Chapter Five

It was late.

Chichiri leant up against the window frame, gazing pensively out at the night terrain as he contemplated the day's events. Across the farmland he could make out the faint silhouette of a sole figure, and he chewed absently down on his lip, inwardly wondering what exactly was on the boy's mind.

"Aoi's been restless since his return here." He decided. "It's not just his anxiety over Hikari or his confusion over his past. I trust him – I think he's on our side. Yet he's agitated too. It's more than just his demeanour – something in his aura is prickling and dancing with uncertainty and it's unsettled him. Perhaps it's also unsettled me…I wonder about that. It's not usual for me to be unable to sleep, after all."

He glanced up at the moon, gauging its position then nodding his head as if confirming something to himself.

"It's quite some time past midnight." He realised. "Aidou and the children went to bed a long time ago, and so did Myoume and Hikari. I wonder if I should go out there and speak to him. It's all very well spending time with stars – as I know from my own experience. But they don't speak as much as you'd like them to do – and I doubt that Suzaku's stars would be able to give young Aoiketsu an awful lot in the way of spiritual guidance."

He sighed, glancing at his hands.

"Nakago's son has become my charge as well as Tamahome's daughter." He realised ruefully. "That's something which I never expected to happen. And to talk so plainly to the boy about the things his father did and suffered – was that wrong, then? But I don't want him to hate Nakago. Even I don't hate the man, not now. Not since I came to understand his reasons for being the man he was. After all, when Tasuki and I encountered his spirit form guarding Seiryuu's Shinzahou so long ago, he was nothing but a sentry – he had no interest in fighting, or reigniting old battles. Seiryuu's treasure truly was a casket of tears, and after coming to understand that, I don't think I could harbour hate for any of them. Even so, though…for Aoiketsu it's a confusing situation. And he's here to protect Hikari, but Kutou is still foremost on his mind. As it should be, for a man born with Seiryuu's blood – but it means there's very little comfort Suzaku can truly give him. At least, at present. Until he comes to understand fully that in the end, it's all about the same thing."

"Chichiri?" A voice from the doorway made him turn, offering a surprised smile as he registered the presence of the young Byakko mage watching him. Her snow-white hair was loose and tousled around her face, giving her an odd, ethereal look, and she was wrapped in a night robe, a clear indication that she had until very recently been sleeping as peacefully as the young Ri children. There was something strange in her seiran eyes, however, and Chichiri pursed his lips, beckoning for her to join him.

"Something's bothering you?" He asked softly. "It's very late, Myoume. Long past midnight…I thought you and Hikari had both gone to bed."

"We did." Myoume agreed. "And Hikari's still fast asleep – I didn't want to disturb her since she's worked so hard today on honing her Suzaku magic. It's just…something woke me. And even though I don't want to acknowledge it – if I didn't tell you, it might…be the worst for everyone."

"I see." Chichiri's expression became grave. "Then take a seat and tell me whatever it is you think I should know."

Myoume crossed the room slowly, sinking down into one of the empty chairs. For a moment she seemed to compose herself, then she raised her gaze to Chichiri's.

"Miramu is here." She said softly.

Chichiri's good eye widened in alarm.

"Here?" He echoed. "What do you mean by here? In the village? On the mountain? Where?"

"Near the village if not actually within it." Myoume said sadly. "I told you, it was news I didn't want to bring. I don't know why he's here – he hasn't let me see his motives, I just know he's around. He's keeping a low profile, however. You haven't sensed him at all?"

"Not once." Chichiri looked anxious. "But if he's nearby…Myoume…"

"Your family will be safe enough so long as I'm around to protect them." Myoume said with a sigh. "Miramu doesn't want to fight me at the moment – presumably because he knows that if he doesn't face me yet, nothing and noone else can kill him until we do face one another and fight. That being the case, he'll avoid this place so long as I'm in situe – and I've no plans to go anywhere. Meikyo and Eiju won't be harmed, Chichiri. I promise."

"I have faith in you." Chichiri forced himself to relax, shaking his head ruefully. "I'm sorry. The instincts of a protective father sometimes overrule my common sense. But the last time Miramu came to the village, he hurt my daughter. And after what befell Jin in Sairou…"

"Yes." Myoume nodded. "I know. I'm sorry, Chichiri. I feel responsible…for all those things."

