Katsumi surveyed the scene, or what remained of it. The world still stood as it had before the ogres, but their bodies faded away like all the others had. The tent was toppled. That’s right, the tent, and those bats. She glanced over towards the strange cave, sitting there where she was almost certain it hadn’t been the day before. There wasn’t any movement but never had she seen so clear of a sign on where to go next. If the bats had been causing the problems, and they still had to find the problem, then the cave was where they needed to head. Katsumi leaned her bisento against her shoulder and watched Matsu go through the motions of cleaning off her already clean blade before sliding her katana back into its sheath. Shiba was collecting her spear that was sticking out of the ground at least five feet behind where the ogre had been. And Asahina stood stringing a bow. He seemed to always be ahead of the game, or at least cresting the lead. First to run after a task, and now preparing for the inevitable fight against aerial creatures. Katsumi absently gazed at the cave, wishing she had a bow to conquer their foe with.
“By the way, the bats…” It was Shiba’s whispering voice. She did this nearly each time she spoke, start off but never finish her thought until everyone was staring at her waiting for that last word to come. “The bats, they went that way.” She was holding her spear with one hand, but pointing timidly towards the cave with her other, barely gesturing at all.
Katsumi watched her; this one wasn’t much of a talker, or a leader. Come to think of it, she wasn’t ever first to strike either. The spear had been the most aggressive Shiba had been since Katsumi met her yesterday, and even that missed probably thrown off by shaky nerves. Shiba seemed to need someone to lead her, which could be something to work with. She smiled to herself as Shiba fixed on Katsumi, obviously noticing just then that she was watching Shiba.
“The bats went over there.” Shiba was pointing with more conviction now that someone was paying attention to her. She was waiting though, Katsumi could tell, probably for someone to give her an order. “So… we should probably go after them.” Shiba finally suggested. Katsumi continued to stare, wondering if the Phoenix would go mad without receiving a response.
“So you saw which way the bats went?” Asahina ruined it. Shiba quickly refocused her efforts to be helpful on Asahina.
“Yeah, they went that way.” She looked so relieved by Asahina’s acknowledgement. Yeah, this was definitely something she could work with.
”Alright. Let’s go.” Asahina started making his way towards the direction Shiba had pointed. Shiba scurrying after him, followed by Katsumi, Matsu, and Hikaru.
“There’s a cave up ahead. They flew in there.” Katsumi offered a little further explanation. Shiba wasn’t very forthcoming when it came to details. It seemed to be a struggle to just put a sentence together for her, Katsumi tried not to imagine what a normal conversation would entail.
They were passing the last of the tents on the other side of the dueling grounds when Asahina stopped and stared to his right between a few still erect. It was only a matter of seconds before Katsumi and the rest of the party had halted next to him and was also laying their eyes upon the strange little man standing in the road.
Strange was probably a relative term in their circumstances, but he was curious to behold. He was a Dragon in colors, green with gold accents. His left side was facing the group and he was staring at the scenery, slowly taking it in, which made things all the more odd when he turned towards Katsumi and the rest with a look of utter befuddlement. Katsumi was probably making the same face, granted it went unnoticed due to her mask, but her companions wouldn’t be so lucky and mirrored the same expression back. He held crutches in each hand, seeming to be a cripple that could still walk with great effort. And he was older than all of them, easily. He was most certainly another guest of Jashuwa’s game, but to think that a cripple was to be brought into the fold was just cruel.
“Um,” Shiba squeaked, breaking the awkward silence. “He looks real. Solid. Real.”
Katsumi tilted her head down at Shiba, taking her eyes off the new comer for only a moment. “You’re very astute, Shiba-san. How lucky we are to have someone so observant.”
When she looked back, Asahina was bridging the gap between the Dragon and himself. Of course he was. Always the first to make a move.
“By the way, the bats…” It was Shiba’s whispering voice. She did this nearly each time she spoke, start off but never finish her thought until everyone was staring at her waiting for that last word to come. “The bats, they went that way.” She was holding her spear with one hand, but pointing timidly towards the cave with her other, barely gesturing at all.
