath away. It had taken all the self control in the world to not kiss her there on the bridge. He had feared she would not recognise him, or that if she did, her feelings may have changed or remained withdrawn and uncertain. But to his absolute delight, she recognised him instantly. He felt so much from her, conveyed in the way she had embraced him, looked at him, and spoke to him.

Indeed, this was Aki. This was his Aki.

He walked back to the castle with her on his back. As he walked, he heard some whispers of those who were out in the rain, wondering who could possibly be on their Lord's back. The whispers became more interested and surprised to realise it was a woman. It would not be long before the gossip was flying left right and centre throughout the town. And when Mitsuhide passed through the gates of his castle and told the guards it was Akechi Osamu on his back, he definitely knew the news would have spread to the edges of the town before the night had set in.

"Cousin, is that . . . is that Osamu?" Mitsutada asked in shock from where he had rushed out onto the veranda, followed closely behind by his father, Mitsuhisa, who almost bumped into him. The both of them had heard from within the castle with their heightened hearing.

"Where? Where? Let me see my niece!" Mitsuhisa exclaimed, excitement in his voice. The Akechi Lord had been missing someone to banter with since Aki's departure. No one else shared similar senses of humour with Mitsuhide's uncle, except for Aki and the deceased Mitsukuni.

"She is on my back, fast asleep," Mitsuhide answered both of them. "But quietly. She spent the last month walking on foot from Nagoya."

"She walked?" Mitsutada repeated, moving out of the way as Mitsuhide stepped up onto the veranda. Mitsutada took the sandals, while Mitsuhisa took the parasol and they entered the warming shelter of the castle.

"From the port of Nagoya?" Mitsuhisa repeated simultaneously.

Lady Akechi emerged into the room, a frown of curiosity on her face, before it smoothed as her eyes widened to see Mitsuhide return with a person on his back.

"Jubei," she gasped. "I thought I heard. Is it Aki?"

Mitsuhide smiled. "Yes, she is. But she is tired. I am amazed she did not wake up after your exclamation, Mitsutada. So I want her to sleep. We will have our reunions tomorrow."

Lady Akechi recovered quickly and nodded with Mitsuhisa. "Give her to me then. I will take her to her quarters and undress her for sleep. There will be much to discuss over the coming days."

"I couldn't agree more!" Mitsuhisa said, seconding Lady Akechi's nod with a grin. "I hope she has not changed much."

"Changed and yet unchanged, I think is probably the wisest assessment in this regard," Lady Akechi said.

"I cannot believe she is back. I was still a small boy back then!" Mitsutada said. "Do you think she will recognise me?"

Mitsuhisa clapped his son on the back. "I'm sure she will. You may have grown upwards but your brain hasn't changed at all."

"Chichi-ue." Mitsutada scowled.

Lady Akechi smiled a little from the interaction, before she took Aki from Mitsuhide's back. Mitsuhide had to bite back the desire to snatch Aki from his mother and return his fiance to his arms.

Lady Akechi made a surprised sound. "What is this? A white streak in her hair?"

"Well, she is technically thirty-seven," Mitsuhisa mused, but scratched his chin with thought regardless, as he peered curiously at Aki's white streak. "Maybe it is a sign of her age, even though her face clearly has not aged at all?"

"I have as many questions to ask as you do, uncle. But for now, leave her be. Even if she woke up now, I doubt she would be awake enough to describe to us her life for these last ten years."

Mitsuhisa sighed. "Yes, yes, you are right. Very well then, sister-in-law, please continue," he said, sliding the screen open for Lady Akechi. She left the three men in the hall, and both uncle and cousin turned their attention to Mitsuhide.

"I wasn't expecting Osamu to return so normally," Mitsutada wondered aloud with a tilt of his head. "Was she not under the guidance of a High God from the Middle Kingdom? I had imagined her arriving by flying on her sword through the clouds, as the immortals do in the Middle Kingdom."

"She still is his disciple, and always will be," Mitsuhide reminded him. "But even though it is a bit of a surprise, her arrival actually feels most appropriate."

"It was probably the best way for her to acclimatise back into Japanese society, both physically and mentally, to take the longer road so she has time to think," Mitsuhisa said. "It is very different here to Kunlun Mountain." He then sighed. "Ah well. I have to hold my questions until tomorrow. Hmm, I'll ask Yuko to prepare a soothing drink for her throat, otherwise she would lose her voice by midday I think," Mitsuhisa chuckled and grasped Mitsuhide's shoulder. "It is good to see her back. Mitsuyasu and his boy will be very pleased to hear this news when they return as well. Come, Mitsutada. Let us leave our chief to his thoughts. I imagine he is having a lot of them at the moment."

Mitsutada looked down but grinned and Mitsuhisa smirked. Mitsuhide shook his head as he watched the two of them leave. The teasing had been bad enough from them when Aki had been gone. Now that she was back, who knew what tormented words the father and son were going to concoct in an attempt to finally make Mitsuhide's face redden.

He sighed. Might as well prepare for it, he thought.

xxx

The afternoon entered the evening, which wore into the night. The castle was alive this evening with excitement over the return of Akechi Osamu. None however had the pleasure of seeing her, given she was deeply asleep. Only Yuko had the pleasure, for she attended to Aki with Lady Akechi.

Mitsuhide had tried for the last few hours to get some work done. But his attempts were futile. He could not focus at all, feeling the same bubble of excitement as the rest of the castle to hear their beloved Osamu had finally returned from her pilgrimage.

For Mitsuhide however, it was different. With her return, she became a force which pulled on Mitsuhide as the moon called to the tides. He had been parted from her for so long. Now that she was finally returned, his desire to be by her side was unbearable.

