Chapter 8: Kama Sutra
Yasha stood in the covered atrium by the practice arena, watching the gathering crowd as attendants brought his new armor.
He had certainly struck home when he'd pointed out Tenou's flaws. The Emporer had not even given them time to rejuvenate from the "sacrifice" before he had publicly announced a sparring match between Yasha and himself. Less than two days since Ashura had been on the sacrificial altar, and now Yasha would be in the arena facing Vajra, the Thunderbolt. He could not possibly win-- and Tenou couldn't let him anyway. It would not hurt for the Emporer to publicly drive home his domination of Yasha and Ashura a second time; but the Emporer was driven in this by more than politics.
Besides, Tenou's politics were going to come apart at the seams. Yasha could not quite fathom the man; intelligent but driven, loving his people and his twin, yet risking everything with his pride and his desire to prove himself once and for all.
Yasha stood tall and impassive as the armor was fastened on him piece by piece. It was not unlike his old set, emblazoned with the magical colors red, black, and white. He waved away the light black cloak. Showy, but an impediment. Ashura was nearby, dressed in white silk with golden ornaments and waiting silently behind a gauze veil.
Yasha's attendants proceeded efficiently with their task, then, bowing, they left the room quickly.
"Come out, Ashura," Yasha said, aware Ashura was feeling a bit useless. "May I have a token from you?"
"What's that, Yasha?"
"It is something worn by a combatant's loved one. It will bring me good luck."
Ashura thought hard, frowning. Yasha suppressed a smile as he clearly saw the other's mind consider the everpresent choker necklace before realizing it wouldn't fit around Yasha's muscular neck. Then Ashura reached up suddenly, and a long cascade of obsidian hair fell to the floor all around them as Ashura removed Gigei's hairpiece. Yasha did smile then, and sat down on a footstool. "Please fasten my hair for me, Ashura."
Ashura did so carefully, with an air of importance. When everything was ready, Yasha stood up again and shifted from foot to foot, walking once in a circle with Ashura to his right. "You realize I cannot win this contest," he said. "But your token may save me from broken bones!"
"Break no bones, Yasha-- yours or Tenou's!"
Yasha sniff-kissed Ashura's head lightly and sent his companion off with a gentle pat. "Go take the seat Tenou has given to you. Be careful of this crowd, Ashura. I will be in the arena soon."
Upon leaving the atrium, Ashura was met by four of Tenou's personal guards. The procession to the place Tenou had given his sibling was a strange one. Ashura felt vertigo upon seeing the faces of so many gods. So many expressions. Surprise, enchantment... fear, hatred... For the rest of the way, Tenkai's last Ashura-ou watched the floor, not the crowd as Yasha had instructed, at last reaching a place by the Emporer's own empty seat. Once settled in and protected by more guards, Ashura's golden eyes began to brighten with excitement.
Yasha still stood in the atrium ready for combat, waiting for the Emporer's entrance into the arena. Since the moment they had first met in the Audience Hall, he had been aware that the Emporer was badly handicapped on the right side by a twisted arm. Most likely the injury dealt him by Ashura two thousand years before. He concealed it very well and Yasha felt that it was not common knowledge. Fortunate for Tenou that the injury had been on his shield arm. His sibling could not have known Tenou was lefthanded...?
Yasha knew far better than to underestimate Taishakuten's son. Nevertheless, he knew he must fight in such a manner as to not publicly reveal Tenou's weak point. This would entail the use of Ki rather than hand-to-hand combat, and should provide quite a show.
He wondered if Tenou had fully considered the possible consequences of this match or if he was just supremely confident in himself, or in Yasha's discretion.
He heard the roar of applause as the beloved Emporer of Zenmijou entered at last. Tenou stood solidly in the arena with a relaxed air of complete confidence, Vajra, the Thunderbolt, in his left hand, a golden shield on his right arm. The crowd cheered on and on.
Yasha drew a deep breath and stepped out. His thick black mane, done up in a topknot barely held in place by Ashura's hairclip, did not quite drag in the sand. He bore no shield, only Yamato. Light flashed from the blade. Immediately the applause turned to catcalls and jeers. The old warrior experienced a vertigo not unlike Ashura's as he strode calmly across the hard-packed, pure white sand.
Tenou turned to the vast crowd and silenced the catcalls with a curt wave of his hand, then faced Yasha. "Yasha-ou!" he called in a clear voice that carried far. "Are you prepared to be defeated?"
"Never!" was Yasha's reply. Tenou's eyebrow quirked at the answer. Without further formality the contest began.
Yasha started the battle hard and fast with his Ki at a strength usually reserved for mazoku. Tenou deflected the searing light without apparent effort. His one-handed counterattack threw Yasha half a hundred feet through the air down the arena's length. Yasha backflipped in full armor and lit on his feet with unreal agility, his hair flying around him. Ashura cheered in surprise at the stunt, then fell silent, feeling the watching eyes of the crowd.
Yasha was murmuring to Yamato. The sword's eyes glowed red. Ashura clenched both fists, feeling Shurato quivering inside. Ashura hushed her gently.
Yasha did not hesitate further but invoked the Heavenly Wolf, a searing flash of energy that could have leveled a battalion. The sound of the shockwave rolling around the city walls was like thunder in the mountains. Tenou withstood it, not giving an inch, his golden shield upraised with both arms, long red hair streaming straight backward. Quickly he brought Vajra to bear upon the warrior god. This time Yasha was hit with such force that he was tumbled into the sand. The crowd roared.
"Enough!" cried Tenou and Ashura at the same time.
Ashura leaped down from the royal dais and vaulted the arena wall as Yasha dragged himself upright with a grim smile and spat out a mouthful of blood. "I concede!" Ashura came to his side. Tenou offered his hand to Yasha, who took it readily.
"Yasha!" said Ashura. "You have a bad nosebleed!"
Yasha smiled reassuringly. "It is nothing. Look away now. Do not look at my blood!"
"You had better let my physician take care of it quickly," Tenou said seriously as they made their way together back to the atrium, leaving a trail of red on the white sand. "I am sorry. I didn't intend that."
"You have all your father's strength, Tentei. I am fortunate it is no worse!"