"And that's stupid." Chichiri told her frankly. "You've been nothing but helpful since you joined our side and more than that, your advice has proven correct on more than one occasion. It's hard to believe you're no more than twenty – you speak with the wisdom of one much older. I value your counsel, Myoume. We all do. You have nothing to feel guilty for."

Myoume was silent for a moment. Then she shrugged.

"I wonder about that." She murmured softly, and Chichiri eyed her quizzically.

"I don't understand?"

"Well, nor do I, always." Myoume admitted. "Byakko's power – Toroki's sight – it runs through me like an obsession sometimes. And it means I see things…and often say them whether it's wise to do so or not. I told my brother that we would one day fight, and he turned against me because of it. I disclosed to Jin his fate should he be in Kitora's shrine – maybe by doing so I drew him there, and condemned him – who knows? And when I told you before we went north that Aoiketsu would save Hikari's life, I…I knew that it was true. But I also…made sure it was true. By leaving Hikari alone with Aoi – in order for her life to be threatened, and for him to reveal his true motives of his own accord."

She glanced across at the solitary figure highlighted only by the glint of the summer moon.

"I'm starting to worry a little about him." She admitted. "I've encouraged him to form a bond with Hikari – perhaps I've even manipulated that too, by telling them there's nothing to be done to fight it. Byakko – Seiryuu, Genbu, and Suzaku too, probably – they need Hikari and Aoi to have that bond. They need…another kind of Aoiketsu to come forth and fight to defend Suzaku no Shinzahou. I don't understand that clearly yet, Chichiri…but I do know that Aoi as he is now isn't going to be able to stand firm against everything that is to come. So I know I have to keep pushing – keep manipulating. I even let him fight and kill a man on our journey North, because I needed to be sure he could do it, if the need arose. For her sake – that he'd push forward and spill blood on her behalf. It was a risk, deceiving them and claiming I could not use my power when I could easily have removed the threat without bloodshed. But even so, I acted this way. Maybe I was testing him – I don't know. And it bothers me to think it…but I know that I must continue."

"It isn't easy to play the prophet, huh?" Chichiri asked gently. "To see all the threads and to weave them together into the correct pattern?"

"No." Myoume ran her fingers through her hair. "I can't help but wonder whether or not Miramu's appearance here is accidental or by design. And if it's by design, whether or not it's because of my pushing Hikari to Aoiketsu's side. I've made Aoi a traitor to his country – at least most likely in the eyes of his commander. And if that word got back to Kintsusei-sama in Kutou, perhaps he'd be so compelled…"

"To send an assassin to destroy the leak?" Chichiri said softly. Myoume nodded.

"I like Aoi." She said sadly. "I like him a lot. Hikari and Shishi too…they're all people I consider friends, and I haven't had friends in a long long time. But Toroki's power still has to take precedence. I had a dark sense of foreboding when I woke up, Chichiri. That something is going to happen…from which there'll be no going back."

"To Aoiketsu, you mean?" Chichiri asked. Myoume sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't know." She admitted. "That's the frustrating part. I think it has something to do with his comrade – the soldier Shi Maichu, and whatever it is that's still swirling through me where he's concerned. Miramu's involvement – since he's here, it can't be doubted. I just…I have such a bad feeling. And yet…"

She paused, placing her hands against the glass as she gazed across the farmland.

"I don't think Aoi is going to be killed by Miramu." She said at length. "I don't think that's what I'm sensing. Perhaps what I'm feeling is something worse than that – something darker within him that's stirring even now, in little bits and pieces. A side of Kaiga Aoiketsu that even he doesn't know exists."

Chichiri's eyes narrowed.

"You mean, Nakago's legacy to him?" He asked, and Myoume nodded.

"I'm starting to think that way." She admitted. "Chichiri, I…I've had a thought. And it disturbs me, but the more I think about it, the more I'm certain that it's true. You'll understand this better even than I do, I think – I'm sure you remember what it was like, to protect Suzaku no Miko from harm."

"Yes, indeed." Chichiri smiled. "It wasn't an easy job, either. But one I felt compelled to undertake, no matter what. Even at the cost of my life – that was how strong the desire ran within me. Within all of us, I think – Tasuki'd doubtless say the same. But I'm not sure I follow what you mean. Suzaku no Miko's not here now – and Hikari is a different matter completely."