Katsumi watched her; this one wasn’t much of a talker, or a leader. Come to think of it, she wasn’t ever first to strike either. The spear had been the most aggressive Shiba had been since Katsumi met her yesterday, and even that missed probably thrown off by shaky nerves. Shiba seemed to need someone to lead her, which could be something to work with. She smiled to herself as Shiba fixed on Katsumi, obviously noticing just then that she was watching Shiba.
“The bats went over there.” Shiba was pointing with more conviction now that someone was paying attention to her. She was waiting though, Katsumi could tell, probably for someone to give her an order. “So… we should probably go after them.” Shiba finally suggested. Katsumi continued to stare, wondering if the Phoenix would go mad without receiving a response.
“So you saw which way the bats went?” Asahina ruined it. Shiba quickly refocused her efforts to be helpful on Asahina.
“Yeah, they went that way.” She looked so relieved by Asahina’s acknowledgement. Yeah, this was definitely something she could work with.
”Alright. Let’s go.” Asahina started making his way towards the direction Shiba had pointed. Shiba scurrying after him, followed by Katsumi, Matsu, and Hikaru.
“There’s a cave up ahead. They flew in there.” Katsumi offered a little further explanation. Shiba wasn’t very forthcoming when it came to details. It seemed to be a struggle to just put a sentence together for her, Katsumi tried not to imagine what a normal conversation would entail.
They were passing the last of the tents on the other side of the dueling grounds when Asahina stopped and stared to his right between a few still erect. It was only a matter of seconds before Katsumi and the rest of the party had halted next to him and was also laying their eyes upon the strange little man standing in the road.
Strange was probably a relative term in their circumstances, but he was curious to behold. He was a Dragon in colors, green with gold accents. His left side was facing the group and he was staring at the scenery, slowly taking it in, which made things all the more odd when he turned towards Katsumi and the rest with a look of utter befuddlement. Katsumi was probably making the same face, granted it went unnoticed due to her mask, but her companions wouldn’t be so lucky and mirrored the same expression back. He held crutches in each hand, seeming to be a cripple that could still walk with great effort. And he was older than all of them, easily. He was most certainly another guest of Jashuwa’s game, but to think that a cripple was to be brought into the fold was just cruel.
“Um,” Shiba squeaked, breaking the awkward silence. “He looks real. Solid. Real.”
Katsumi tilted her head down at Shiba, taking her eyes off the new comer for only a moment. “You’re very astute, Shiba-san. How lucky we are to have someone so observant.”
When she looked back, Asahina was bridging the gap between the Dragon and himself. Of course he was. Always the first to make a move.
***
Kitsuki Anjin awoke from what felt like a very deep sleep. Those types of rests where you’re not sure how long you’ve actually been asleep because grogginess still has its hold on you. Blearily he took in his surroundings, a few tents stood pitched, most of them rather large, the sky was hazy with overcast, and everything was muted. He could only conclude that he must have been sleeping for a while because he didn’t remember dressing or walking out of his tent, yet here he was, outside, clothed, and dull of sense. His traveling pack was securely fastened to him, another thing he didn’t recall. When did he pack up his tent, and for that matter, who helped him? Anjin wasn’t exactly the most capable of people when it came to feats of strength, like pitching a tent, or walking. He had been stricken lame as a very small child and has required the use of crutches for mobility ever since. Granted, he could maneuver on them well enough, but dismantling his tent seemed a little far fetched, and not remembering it even more so.
He began scanning the surroundings for a clue, slowly pivoting. The sky wasn’t overcast, it was just… grey. And the buildings weren’t obscured by fog; they were just… washed out. Things were making less and less sense the more observant Anjin was. The ground wasn’t right either. And the tents, this was supposed to be the third day of the tournament, there should be more people. Speaking of people, Anjin glanced around nervously. Shadows in human form were passing by him. Most looking to be laborers, but that wasn’t the point, they were shadows. How peculiar.