* * *
The next day, Yasha spent most of his time sitting quietly, polishing his new armor. Tenou's physician had done a good job stopping the bleeding, but Yasha wasn't going to push his luck. Ashura, dressed in splendorous silliness in a green and gold sari with no matching blouse, spent the morning waiting anxiously on him until Yasha finally shoo'd his companion out of the room with a fond smile. "Go to the Peacock Garden," he said. "There you will find people to meet and better things to do. I am all right. Just watch yourself. Do not take any food offered you by anyone, and do not stray out of the Garden. Tenou has posted guards." It was the same lecture he had given every day they'd been here, and Ashura sighed impatiently.
After solemnly promising to eat no food from strangers, Ashura wandered off, feeling somewhat disconsolate. Yasha's defeat in the duel, though it had been inevitable, had subdued them both, and the aborted sacrifice still lay heavy on Ashura's mind.
Wandering under a flowering tree, Ashura spied a small and fragile woman sitting upon the grass. Though she appeared very frail, her face was radiant with some nameless inner joy. She sat on a silk cushion in a ray of sunlight, dangling a shining string of pearls to tease her pet peacock. Ashura approached her a little unsteadily, for she seemed like someone eerily familiar. The feeling grew stronger the closer Ashura came. Then she looked up, and Ashura almost fell over with astonishment. Though her face was nothing like the one Ashura remembered, there was somehow no mistaking her. "Karura!!"
She stroked the peacock's iridescent neck as though musing. "Hello. Some people do say that I am she, reborn. You must be the Ashura."
"Yes, I'm still Ashura. I mean-- Kujaku brought me back, you know. Oh, Karura! I'm so glad to see you again!" Ashura sat down at her feet.
She reached to lay a hand on Ashura's glossy black head. "My name is Shaunakaa. You have such lovely hair! How could the Council put you through such frightening things?!"
"Where is Karyoubinga?" Ashura asked eagerly, ignoring her questions. "You told me about her a long time ago."
Shaunakaa blinked, confused. "Karyoubinga?"
"Your little sister!"
She smiled gently at Ashura and flicked the string of pearls to her peacock. "I have no little sister."
The delight Ashura had felt turned upside down in an instant. "No... That can't be! Karura! You lived for Karyoubinga..."
She placed a finger to her lips in a quieting gesture. "Ashura, you must understand. I was told by Shuki that I once had a little sister who was very dear to me, and sometimes I almost remember her... Just as I almost remember you."
* * *
Ashura wandered alone in the Peacock Garden for an hour or so. There were no stones to kick. Every white peacock was reminiscent of Garuda. "Karyoubinga..." muttered Ashura, standing near the vine-covered bower that hung high over the foaming pool a hundred feet below. The noise of the waterfall seemed almost dizzying.
Going across the middle of the garden to avoid Shaunakaa, Ashura was suddenly stopped short near the two temples by an intriguing sight. A remarkable looking young man with golden brown skin and large dark eyes sat crosslegged with a bow by his side and a heavy parchment scroll on his lap. He had a pen made of a peacock's plume and he wrote leisurely, dipping the tip of the quill into an exotic red coral inkwell. Ashura took a second look at the inkwell and blushed brightly just as the man glanced up, shaking wavy dark hair out of his face. "Oh, Ashura! I've been expecting to meet you. Sit down!"
Ashura sat, awkwardly folding those long legs and rearranging the stubbornly wayward sari. "Are you Kama?"
"Yes I am, and I'm honored to meet you." Kama's voice was low and musical, as befitted the God of Love.
"What's that you're writing?" Ashura scooted sideways to see the scroll. Kama held it up. "In future times I will incarnate as a human sage, Vatsayayana, and he will write the Kama Sutra for mankind. This is that same Sutra, but written for the gods." He winked.
"I wish I could read it," Ashura said. "Perhaps Yasha will read it to me one day."
"I'll teach you to read it. That's my job."
Ashura's eyes widened. "Tenou chose --you-- to be my tutor? I was expecting Ganapati!"
"My, what an ego we have here! No, your old cousin has a hundred thousand thousand other things on his mind, as always. I, on the other hand, lead a life of relative leisure. I shoot a few arrows each day--" he patted his quiver-- "sit back, and enjoy the results!"
"Did you shoot me and Yasha?"
"I hit you both with a single arrow. One of my best shots. Changed fate!"
"So it wasn't me after all..."
"Oh, you changed fate all right, but it was I who gave you the reason to do so, and I got that power from another god, and so on, right back to the Beginning. And now I will give you the ability to make sense of this alphabet. So pay attention!"
Ashura sat straighbacked, legs crossed, and Kama held up his book. "This script is called Devanagari. It is the writing of the gods. First you will learn to spell your name." He set the book on his knee and reached for another quill and a piece of thick parchment, which he handed to his student before picking up his own, rather distracting, pen. "A-SU-RA... There. Good. The top line is drawn like this... Very good. Then mine, KA-MA--"
"Yasha," Ashura said stubbornly.
"All right, all right... Perhaps I shot too well, you two are certainly still stuck together. See here. YA-KSHA, 'demon.' There is no written "A" except at the begining of a word, or if it is sounded long, like Shaunakaa..." Kama paused suddenly. "What did I say?"
Ashura put down quill and parchment, looking up. "I just met her. It's Karura. She's forgotten her sister."
"Ah, your thoughts are so transparent. Does love last? Sometimes. There is always a reason if it fades. Now my wife has been with me for several lifetimes and we have never forgotten one another. But of course, I hunted and shot her very carefully indeed!"
"Did you have to shoot yourself too?"
Kama fell sideways and began to laugh so hard his whole body shook. "Oh gods!..." Eventually righting himself, he regarded his student more soberly. "I wish I were teaching you other things... But I presume too much. Judging by your preoccupation with clothes, jewelry and Yasha-ou, you are no stranger to my favorite art. Tell me, if you would-- for I may need one more chapter in my book-- what is it like to be genderless? I have seen many interesting people in Tenkai, including some who are of both genders, but none so interesting as you."
Ashura looked away, taken aback, somewhat flattered and uncomfortable all at the same time. After spending some minutes gathering words and wits together while Kama merely sat and waited, Ashura said: "No one has ever asked me what that felt like. Not even Yasha.
"I guess... Well, when I was very young I had no feeling of being really different. I knew I was not the same as Yasha, because we often bathed and slept together. I did not look like him, so I thought I must be a girl. It was simple, and he said nothing about it. But then I remember stopping at an old temple in the jungle and looking at all the carvings, and suddenly realizing not one of them looked like me at all... Ryuu..." Ashura fell silent for a moment, battling sudden tears, then continued calmly. "Ryuu said I was just a very rare kind of person.