"Yes, she is." Myoume bit her lip, then, "Chichiri, what if we've been looking at this all wrong?"

"Meaning?" Chichiri sent her a startled glance. "You'll need to be clearer – I'm not following your thought pattern at all."

"Well, let me put it another way." Myoume said slowly. "What if Nakago…weren't dead? And the other Seiryuu Seishi…what if they were still here, too? Only they're not, because of the war with Kounan and the events of eighteen years ago. That can't be helped – right?"

"All right…" Chichiri said doubtfully. "I still don't see where you're going with this, but okay. For argument's sake, we'll say that somehow they still live…after all, let's not forget that Amiboshi still does."

"Exactly." Myoume agreed, and Chichiri stared at her in confusion.

"Pardon me?"

"You told me that Hikari could sense Seiryuu no Shinzahou really strongly when you were in Makan." Myoume said softly. "And more than that, that somehow Amiboshi was drawn to save her from the snow. A dark night, a blizzard – a man in his own home minding his own business…yet somehow he knew there was someone struggling outside. Someone who needed his help…and someone he was compelled to save."

She sighed, spreading her hands.

"The others are dead." She added. "But we know that elements of Nakago's spirit exist within Aoiketsu's aura. He's not Nakago – but he carries the man's blood, even if not his Seishi power. In many ways, Aoi's just another soldier – but he's stronger and quicker as a fighter than most of his comrades are able to be. And on odd occasions, Chichiri, I've seen the look in his eye. When he fights, there's that glint of killer instinct there. It first put me onto the idea that if elements of Nakago's spirit still did lurk within him, the squeamishness he suffers wasn't an accident but a failsafe Seiryuu instilled in him to prevent him turning out like his father. Which begs the question…why is he so driven to protect Hikari that he'll do what he's never done before and even kill someone who threatens her? He said himself that he'd not taken a man's life before that incident with the circus. Yet he doesn't seem troubled by it – it was a justified act carried out by a man who has no doubts in the thing he is defending."

"I think I'm starting to see your way of thinking." Chichiri's expression became troubled. "You think that Aoi's driven to protect Hikari because Nakago was one of Seiryuu's chosen and it's that element of his nature waking up inside of him. Little by little…he's taking on the role of protector. And it isn't anything to do with the fact Hikari is Suzaku's Shinzahou – although it's beyond doubt that that's what she is. It's more to do with something else – something that we hadn't considered at all, even when we were in Hokkan with Amiboshi. Taiitsukun's said it too – that she can't raise Suzaku because she's not Suzaku no Miko and Kounan's legend is over. But…maybe we've been taking that too much at face value. Hikari can't raise Suzaku because she isn't supposed to raise Suzaku. We're looking to the wrong god…it's Seiryuu she's truly here to raise."

"That's what I'm thinking." Myoume sighed. "And Aoi has taken on Nakago's role. In the absence of Seishi for Seiryuu, he's all there is left. Amiboshi did his bit in Makan – but he wants no part in further fighting and I doubt he'd be lured out of exile to join the party now. But Aoi – I felt from the moment I met him that Aoi's birth was no accident of timing. The Kaiga estate was ransacked and all were killed – except Hyoushin, the man who would train the boy, and Ruiren, the woman who would birth him. His mother was weak and dying, yet she managed to live long enough to deliver a son – a healthy, strong son – who by chance inherited his father's blue eyes instead of her more common dark Kutou ones."

"I thought you believed Hyoushin was our enemy?" Chichiri asked quietly, and Myoume twisted her fingers together, agitation clear in her gaze.

"Perhaps my assumptions are wrong." She admitted. "They are only that – assumptions, Chichiri. Guesses based on the fact that Hyoushin was a slave who must have suffered plenty under the Imperial regime. But if Seiryuu knew better…and Byakko hasn't given me any clear indication of Hyoushin's significance. That he has one is beyond doubt – but I'm no longer so certain of what it is."

"Then Aoiketsu's faith in his commander is justified?"

"So I'm beginning to think." Myoume sighed. "And more, if we think along those lines…it's him we have to thank for the fact Aoiketsu is not a bloodthirsty killer. Aoi said that himself, if only I'd bothered to listen to it properly. The reason he wouldn't fight Shishi in Choukou – because he'd been trained only to fight when necessary, not just for the sake of fighting."

She glanced down.