Mitsuhide put his brush down on the table and rested his head in his hand with a sigh, rubbing his eyes.

Less than more twelve hours. I have been able to stay away from her for ten years. Surely I can manage the duration of the night, he thought to himself.

As if fate played an ironic joke on him, he heard his mother's footsteps approach his room as soon as his thought was finished. Raising his head, Mitsuhide's eyes landed on the screen before it opened.

Lady Akechi stood in the doorway, but did not come in. Instead, she beckoned to him. "Jubei. Come with me. There is something you need to see."

Mitsuhide frowned at his mother's tone. She sounded concerned.

"What is the matter?" He asked as he stood.

"It is Aki's white streak. You will understand why in a moment. It certainly answered a great deal of questions from me," Lady Akechi said, her voice low as she led him to Aki's quarters.

The lamps were blown out, bathing the area in solitary darkness. After a few screens, the two entered Aki's room. How strange it was to see someone sleeping in the room which had been empty for the last decade. Yet seeing it was Aki who slept here, it was as if she had never left. What a strange sensation it was, to experience two forms of time simultaneously in one room.

Aki slept deeply under the quilt on the futon. Her outer hanfu had been removed and Yuko had taken it away for washing, leaving Aki wearing a thin and delicate white hanfu underneath. In that sense, the kimono and hanfu were similar in their multiple layers. However, the hanfu was far more flowing and allowed for greater flexibility. The rest of Aki would need a bath in the morning.

"What is it, Haha-ue?" Mitsuhide asked quietly in the gloom. He was overcome by another feeling, one of relief to be in the same room as Aki once again, though he kept this feeling internal and hidden.

She motioned down to Aki with slender fingers. "The white streak of Aki's hair is not age. It may look it upon first glance, but I detected magic from it, a very static form of magic. So I touched it out of curiosity. I think you should do the same."

"Static?" Mitsuhide repeated as he knelt down by Aki's side in silence. The glimpse of the lightning trial flashed into his mind. "Lightning?" He breathed sharply, recalling the horrific shock of witnessing one of the bolts of lightning in the trial.

Lady Akechi paused for a moment. "How did you know?"

Mitsuhide exhaled softly. "A few months ago, I dreamt I witnessed a fragment of Aki's lightning trial. I thought it was just a dream . . . but Yue Lao said it was what had actually happened. How I saw it, I do not know." Tentatively, Mitsuhide reached out. "I wonder if this streak is a mark of this trial?"

He touched her white hair.

A vision violently flashed through his mind. It was not the first bolt which he had dreamt. This was the second bolt, the bolt which hurt Aki the most. He felt the horrific pain of the jolt as if he were the one who took the strike, even though it was nothing but a phantom experience of the real thing. He saw her on her hands and knees, arms shaking as blood dripped from her nose and ears.

Mitsuhide snatched his hand back with a slight hiss. His heart was pounding.

No wonder Yue Lao stopped cultivating. His next trial is supposed to be forty-nine lightning bolts. Aki's was only three, but if each strike feels like this . . . he trailed off, not finishing his thought as despite the phantom sting in his hand, he reached out again to touch Aki's hair.

Another violent vision boomed through his mind, this time of the third bolt. He saw her stand and face the sky. He saw her take the last strike, and felt its raw power course through her body, connecting everything she had learnt from Baihu, transforming her body into something more celestial, something less human, and reforged her spirit into something divine.

A part of the sky's power lingered, bleaching a section of her hair as white as the lightning.

Mitsuhide pulled his hand back again, but this time it was not with as much shock. A frown creased his brow.

"I could never have imagined Aki, the human, would have been able to survive such a trial. Is this really how they ascend over there?" Lady Akechi murmured, sitting on Aki's other side. It was a rare moment to see Lady Akechi concerned and worried, as well as mildly amazed that the woman Lady Akechi had only ever viewed as human previously, showed such strength to go through something so traumatic.

"Yes," Mitsuhide answered bluntly. "Not all of them survive. Even Gods are killed by their own ascension trials if they are not prepared. The road to power is not an easy one. The Chinese understand it better than anyone. Their ways of life are balanced, in every sense. There is no gain without pain and hardship. The greater the gift being sought, the greater the price to be paid. Everything they do is within the laws of the Natural Order, which is why those who have ascended, truly deserve their new titles, and have the strength to match it." Mitsuhide reached out, brushing the lightning streak of hair from Aki's face so her expression was clear. "But, it horrifies me to realise this is what she has had to do to ascend. And it horrifies me even more to know there are more ascension trials waiting for her in the future. This trial helped her ascend into the first stages of immortality. But she is not a complete immortal yet, and will not be so for many hundreds of years."

Lady Akechi was silent as Mitsuhide's words settled on them both. "However, it is enough," she finally said.

Mitsuhide glanced at her.

"It is enough," she said again, "For her to stand with us. I believe I may have underestimated her strength in the past."

Mitsuhide realised what his mother meant, as he sensed a new found respect Lady Akechi finally had for Aki.

Anyone who had seen Aki on the battlefield would know of her strength, especially after her last battle against the giant Oni. No one knew better than Mitsuhide of Aki's strength, as he watched her struggle to maintain awareness and hold onto life after she had been impaled deeply by an arrow.

For Lady Akechi to glimpse a part of the lightning trial from the residue of its power in Aki's lightning streak, was more than enough for a Pureblood of her standing and knowledge to fully comprehend what Aki truly was now.

Aki may have looked the same on the outside, and behaved the same and talked the same as she used to. But internally, Aki was very different now. It was something worthy of awe, of respect, and possibly, of a little bit of fear.