"I was troubled by that. I asked Yasha that night what kind of person has no breasts. All the temple statues had breasts. Even Yasha has breasts. He looked sad when I asked him about it. I don't think he knew what to say." Ashura smiled gently. "He's like that. Everything he really wants to say, he can say better without words... He told me to go ask Souma, that she was a Healer and could explain it better than he. So I did. And she told me that I was neither woman nor man. I could never enjoy the same as everyone else, and I could never have children. No more Ashuras. I cried when she said it.
"But she also said I was free to choose whatever I wanted to be, that I could do things just as I pleased and not worry about any of those weird rules, like why Yasha can't wear a dress and things like that! That was good. It was probably when I first began really thinking hard about Yasha too, what he might like me to wear. How he was so strong and tall, and I... I felt like a girl, maybe, in his presence. Does that make any sense?" Ashura glanced at Kama shyly.
"It makes perfect sense. In relation to Yasha, you are womanlike, for he is far more masculine than you. But in relation to someone else, you might be more masculine. This would in fact be a perfect situation for you, Ashura... If only you could enjoy it."
"Oh, but I can after all! I can, Yasha showed me how!" Ashura's eyes dilated with memories of past excitement.
"How?" Kama's intent look betrayed nothing but honest interest.
Ashura turned bright red and looked away. "Well... It's his kisses, Kama, they are the most wonderful kisses in the whole world. Some days I can think of nothing else except how much I need them."
Kama smiled gently. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to. My question was mostly professional. Part of my job, God of Love and all..."
Ashura pretended to study the landscape around them, then giggled a little and lay back on the grass, arms crossed behind head. "It... I don't know. This is kind of fun." White teeth flashed in the filtered sunlight.
* * *
Shukidevi leaned over her water mirror, a hand on either side. Her voice shook. "The Dragon stirs... Seiryuu is on the march, and the entire clan with him."
"What, even the children?" Tenou was incredulous.
"Even the children. Not one is left behind." She straightened, grim- faced. "My lord. If they pursue their present course they will be killed. Please, listen to me! You must send your brother away from here!"
Tenou's jaw set. "Send a messenger to Shesha, my general. Tell him to station a battalion in the Southern Reaches, but to kill only if there is no other way. Tell him to block the passes instead. And to get the ships out to sea."
* * *
Ashura giggled again in delight, telling the story of how, one night in the jungle, Yasha had first conceded to dance. "...And he spun me round and round until we were both as dizzy as drunkards!"
At the end of the writing lesson, (when they got back to it) Ashura could spell several names and, thanking Kama profusely, left with tangible regret. Kama was so easygoing and likeable, so full of laughter yet so attuned to feelings which others might only be amused by.
Venturing out again later in the afternoon, Ashura ran immediately into Tenou himself. The Emporer was standing still in the courtyard of the Temple Garden as if indecisive. He seemed lost in thought, but when Ashura hesitated, he came to his senses immediately. "Ashura! Just who I wanted to see."
Coming shyly close, Ashura offered a tremulous smile. Tenou did not return it but took Ashura's arm seriously. "Walk with me."
They wandered through the temple grounds in the golden light.
"How is Yasha?"
"Much better, thank you. He spent all day polishing the new armor you gave him. Are you going to make him a general?"
"Did he say that?!"
"Oh, no, brother! I was just wondering."
"Hm."
"Tenou? What's bothering you?"
"Nothing that should concern you, Ashura..." Tenou's eyes were deeply apologetic. "I'm sorry, brother. I've been acting like such a bear lately. I shouldn't have challenged Yasha at all..."
"It's not something I did, is it?"
Tenou stopped. "Something you did," he repeated to the air. Then he turned, grasping Ashura by both shoulders. "Yasha has not taught you how to think of yourself, has he?"
"Of course he has."
"No he hasn't. Yasha has taught you how to fight and how to love, but outside of those battlefields, he was never known as guru material. It is his strength and loyalty that he is legendary for."
Ashura came near to bristling, but controlled it. "Yasha lets his actions speak for him."
"Yes. I wish to teach you how to think of yourself, Ashura. You're living in pain Yasha doesn't know how to stop."
"Tenou, you must remember what happened--"
"--Yes, yes! Only too well!"
"And--" Ashura pressed the issue-- "what might happen again if I stay here much longer. It's that that's bothering you, isn't it, brother? You wanted to come and tell me to go, but you don't want me to leave."
"Do you want to leave?"
"...No." Ashura glanced around, making sure no one could hear them. "But I can hear the priests whispering among themselves. They are taking sides. And something else is going on. I don't know what, but I can feel it."
Tenou sighed. "It's Seiryuu. He still wants revenge."
Ashura's face turned pale and urgent. "Tenou! Tenou, I killed Ryuu, I can't stand any more. I loved Ryuu, he was my friend. And I killed him. Seiryuu has a right to his revenge!"
"You were not yourself. You have to learn to forgive yourself, Ashura, just as I have forgiven you. And Yasha has forgiven you too. But you must forgive yourself and let it go, as Seiryuu cannot."
Ashura looked away and back, like a helpless bird trapped. "But how?! Tenou-- if something happens to that clan, I will kill myself! Let me go!"
"It's too late. Even if I let you go, Seiryuu would not stop his march on Zenmijou."
Ashura's eyes were huge with horror. Tenou caught his sibling up in his strong arms and they clung to one another. "Ashura. You cannot kill yourself, for Yasha needs you, and so do I. You must live. You must!"
Ashura was weeping quietly. "I knew this might happen... But I could not refuse your call..."
"That's right. You literally could not refuse. You were forced to come here. So you see, what's happening now is not your fault. It will never be your fault." Tenou lifted Ashura in his arms and sat down on a nearby bench, rocking the other very gently, just as Yasha sometimes did. Ashura still clung to him like a needy child.
"Don't worry, Ashura. My army is vast. They will block Seiryuu's path with stones and keep him from the sea routes. I have ordered my general Shesha not to kill."
"Truly, brother?"
Tenou kissed Ashura's forehead tenderly. "Truly. I do not wish to hurt anybody. Least of all, you."
* * *
So the Ryuu clan was on the march. Yasha paced the floor. Seiryuu's company would be slaughtered, he thought, and Ashura would take the blow. Did Varuna have anything to do with it? Did the Twelve hope that Ashura might be driven to suicide a second time?
Damn Tenou! Yasha swore silently. How could such a strong Emporer be so weak?!