Sudden movement brought his attention to something moving towards him from between two tents about ten yards away. It was blue, and white, and tall. A man, a Crane, walking directly at him. He was vibrant and solid and had a look of purpose. Anjin tilted his head; behind the Crane were more robustly colored people, their choice of clothing giving most of them away. A Phoenix woman, confusion written across her face, she was gesturing towards him. A Lion woman with a lion by her side, ah, a Matsu for sure. She was whispering something to the third that was taller than the other two and wrapped as the Spider he had met the day before had been.
The Crane stopped directly in front of him, at a respectable distance but not too far as to indicate he held any fear of Anjin. With a bow he introduced himself. “Asahina Kyuzo at your service. I assume you’re just as confused as the rest of us.” He gestured towards the group behind him.
“Asahina-san,” the Spider called out, “What are you doing? You don’t know what it is.” Anjin was taken aback. From what he could see, he appeared to be as normal as he ever was, what did this person mean by ‘what it is’?
“It looks like a person.” The Phoenix retorted.
“So did those ogres, well, they looked like ogres. And Jashuwa looks-”
“As I was saying,” Asahina began speaking again, leaving the Spider and Phoenix to bicker amongst themselves. “I’m sure you’re as confused about this whole ordeal as we are. If not then please consider any information you may have.”
“Let‘s see…” Anjin said, trying to shut out the group behind Asahina. “I watched the tournament. I spoke with some Spider clan members after competing in the tournament. I went to bed and must have fallen into a long and deep sleep and woke up here. I have no idea how I got here, or why.”
Yesterday had been the second day of the Topaz Tournament. He remembered everything clearly, that is, until he woke this morning. He remembered watching the archery competition. He remembered the Unicorn’s food stand, how bold they were to vendor meat in the middle of Rokugan. His placing second in the poetry contest. The Spider who approached him. Even the fireworks from the night before. None of it seemed out of the ordinary nor gave any indication to why today started in such an odd fashion.
“Do you hear the noise?” The Phoenix had said. Asahina went quiet, glancing back to his comrades. “No, there’s no noise, it’s silent-”
Asahina shifted, moving closer to Anjin and creating a barrier between the background conversation and theirs. “Please forgive me for my abruptness,” he continued. “But I don’t think we have time to explain everything right now.” Asahina lifted his right palm and showed him a peculiar spell; there was a set of numbers, disappearing in descending order, and some very beautiful, yet ancient, calligraphy below that. “Can you see this?”
“That’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Well, for lack of a better word…” Asahina looked to be reaching for the right word to use, “There’s this spirit who calls himself Jashuwa and says that he brought us here for a game. And this,” he waved his hand towards Anjin, “is part of the game. The problem is basically…” Asahina paused, overhearing something behind him, he cocked his ear towards the group, listening.
“We could always just stab him.” The Lion said in such a casual tone it ran a shiver up Anjin’s back. Asahina smiled as politely as he could, inching a little closer to Anjin again.
“Don’t mind them. They’re… eccentric.”
“I’ve ignored far worse.” Anjin pressed his lips remembering some of the more bitter things people had said about him, some even to him over the years.
Asahina nodded and prattled on. “Essentially there has been something coined the Noise which is disrupting the area. It comes across as these scary looking creatures that will attack you quite viciously-”
As if on cue, a buzzing began in the background. It was like a chain being twisted around wet rocks, grinding into the stone. It was more than that, though, it was also some sort of ghastly groaning, making it pool in his chest. He could almost feel the ringing and screeching of the sound. Asahina swung back from Anjin, opening the barrier he had created so Anjin could see the small group again.
“Does anyone notice anything special about this?” Asahina quickly scanned the area, bringing his pack to his front.