"Perhaps because it was Hyoushin who took from me the Shinzahou, I've become biased in my judgment." She admitted. "That incident coupled with my certainty of a tribal traitor…but maybe it's not Hyoushin after all. Perhaps Seiryuu has had a greater purpose for him all the time…and I've just been stupid not to see it."

"Don't be harsh on yourself." Chichiri scolded. "You can't see everything, even with Toroki's sight. No matter how much you try, Myoume – noone has perfect judgement. And no harm has come by your assumption…if you're right about Hikari's connection to Seiryuu, then we still have time to strategise accordingly. And, clearly, involve Aoiketsu since his significance suddenly becomes more clear."

"I've always seen Nakago's son as Hikari's protector." Myoume agreed. "I didn't understand why, then. But now I do. Aoi's been raised to fight for and believe in Kutou – his entire life has been building towards the coming of Seiryuu no Miko for the second time. In truth, I've never seen Hikari in my visions as the Phoenix – she's never once been Suzaku's representative. She's only ever been light – strong and reassuring, but not taking on any decisive form. Maybe this is why. Maybe it's because she belongs to two Gods, not one. It seems like Seiryuu's trying again to put right what went wrong before. We know Seiryuu's legend should not have played out alongside Suzaku's. Now Seiryuu wants to set things right. And Hikari's his chosen emissary. That's why we have to go to Kutou. That's why we have to do all of this…so that somehow Hikari can raise Seiryuu and bring peace to Kutou. If she can do that…"

"Then everything else will be saved, too." Chichiri murmured. "Yes. It all makes sense now. I think you might be right, Myoume."

"We shouldn't mention this to Hikari yet." Myoume cautioned. "I think…it might confuse and scare her. She's working so hard – let her continue doing that. She'll need her strength, after all."

"You're not kidding." Chichiri said grimly. "Seiryuu almost succeeded in devouring Yui, when she raised him and made her wishes. She wasn't strong enough to withstand him – and I won't let that happen to Hikari. There's no Suzaku no Miko to save her, after all. She'll have to be strong enough in her own heart to do this – otherwise we'll be in a worse situation than we already are."

"What kind of worse situation?"

Aoiketsu's voice startled them both and the sorcerer turned, shooting the young soldier a tired smile.

"We were simply discussing our options, when we go to Kutou." He said evenly. "Aoi-kun, it's late and you should get some sleep."

"I can't sleep. I'm too restless." Aoiketsu admitted. "I've had a lot to think about. I can't explain it, but I'm on edge tonight. Like there's something in the wind…but I can't put my finger on what."

"Probably my brother." Myoume said acidly, and Aoiketsu stared at her.

"Miramu?" He demanded. "He's here? In the village?"

Anger flared in his blue eyes, and Chichiri pursed his lips, registering the glitter of something beyond normal conviction in the young man's gaze.

"Yes." He said quietly. "But Myoume doesn't think he'll attack the house. Hikari should be safe enough under this roof – Myoume's here to ward him off, after all."

"But that doesn't help the people in the village." Aoiketsu's gaze narrowed. "He shouldn't be here. Why is he here?"

"If we knew that, we'd be a lot better off." Myoume sighed. "But all I know is that he's somewhere near the village perimeter. More I can't tell you – more I don't know."

"Then I'll go see if I can find out." Aoiketsu decided, and Chichiri shook his head, resting a hand on the soldier's shoulder.

"Don't be rash." He cautioned. "There's no sense in fighting a man with the abilities Amefuri possesses. Hikari wouldn't like it, if you came off the worst for the encounter."

"To be honest, I need to work off some of this tension somehow." Aoiketsu admitted. "Maybe it's him being here that's making me feel so at odds with myself, anyway. Let me go, Chichiri. I'll be all right – I promise. Miramu's not tried to kill me yet…I don't think I'll be in any real danger from him and maybe I can lure him away."

"There's a possibility that it's you he's come to find, Aoi." Myoume warned him, and Aoiketsu shrugged.

"All the more reason for me to go." He said frankly. "Look, Myoume, you said yourself that I was here to protect Hikari – right? That that was my destiny – to fight and defend her till she could save Kutou. Yes?"

"Yes, but…"

"If that's the case, I'm not going to be killed tonight, am I?" Aoiketsu shrugged. "I'm in Kounan. Not Kutou. We're not there yet, and I still have things to do – by your own testimony. So I'm going out there…and I'll come back just fine. You'll see. Or do you doubt your own predictions?"