Nevertheless, he and Ashura said nothing about it over dinner. They ate quietly and quietly they went to bed.
"Yasha?"
"Mm."
"Please, let's have a wedding..."
"All right, love. When shall it be?" His voice was very tender. Ashura did not hear the sadness he felt.
"Tenou consulted the temple astrologers for us. They said the next full moon would be very auspicious."
"Then the next full moon it is." Will Seiryuu be dead by then--? Yasha thought bitterly.
* * *
Yasha sought an audience with Tenou the next day, while Ashura was away with Kama. He was respectful, but he did not stand on ceremony. "Your Highness, let us go. I do not want to see the last of a noble clan slaughtered."
"Shesha has achieved a truce of sorts, Yasha-ou. The Naga women, children, and half-men are all turning back. Shuki has seen it."
"That clan will never back down. They're up to something."
"The men intend to fight, of course. But the clan will not be slaughtered, I promise you."
"You cannot guarantee it." Yasha fell silent for a long, thoughtful moment, then abruptly changed the subject. "Tenou. I have a promise to fulfill here."
"I know."
Yasha did not betray any surprise. "You will make arrangements?"
"That promise binds you here, but I do not wish to torment Shuki. I will consult with her. Now, I must ask your leave. I have other matters that are pressing."
Yasha left to stride through the Peacock Garden. As he neared a hidden corner of the Temple complex, he heard Ashura's laughter and drew near quietly. What he saw almost made him forget that there was an upcoming war.
Kama had Ashura on his lap, nose to nose, and Ashura was blushing. Yasha's single eye twinkled and he listened closely.
"Kama... you are the God of Love. I am the God of War."
"Yes."
"I made a promise to Yasha."
"Yasha will always be yours. The love of War and Death has always been and always will be."
Yasha stole away quietly. The God of Love was irresistible, of course. Best let Ashura enjoy while enjoying was to be had. He retired to their quarters to think.
* * *
Kama caught Ashura's upper lip gently between his teeth and the War God gasped, clasping his delicious body. Their full mouths were a match for one another. Kama's hands were as tender as Yasha's and they were all over, shamelessly exploring. "K- Kama," breathed Ashura when the kiss was finally broken. "Please-- my secret belongs to Yasha..."
Kama drew back a little to meet Ashura's eyes. "I would never steal your innocence. Yasha has not taken you, has he?"
"...No." Ashura blushed again. "I want him to. But he says I am too different. He's afraid to, Kama."
"His fear is irrational, instinctive."
"You almost sound like you know him," Ashura said slowly. "Have... Did you love Yasha?!"
"I did, a very long time ago. Love and War attract. Love and Death, even more so."
"Please, when did you know him? Tell me!"
"I came to him before he was a king. But I already knew about the Prophecy, so I did not stay long." Kama touched Ashura's face. "I left his heart with all the love I could fill it with-- the love he gives to you."
* * *
"...Yasha, Oh Yasha! I feel like crying!"
"Why is that?"
"I... I have to tell you something horrible..."
Yasha bent suddenly to lift Ashura up in his arms, carrying the long-legged figure kicking and protesting across the room, with the ornate pallu of the sari trailing over the marble floor. "Yashaa...! You will get your nosebleed back!" Yasha ignored this, laying Ashura down gently on their bed and leaning over his love. "Now tell me... what is this horrible thing?" His single eye sparkled. "What is this disshevelled hair I see, and your clothes all in disarray? What are these teeth marks on your shoulder? Could it be you that I saw today, making love with Kama in the Temple Grove...?"
"Yasha!" Ashura gasped with astonishment. "You saw?! And you did not kill him?"
"Why should I kill him when he was making you so happy?"
Long silence. Yasha gazed at that lovely face with deep affection. Finally Ashura spoke in small voice. "But Yasha. Didn't it hurt you? I didn't want to ever hurt you! I didn't want to break our promise!"
"You never broke our promise. You can never betray me by loving someone else. It did hurt. Then I saw how very happy you were, and heard you laugh, and I knew the God of Love could please you like no one else-- even myself. He cannot be resisted, Ashura. So what is a small wound on my heart, which is healing as I speak, compared to the wounds you have suffered, which are still festering? Now..." he whispered, drawn closer by the parted pink lips, "Teach me what Kama taught you..."
"Oh, Kama was not teaching me so much as I was teaching Kama!"
Yasha laughed richly and flung his robe aside. "Somehow I am not surprised!"
But something else was bothering Ashura. Yasha did not take more than a kiss or two before simply holding his loved one in his arms. After a time, Ashura wriggled out of them and lay curled up tightly, a small shape on the big bed.
Yasha lay an arm over his companion. Something more serious was about to spill out. "Speak to me. Is it Seiryuu?"
"Yes. But there's something else..." Ashura recounted the meeting with Shaunakaa/Karura. "...But she did not remember her sister, Yasha... Why did she not remember, while Kama gets the same wife in every lifetime?"
Yasha sighed. "I don't know. Perhaps part of her does remember, for she is frail and sickly, like Karyoubinga once was. Perhaps she accepted Karyoubinga's karmas so her sister might go free to Samadhi without further delay. Perhaps... Perhaps forgetting was part of the price."
"...Will we forget each other?"
Yasha was silent for a long time. He would not give Ashura false promises. At last he said: "I swore to protect you always. That is my intent."
"You are not answering my question! Yasha... You are the God of Death! Can't you do something?"
"No, Ashura. I am subject to Mahadeva, as are all lesser gods. People die at their appointed times; my existence is only the instrument. It happens by itself. It is happening as I speak. There is an old lady in Lower Zenmijou who has just left her body... She is very happy... And a young man who is dying of a fever. He does not want to die, but he will have to leave anyway in a short time, because of me. Because I exist. Ashura, even the people you once slaughtered really died because I am in the world. I am Death." He sighed heavily. "But even Death must die one day. I don't know if we will forget each other. I pray that we do not."
Ashura's eyes were wide, almost vacant. Yasha kissed his love very tenderly.
"Yasha... Kama shot Taishakuten... And my father. If he had not... "
"Yes. I know."
"I should hate him..."
"But you can't."
"Yasha. Why did Tenou do this? Why did he make Kama my teacher?"
"I don't know. Perhaps to show you that there is a reason for all of your suffering, that there were forces far beyond your control directing the destiny of the clans. Kama cannot be resisted. In the realm of Love he is all-powerful... and love can drive men mad."
Yasha stood in the covered atrium by the practice arena, watching the gathering crowd as attendants brought his new armor.
He had certainly struck home when he'd pointed out Tenou's flaws. The Emporer had not even given them time to rejuvenate from the "sacrifice" before he had publicly announced a sparring match between Yasha and himself. Less than two days since Ashura had been on the sacrificial altar, and now Yasha would be in the arena facing Vajra, the Thunderbolt. He could not possibly win-- and Tenou couldn't let him anyway. It would not hurt for the Emporer to publicly drive home his domination of Yasha and Ashura a second time; but the Emporer was driven in this by more than politics.
Besides, Tenou's politics were going to come apart at the seams. Yasha could not quite fathom the man; intelligent but driven, loving his people and his twin, yet risking everything with his pride and his desire to prove himself once and for all.
Yasha stood tall and impassive as the armor was fastened on him piece by piece. It was not unlike his old set, emblazoned with the magical colors red, black, and white. He waved away the light black cloak. Showy, but an impediment. Ashura was nearby, dressed in white silk with golden ornaments and waiting silently behind a gauze veil.
Yasha's attendants proceeded efficiently with their task, then, bowing, they left the room quickly.
"Come out, Ashura," Yasha said, aware Ashura was feeling a bit useless. "May I have a token from you?"
"What's that, Yasha?"
"It is something worn by a combatant's loved one. It will bring me good luck."
Ashura thought hard, frowning. Yasha suppressed a smile as he clearly saw the other's mind consider the everpresent choker necklace before realizing it wouldn't fit around Yasha's muscular neck. Then Ashura reached up suddenly, and a long cascade of obsidian hair fell to the floor all around them as Ashura removed Gigei's hairpiece. Yasha did smile then, and sat down on a footstool. "Please fasten my hair for me, Ashura."
Ashura did so carefully, with an air of importance. When everything was ready, Yasha stood up again and shifted from foot to foot, walking once in a circle with Ashura to his right. "You realize I cannot win this contest," he said. "But your token may save me from broken bones!"
"Break no bones, Yasha-- yours or Tenou's!"
Yasha sniff-kissed Ashura's head lightly and sent his companion off with a gentle pat. "Go take the seat Tenou has given to you. Be careful of this crowd, Ashura. I will be in the arena soon."
Upon leaving the atrium, Ashura was met by four of Tenou's personal guards. The procession to the place Tenou had given his sibling was a strange one. Ashura felt vertigo upon seeing the faces of so many gods. So many expressions. Surprise, enchantment... fear, hatred... For the rest of the way, Tenkai's last Ashura-ou watched the floor, not the crowd as Yasha had instructed, at last reaching a place by the Emporer's own empty seat. Once settled in and protected by more guards, Ashura's golden eyes began to brighten with excitement.
Yasha still stood in the atrium ready for combat, waiting for the Emporer's entrance into the arena. Since the moment they had first met in the Audience Hall, he had been aware that the Emporer was badly handicapped on the right side by a twisted arm. Most likely the injury dealt him by Ashura two thousand years before. He concealed it very well and Yasha felt that it was not common knowledge. Fortunate for Tenou that the injury had been on his shield arm. His sibling could not have known Tenou was lefthanded...?
Yasha knew far better than to underestimate Taishakuten's son. Nevertheless, he knew he must fight in such a manner as to not publicly reveal Tenou's weak point. This would entail the use of Ki rather than hand-to-hand combat, and should provide quite a show.
He wondered if Tenou had fully considered the possible consequences of this match or if he was just supremely confident in himself, or in Yasha's discretion.
He heard the roar of applause as the beloved Emporer of Zenmijou entered at last. Tenou stood solidly in the arena with a relaxed air of complete confidence, Vajra, the Thunderbolt, in his left hand, a golden shield on his right arm. The crowd cheered on and on.
Yasha drew a deep breath and stepped out. His thick black mane, done up in a topknot barely held in place by Ashura's hairclip, did not quite drag in the sand. He bore no shield, only Yamato. Light flashed from the blade. Immediately the applause turned to catcalls and jeers. The old warrior experienced a vertigo not unlike Ashura's as he strode calmly across the hard-packed, pure white sand.
Tenou turned to the vast crowd and silenced the catcalls with a curt wave of his hand, then faced Yasha. "Yasha-ou!" he called in a clear voice that carried far. "Are you prepared to be defeated?"
"Never!" was Yasha's reply. Tenou's eyebrow quirked at the answer. Without further formality the contest began.
Yasha started the battle hard and fast with his Ki at a strength usually reserved for mazoku. Tenou deflected the searing light without apparent effort. His one-handed counterattack threw Yasha half a hundred feet through the air down the arena's length. Yasha backflipped in full armor and lit on his feet with unreal agility, his hair flying around him. Ashura cheered in surprise at the stunt, then fell silent, feeling the watching eyes of the crowd.
Yasha was murmuring to Yamato. The sword's eyes glowed red. Ashura clenched both fists, feeling Shurato quivering inside. Ashura hushed her gently.
Yasha did not hesitate further but invoked the Heavenly Wolf, a searing flash of energy that could have leveled a battalion. The sound of the shockwave rolling around the city walls was like thunder in the mountains. Tenou withstood it, not giving an inch, his golden shield upraised with both arms, long red hair streaming straight backward. Quickly he brought Vajra to bear upon the warrior god. This time Yasha was hit with such force that he was tumbled into the sand. The crowd roared.
"Enough!" cried Tenou and Ashura at the same time.
Ashura leaped down from the royal dais and vaulted the arena wall as Yasha dragged himself upright with a grim smile and spat out a mouthful of blood. "I concede!" Ashura came to his side. Tenou offered his hand to Yasha, who took it readily.
"Yasha!" said Ashura. "You have a bad nosebleed!"
Yasha smiled reassuringly. "It is nothing. Look away now. Do not look at my blood!"
"You had better let my physician take care of it quickly," Tenou said seriously as they made their way together back to the atrium, leaving a trail of red on the white sand. "I am sorry. I didn't intend that."
"You have all your father's strength, Tentei. I am fortunate it is no worse!"