"A little, sometimes." Myoume admitted. "But…you're not wrong, Aoi. Everything I've seen indicates that you are a part of what will happen in Kutou – whatever that may be."

"Then I'll go and chase that shadow away from this village." Aoiketsu said firmly. "It's my duty to, after all. Chichiri, please – let me go."

"Don't do anything stupid." Chichiri said softly, reluctantly releasing his grip on the man's shoulder as he realised there would be no changing the soldier's mind. "You can be hurt, if not killed, and besides – Hikari's presence means nothing in this world is completely certain. Keep a hold of your wits, all right? Don't try and be a hero. People have been killed for less – and Hikari needs you."

"I'll be careful." Aoiketsu promised. Then he faltered. "Oh…but…"

"Something up?" Myoume eyed him curiously, and Aoiketsu grimaced.

"I've fought with Shishi's sword, but she has that on the mountain." He admitted. "Shit. I hate being without my weapon…I keep forgetting that I don't have it easily to hand."

Chichiri hesitated for a moment. Then he crossed the room, scooping up the shinken from its place beside his shakujou.

"Take this, then." He said evenly. "Reizeitei-sama's taken you into his trust now, so it should be all right for you to use it – especially if you're using it to defend Suzaku no Shinzahou from harm. And from what I know, you're a fine enough swordsman to do it justice – even if you can't raise Suzaku's spirit from within it."

"Are you sure?" Aoiketsu looked startled, and Chichiri nodded.

"Just for heaven's sake don't lose it." He begged. "Else I'll be in trouble, not just you."

"And Aoi – please don't kill my brother." Myoume added. "I mean…I don't think you can, but…please. Even though he's…I'd rather…you didn't."

"That all depends on him." Carefully Aoiketsu took the sword, strapping it to his belt. "I won't kill anyone if I don't have to. But I'm going to protect Hikari, and I'm going to go all out to do that. I'm decided, Myoume. I'm going to chase that shadow away from the Eastern Village – no matter what!"

So he was Suzaku's prisoner, was he?

Maichu sank down onto the end of the rough, low-slung pallet bed, gazing around him at his surroundings with a grudging sense of acceptance. After all, he reasoned, Hyoushin had ordered him to find the bandit's mountain. That he'd become entangled with them on the way had been an additional complication to his duty, but in the end he had succeeded in locating Reikaku-zan. Somewhere beneath his feet, he supposed, the bandits were concealing the precious relic belonging to Suzaku's mage Hisei, and absently he wondered what his chances might be of escaping his cell and locating it before the sun rose over the Southern terrain.

"After all, if we had that, maybe we'd be a step closer to findin' the Shinzahou." He murmured. "An' Aoi. We need to find him, too. I don't know though – I'm not sure I can figure these Suzaku people out. That Tasuki guy, and that spitfire wench with the sword…I guess it's no kidding that these ain't ordinary bandits. An' I need to play it careful. They don't know the Commander was with me, an' I won't be telling them so, so he should be okay even if I'm here. But…if they know who Aoi and I both are…"

He sighed, getting to his feet as he padded across the small, dusty chamber to the wall which held what was supposed to be a window, although the glass was so clouded and cracked it was impossible to see much through it. The room he had been confined in was cramped and dark, but he had at least been provided with somewhere to sleep and, in the hours before the noise and lights on the mountain had begun to peter out for the night, someone had thrust some food through a grate in the door. By that point Maichu had been both ravenous and parched, and the cool, slightly bitter stream water that accompanied his bare rations meal had been almost as welcome as the bread and meat itself.

Reikaku-zan might be the stronghold of some of Kounan's most notorious bandits, but it seemed that despite that, they had their own sense of honour.

The walk back up the mountain had been a tiring one, although his captor and his young companion had managed it without even breaking a sweat, and by the time they had reached the top, Maichu had known he would not have been able to fight even if he had somehow been able to spirit his sword from the young girl's care. That she had so easily bested him rankled against his pride somewhat, but, he mused ruefully, at least none of his regiment had been there to see him laid flat by a girl.