* * *
The next day, Yasha spent most of his time sitting quietly, polishing his new armor. Tenou's physician had done a good job stopping the bleeding, but Yasha wasn't going to push his luck. Ashura, dressed in splendorous silliness in a green and gold sari with no matching blouse, spent the morning waiting anxiously on him until Yasha finally shoo'd his companion out of the room with a fond smile. "Go to the Peacock Garden," he said. "There you will find people to meet and better things to do. I am all right. Just watch yourself. Do not take any food offered you by anyone, and do not stray out of the Garden. Tenou has posted guards." It was the same lecture he had given every day they'd been here, and Ashura sighed impatiently.
After solemnly promising to eat no food from strangers, Ashura wandered off, feeling somewhat disconsolate. Yasha's defeat in the duel, though it had been inevitable, had subdued them both, and the aborted sacrifice still lay heavy on Ashura's mind.
Wandering under a flowering tree, Ashura spied a small and fragile woman sitting upon the grass. Though she appeared very frail, her face was radiant with some nameless inner joy. She sat on a silk cushion in a ray of sunlight, dangling a shining string of pearls to tease her pet peacock. Ashura approached her a little unsteadily, for she seemed like someone eerily familiar. The feeling grew stronger the closer Ashura came. Then she looked up, and Ashura almost fell over with astonishment. Though her face was nothing like the one Ashura remembered, there was somehow no mistaking her. "Karura!!"
She stroked the peacock's iridescent neck as though musing. "Hello. Some people do say that I am she, reborn. You must be the Ashura."
"Yes, I'm still Ashura. I mean-- Kujaku brought me back, you know. Oh, Karura! I'm so glad to see you again!" Ashura sat down at her feet.
She reached to lay a hand on Ashura's glossy black head. "My name is Shaunakaa. You have such lovely hair! How could the Council put you through such frightening things?!"
"Where is Karyoubinga?" Ashura asked eagerly, ignoring her questions. "You told me about her a long time ago."
Shaunakaa blinked, confused. "Karyoubinga?"
"Your little sister!"
She smiled gently at Ashura and flicked the string of pearls to her peacock. "I have no little sister."
The delight Ashura had felt turned upside down in an instant. "No... That can't be! Karura! You lived for Karyoubinga..."
She placed a finger to her lips in a quieting gesture. "Ashura, you must understand. I was told by Shuki that I once had a little sister who was very dear to me, and sometimes I almost remember her... Just as I almost remember you."
* * *
Ashura wandered alone in the Peacock Garden for an hour or so. There were no stones to kick. Every white peacock was reminiscent of Garuda. "Karyoubinga..." muttered Ashura, standing near the vine-covered bower that hung high over the foaming pool a hundred feet below. The noise of the waterfall seemed almost dizzying.
Going across the middle of the garden to avoid Shaunakaa, Ashura was suddenly stopped short near the two temples by an intriguing sight. A remarkable looking young man with golden brown skin and large dark eyes sat crosslegged with a bow by his side and a heavy parchment scroll on his lap. He had a pen made of a peacock's plume and he wrote leisurely, dipping the tip of the quill into an exotic red coral inkwell. Ashura took a second look at the inkwell and blushed brightly just as the man glanced up, shaking wavy dark hair out of his face. "Oh, Ashura! I've been expecting to meet you. Sit down!"
Ashura sat, awkwardly folding those long legs and rearranging the stubbornly wayward sari. "Are you Kama?"
"Yes I am, and I'm honored to meet you." Kama's voice was low and musical, as befitted the God of Love.
"What's that you're writing?" Ashura scooted sideways to see the scroll. Kama held it up. "In future times I will incarnate as a human sage, Vatsayayana, and he will write the Kama Sutra for mankind. This is that same Sutra, but written for the gods." He winked.
"I wish I could read it," Ashura said. "Perhaps Yasha will read it to me one day."
"I'll teach you to read it. That's my job."
Ashura's eyes widened. "Tenou chose --you-- to be my tutor? I was expecting Ganapati!"
"My, what an ego we have here! No, your old cousin has a hundred thousand thousand other things on his mind, as always. I, on the other hand, lead a life of relative leisure. I shoot a few arrows each day--" he patted his quiver-- "sit back, and enjoy the results!"
"Did you shoot me and Yasha?"
"I hit you both with a single arrow. One of my best shots. Changed fate!"
"So it wasn't me after all..."
"Oh, you changed fate all right, but it was I who gave you the reason to do so, and I got that power from another god, and so on, right back to the Beginning. And now I will give you the ability to make sense of this alphabet. So pay attention!"
Ashura sat straighbacked, legs crossed, and Kama held up his book. "This script is called Devanagari. It is the writing of the gods. First you will learn to spell your name." He set the book on his knee and reached for another quill and a piece of thick parchment, which he handed to his student before picking up his own, rather distracting, pen. "A-SU-RA... There. Good. The top line is drawn like this... Very good. Then mine, KA-MA--"
"Yasha," Ashura said stubbornly.
"All right, all right... Perhaps I shot too well, you two are certainly still stuck together. See here. YA-KSHA, 'demon.' There is no written "A" except at the begining of a word, or if it is sounded long, like Shaunakaa..." Kama paused suddenly. "What did I say?"
Ashura put down quill and parchment, looking up. "I just met her. It's Karura. She's forgotten her sister."
"Ah, your thoughts are so transparent. Does love last? Sometimes. There is always a reason if it fades. Now my wife has been with me for several lifetimes and we have never forgotten one another. But of course, I hunted and shot her very carefully indeed!"
"Did you have to shoot yourself too?"
Kama fell sideways and began to laugh so hard his whole body shook. "Oh gods!..." Eventually righting himself, he regarded his student more soberly. "I wish I were teaching you other things... But I presume too much. Judging by your preoccupation with clothes, jewelry and Yasha-ou, you are no stranger to my favorite art. Tell me, if you would-- for I may need one more chapter in my book-- what is it like to be genderless? I have seen many interesting people in Tenkai, including some who are of both genders, but none so interesting as you."
Ashura looked away, taken aback, somewhat flattered and uncomfortable all at the same time. After spending some minutes gathering words and wits together while Kama merely sat and waited, Ashura said: "No one has ever asked me what that felt like. Not even Yasha.
"I guess... Well, when I was very young I had no feeling of being really different. I knew I was not the same as Yasha, because we often bathed and slept together. I did not look like him, so I thought I must be a girl. It was simple, and he said nothing about it. But then I remember stopping at an old temple in the jungle and looking at all the carvings, and suddenly realizing not one of them looked like me at all... Ryuu..." Ashura fell silent for a moment, battling sudden tears, then continued calmly. "Ryuu said I was just a very rare kind of person.