"I went easy on her, and I paid for it." He decided regretfully. "I guess fightin' with women has a different meaning in the South. I'm used to them yellin', screamin', cryin' and complainin' when they want to kick up a fuss – but that kid was somethin' else entirely. Maybe that's why Kounan are so damn successful. I never knew they trained their girls to hold swords as well as their men. But she had been trained – an' dammit, she wasn't half bad. For a girl."

He leant up against the wall, feeling the gentle whisper of the cool night breeze as it teased through his hair, cooling him somewhat from the heat of the Kounan day. Although he had not been as affected by the sun as his Commander, the walk to Reikaku-zan's summit had taken its toll and in the confined space of his makeshift prison, he was glad of even the slightest trickle of air.

"Tomorrow, Hyoushin-sama'll be waitin' for me in Souun." He reflected grimly, glancing at his hands as he contemplated his best course of action. "I might be able to fight that kid, if I managed to get my sword back – but this mountain's full to the teeth of brawny fightin' men an' worst of all, there's that damn Kashira…of all people to be trailin', I have to pick on the Suzaku Seishi who rules this godforsaken ant-heap. Even so, though – he's treated me pretty fair so far. An' he did talk about Aoi – about bringing Aoi to the mountain, or talkin' to him – or somethin'. Aoi'll get me outta here, I'm sure…once he knows that we came to find him. If he is all buddy-buddy with Kounan's people now – I'm probably better jus' leavin' it to him. Besides, he needs to know what shit's been goin' on in Kutou. An' I want to take somethin' positive back to Hyoushin-sama with me."

He sighed.

"I damn well wish that he was fully on the ball, though." He acknowledged to himself. "There's a doubt about him I don't like an' it bothers me. It's like this whole business has shaken him more'n he'll let me see…sometimes I really can't make him out. He's worryin' – about the Emperor, about us bein' found out – shit, maybe even that someone's comin' to silence him once and for all. And this goddamn sun ain't helpin' – the sooner we find Aoi, the sooner we can work out some contingency plan for leavin' for Kutou. An' once we're back in Eastern climate, I reckon the Commander'll be much better off. This heat ain't doin' him any good – he's barely eaten since we left an' I'm sure he wouldn't have sent me alone to track someone like that Tasuki guy if he'd been thinking on his wits. It's a problem."

He snorted.

"Shit, it really must be a problem, if I'm thinkin' about gettin' back to Souun in order to make sure he's okay." He berated himself. "This is Hyoushin-sama, you goon. You don't need to protect him. He's the best soldier in Kutou at the moment. The one who noone can disarm – I bet not even Suzaku's people could knock that blade from his grip. He'll be fine. Worry about yourself, Maichu, you idiot! You're holed up in a cell on some dusty mountain waitin' for them to decide what to do with you – an' just because they seem to be reasonable, well, it doesn't mean that they are."

He sauntered back to his makeshift bed, dropping down onto it once more and stretching out on his back as he stared up at the cracked plaster and criss-crossed beam-work that comprised the ceiling over his head. In the gloom, he could just make out the silhouette of a spider as it scuttled from one side of the beam to another, and at the sight of it, he smirked.

"Are you havin' a joke with me?" He demanded. "You can get in an' outta here no problems. Me, I'm stuck. There ain't no way in or out 'cept through that bolted door – an' believe me I know. I've tried every damn trick I know since they left me to myself. I guess this time the spider's really met his match – short of breakin' this window an' throwin' myself down the side of the mountain, I'm stuck. An' havin' seen the sheer cliff face that this place is propped up on top of – no thank you. I'll take my chances with the bandits. At least with them there's a chance of negotiation."

He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Nothing else to do but sleep on it an' hope tomorrow things right themselves." He decided at length. "Aoi-kun, you have some freakish friends, you know that? Shit, I really hope you do know what you're doin', fraternisin' with the South like this. So far Kounan's people make no sense to me…believe me, if we do see one another tomorrow, it ain't just gonna be me spoutin' answers. I want to know a few from you, too – I want to know everything, this time around – and so will Hyoushin-sama. Whether this girl you've taken up with really is our Miko an' whether that's the solution you thought was too dangerous to tell Kutou's court. I want to be in the picture, an' involved. Even if Toroki did predict some horrible fate for me – well, I ain't superstitious an' I can make my own future. I'm damn sure I'm noone's celestial puppet in all of this. So it's time you quit protecting me, an' time you told us all the facts. After all, at the end of the day, Kintsusei-sama's life might well depend on it."