"I was troubled by that. I asked Yasha that night what kind of person has no breasts. All the temple statues had breasts. Even Yasha has breasts. He looked sad when I asked him about it. I don't think he knew what to say." Ashura smiled gently. "He's like that. Everything he really wants to say, he can say better without words... He told me to go ask Souma, that she was a Healer and could explain it better than he. So I did. And she told me that I was neither woman nor man. I could never enjoy the same as everyone else, and I could never have children. No more Ashuras. I cried when she said it.
"But she also said I was free to choose whatever I wanted to be, that I could do things just as I pleased and not worry about any of those weird rules, like why Yasha can't wear a dress and things like that! That was good. It was probably when I first began really thinking hard about Yasha too, what he might like me to wear. How he was so strong and tall, and I... I felt like a girl, maybe, in his presence. Does that make any sense?" Ashura glanced at Kama shyly.
"It makes perfect sense. In relation to Yasha, you are womanlike, for he is far more masculine than you. But in relation to someone else, you might be more masculine. This would in fact be a perfect situation for you, Ashura... If only you could enjoy it."
"Oh, but I can after all! I can, Yasha showed me how!" Ashura's eyes dilated with memories of past excitement.
"How?" Kama's intent look betrayed nothing but honest interest.
Ashura turned bright red and looked away. "Well... It's his kisses, Kama, they are the most wonderful kisses in the whole world. Some days I can think of nothing else except how much I need them."
Kama smiled gently. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to. My question was mostly professional. Part of my job, God of Love and all..."
Ashura pretended to study the landscape around them, then giggled a little and lay back on the grass, arms crossed behind head. "It... I don't know. This is kind of fun." White teeth flashed in the filtered sunlight.
* * *
Shukidevi leaned over her water mirror, a hand on either side. Her voice shook. "The Dragon stirs... Seiryuu is on the march, and the entire clan with him."
"What, even the children?" Tenou was incredulous.
"Even the children. Not one is left behind." She straightened, grim- faced. "My lord. If they pursue their present course they will be killed. Please, listen to me! You must send your brother away from here!"
Tenou's jaw set. "Send a messenger to Shesha, my general. Tell him to station a battalion in the Southern Reaches, but to kill only if there is no other way. Tell him to block the passes instead. And to get the ships out to sea."
* * *
Ashura giggled again in delight, telling the story of how, one night in the jungle, Yasha had first conceded to dance. "...And he spun me round and round until we were both as dizzy as drunkards!"
At the end of the writing lesson, (when they got back to it) Ashura could spell several names and, thanking Kama profusely, left with tangible regret. Kama was so easygoing and likeable, so full of laughter yet so attuned to feelings which others might only be amused by.
Venturing out again later in the afternoon, Ashura ran immediately into Tenou himself. The Emporer was standing still in the courtyard of the Temple Garden as if indecisive. He seemed lost in thought, but when Ashura hesitated, he came to his senses immediately. "Ashura! Just who I wanted to see."
Coming shyly close, Ashura offered a tremulous smile. Tenou did not return it but took Ashura's arm seriously. "Walk with me."
They wandered through the temple grounds in the golden light.
"How is Yasha?"
"Much better, thank you. He spent all day polishing the new armor you gave him. Are you going to make him a general?"
"Did he say that?!"
"Oh, no, brother! I was just wondering."
"Hm."
"Tenou? What's bothering you?"
"Nothing that should concern you, Ashura..." Tenou's eyes were deeply apologetic. "I'm sorry, brother. I've been acting like such a bear lately. I shouldn't have challenged Yasha at all..."
"It's not something I did, is it?"
Tenou stopped. "Something you did," he repeated to the air. Then he turned, grasping Ashura by both shoulders. "Yasha has not taught you how to think of yourself, has he?"
"Of course he has."
"No he hasn't. Yasha has taught you how to fight and how to love, but outside of those battlefields, he was never known as guru material. It is his strength and loyalty that he is legendary for."
Ashura came near to bristling, but controlled it. "Yasha lets his actions speak for him."
"Yes. I wish to teach you how to think of yourself, Ashura. You're living in pain Yasha doesn't know how to stop."
"Tenou, you must remember what happened--"
"--Yes, yes! Only too well!"
"And--" Ashura pressed the issue-- "what might happen again if I stay here much longer. It's that that's bothering you, isn't it, brother? You wanted to come and tell me to go, but you don't want me to leave."
"Do you want to leave?"
"...No." Ashura glanced around, making sure no one could hear them. "But I can hear the priests whispering among themselves. They are taking sides. And something else is going on. I don't know what, but I can feel it."
Tenou sighed. "It's Seiryuu. He still wants revenge."
Ashura's face turned pale and urgent. "Tenou! Tenou, I killed Ryuu, I can't stand any more. I loved Ryuu, he was my friend. And I killed him. Seiryuu has a right to his revenge!"
"You were not yourself. You have to learn to forgive yourself, Ashura, just as I have forgiven you. And Yasha has forgiven you too. But you must forgive yourself and let it go, as Seiryuu cannot."
Ashura looked away and back, like a helpless bird trapped. "But how?! Tenou-- if something happens to that clan, I will kill myself! Let me go!"
"It's too late. Even if I let you go, Seiryuu would not stop his march on Zenmijou."
Ashura's eyes were huge with horror. Tenou caught his sibling up in his strong arms and they clung to one another. "Ashura. You cannot kill yourself, for Yasha needs you, and so do I. You must live. You must!"
Ashura was weeping quietly. "I knew this might happen... But I could not refuse your call..."
"That's right. You literally could not refuse. You were forced to come here. So you see, what's happening now is not your fault. It will never be your fault." Tenou lifted Ashura in his arms and sat down on a nearby bench, rocking the other very gently, just as Yasha sometimes did. Ashura still clung to him like a needy child.
"Don't worry, Ashura. My army is vast. They will block Seiryuu's path with stones and keep him from the sea routes. I have ordered my general Shesha not to kill."
"Truly, brother?"
Tenou kissed Ashura's forehead tenderly. "Truly. I do not wish to hurt anybody. Least of all, you."
* * *
So the Ryuu clan was on the march. Yasha paced the floor. Seiryuu's company would be slaughtered, he thought, and Ashura would take the blow. Did Varuna have anything to do with it? Did the Twelve hope that Ashura might be driven to suicide a second time?
Damn Tenou! Yasha swore silently. How could such a strong Emporer be so weak?!
Nevertheless, he and Ashura said nothing about it over dinner. They ate quietly and quietly they went to bed.
"Yasha?"
"Mm."
"Please, let's have a wedding..."
"All right, love. When shall it be?" His voice was very tender. Ashura did not hear the sadness he felt.
"Tenou consulted the temple astrologers for us. They said the next full moon would be very auspicious."
"Then the next full moon it is." Will Seiryuu be dead by then--? Yasha thought bitterly.
* * *
Yasha sought an audience with Tenou the next day, while Ashura was away with Kama. He was respectful, but he did not stand on ceremony. "Your Highness, let us go. I do not want to see the last of a noble clan slaughtered."
"Shesha has achieved a truce of sorts, Yasha-ou. The Naga women, children, and half-men are all turning back. Shuki has seen it."
"That clan will never back down. They're up to something."
"The men intend to fight, of course. But the clan will not be slaughtered, I promise you."
"You cannot guarantee it." Yasha fell silent for a long, thoughtful moment, then abruptly changed the subject. "Tenou. I have a promise to fulfill here."
"I know."
Yasha did not betray any surprise. "You will make arrangements?"
"That promise binds you here, but I do not wish to torment Shuki. I will consult with her. Now, I must ask your leave. I have other matters that are pressing."
Yasha left to stride through the Peacock Garden. As he neared a hidden corner of the Temple complex, he heard Ashura's laughter and drew near quietly. What he saw almost made him forget that there was an upcoming war.
Kama had Ashura on his lap, nose to nose, and Ashura was blushing. Yasha's single eye twinkled and he listened closely.
"Kama... you are the God of Love. I am the God of War."
"Yes."
"I made a promise to Yasha."
"Yasha will always be yours. The love of War and Death has always been and always will be."
Yasha stole away quietly. The God of Love was irresistible, of course. Best let Ashura enjoy while enjoying was to be had. He retired to their quarters to think.
* * *
Kama caught Ashura's upper lip gently between his teeth and the War God gasped, clasping his delicious body. Their full mouths were a match for one another. Kama's hands were as tender as Yasha's and they were all over, shamelessly exploring. "K- Kama," breathed Ashura when the kiss was finally broken. "Please-- my secret belongs to Yasha..."
Kama drew back a little to meet Ashura's eyes. "I would never steal your innocence. Yasha has not taken you, has he?"
"...No." Ashura blushed again. "I want him to. But he says I am too different. He's afraid to, Kama."
"His fear is irrational, instinctive."
"You almost sound like you know him," Ashura said slowly. "Have... Did you love Yasha?!"
"I did, a very long time ago. Love and War attract. Love and Death, even more so."
"Please, when did you know him? Tell me!"
"I came to him before he was a king. But I already knew about the Prophecy, so I did not stay long." Kama touched Ashura's face. "I left his heart with all the love I could fill it with-- the love he gives to you."
* * *
"...Yasha, Oh Yasha! I feel like crying!"
"Why is that?"
"I... I have to tell you something horrible..."
Yasha bent suddenly to lift Ashura up in his arms, carrying the long-legged figure kicking and protesting across the room, with the ornate pallu of the sari trailing over the marble floor. "Yashaa...! You will get your nosebleed back!" Yasha ignored this, laying Ashura down gently on their bed and leaning over his love. "Now tell me... what is this horrible thing?" His single eye sparkled. "What is this disshevelled hair I see, and your clothes all in disarray? What are these teeth marks on your shoulder? Could it be you that I saw today, making love with Kama in the Temple Grove...?"
"Yasha!" Ashura gasped with astonishment. "You saw?! And you did not kill him?"
"Why should I kill him when he was making you so happy?"
Long silence. Yasha gazed at that lovely face with deep affection. Finally Ashura spoke in small voice. "But Yasha. Didn't it hurt you? I didn't want to ever hurt you! I didn't want to break our promise!"
"You never broke our promise. You can never betray me by loving someone else. It did hurt. Then I saw how very happy you were, and heard you laugh, and I knew the God of Love could please you like no one else-- even myself. He cannot be resisted, Ashura. So what is a small wound on my heart, which is healing as I speak, compared to the wounds you have suffered, which are still festering? Now..." he whispered, drawn closer by the parted pink lips, "Teach me what Kama taught you..."
"Oh, Kama was not teaching me so much as I was teaching Kama!"
Yasha laughed richly and flung his robe aside. "Somehow I am not surprised!"
But something else was bothering Ashura. Yasha did not take more than a kiss or two before simply holding his loved one in his arms. After a time, Ashura wriggled out of them and lay curled up tightly, a small shape on the big bed.
Yasha lay an arm over his companion. Something more serious was about to spill out. "Speak to me. Is it Seiryuu?"
"Yes. But there's something else..." Ashura recounted the meeting with Shaunakaa/Karura. "...But she did not remember her sister, Yasha... Why did she not remember, while Kama gets the same wife in every lifetime?"
Yasha sighed. "I don't know. Perhaps part of her does remember, for she is frail and sickly, like Karyoubinga once was. Perhaps she accepted Karyoubinga's karmas so her sister might go free to Samadhi without further delay. Perhaps... Perhaps forgetting was part of the price."
"...Will we forget each other?"
Yasha was silent for a long time. He would not give Ashura false promises. At last he said: "I swore to protect you always. That is my intent."
"You are not answering my question! Yasha... You are the God of Death! Can't you do something?"
"No, Ashura. I am subject to Mahadeva, as are all lesser gods. People die at their appointed times; my existence is only the instrument. It happens by itself. It is happening as I speak. There is an old lady in Lower Zenmijou who has just left her body... She is very happy... And a young man who is dying of a fever. He does not want to die, but he will have to leave anyway in a short time, because of me. Because I exist. Ashura, even the people you once slaughtered really died because I am in the world. I am Death." He sighed heavily. "But even Death must die one day. I don't know if we will forget each other. I pray that we do not."
Ashura's eyes were wide, almost vacant. Yasha kissed his love very tenderly.
"Yasha... Kama shot Taishakuten... And my father. If he had not... "
"Yes. I know."
"I should hate him..."
"But you can't."
"Yasha. Why did Tenou do this? Why did he make Kama my teacher?"
"I don't know. Perhaps to show you that there is a reason for all of your suffering, that there were forces far beyond your control directing the destiny of the clans. Kama cannot be resisted. In the realm of Love he is all-powerful... and love can drive men mad."