The group wasn’t paying attention. The Phoenix was pointing to her ear and still arguing with the Spider, it seemed. Her voice was so mild Anjin couldn’t make it out above this new skull filling hum. The Spider was bristling. Anjin had been around enough court settings to know when someone was losing their temper. He could almost see the Spider clenching its jaw under its mask, he could definitely see the way the Spider grasped its polearm, and even noticed the end of its staff digging into the ground. The Phoenix continued with whatever it was saying, nodding to herself.
“Shiba-san! I highly suggest you watch your tongue.” The Spider erupted.
Anjin glanced at Asahina, wondering if he would do anything to prevent what appeared to be inevitable conflict between his companions. Asahina was readying a flute, either uncaring or unaware of the growing tension behind him. It was poetic in a way. Here, lost amongst the dismal world, peculiar things abound, friends fight each other while their charismatic Crane captain plays a melody. But what were they fighting about?
Anjin tried to parse out the conversation from the bits he overheard behind Asahina. The Phoenix had been repeating something about the Noise they were hearing. Her tone was mocking and her mannerisms treating the Spider as a small child. That was it, and then the Spider lashed out, thankfully with just a warning. He had heard what the Spider were capable of, and although he held no prejudice, his feelings held no sway over the actions of both parties. Now the Phoenix opened her mouth, and promptly shut it. She did it a second time.
“Choose your words very carefully.” The Spider said in a tone that carried more weight than those five words could hold. It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a threat. The Spider hadn’t relaxed yet, its fist still tight around the bisento.
Asahina began playing his flute, drowning out the conversation from the party. Whatever the Phoenix said, it had diffused the situation, Anjin watched the Spider ease up. A jovial song filled the air; it was lighthearted, quite out of sorts for the events that just took place. However, that sound still persisted above and beyond Asahina’s playing. It was starting to grate on Anjin. Perhaps once Asahina finished his spontaneous flute playing maybe they could get back to those explanations he had claimed there was no time for. No time to talk, but time to play a melody.
“What is that atrocious sound?” Anjin finally asked as Asahina put his flute away.
Asahina shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s a bad omen. It usually occurs when there‘s a physical disturbance in the real realm.”
It was nothing Anjin had ever heard of. He had a knack for recognizing omens, both good and bad. It came with living the life of a shut in. He spent most of his time watching the world pass him by and eventually he began observing the patterns and nuances of the world. He had been interested in the subtleness of both people and nature, and delved into several books based on the lore of omens to appease one aspect of his interest. The other wasn’t learned form reading.
The small group Asahina had told him to ignore approached, with the Spider in the lead. It offered a deep bow to Anjin, who watched the character carefully. “Hello, Dragon-sama, it is a pleasure to meet you even in this type of environment.”
Asahina leaned in. “Someone will eventually teach her etiquette.” Oh, it was a her. It was hard to guess not having anything to go off of besides her eyes. Her height and build could have put her in either category, she was as tall as he was, 5’4” and slender, not dainty. Granted, his affliction kept him from reaching his full potential in height, but he was also older than the Crane, Phoenix, and Lion, so he assumed the same applied to the Spider which meant she could have been in her boyish youth.
“We enjoy her company despite her flaws.” Continued Asahina. “She is an excellent fighter.”
The Spider tilted her head. Anjin was almost certain she was pleased by the compliment, as he had noted before, her body language spoke volumes even when she didn’t. “Thank you, Asahina-san. You are more than adequate yourself.” It may have been a compliment, but the wording wasn’t right. Anjin now understood what Asahina was saying about her lack of etiquette.
The Spider met Anjin‘s eyes, and he found two different colored ones staring back at him. It was an omen, or at least one that was mentioned in some of the books he had read. The information forced itself to the forefront of his mind. The Evil Eye, it was bad luck to be near someone with it, for they invited evil into themselves and their lives. He wondered if the others had noticed yet, with how amiable they were being towards her. He wasn‘t one to judge or hold prejudice, but the rest of the Empire wasn‘t so quick to accept those that were different. Like himself.
“I am Daigotsu Katsumi. And as one of our…” There was an obvious pause as Daigotsu eyed Shiba. “Traveling members have pointed out; you don’t seem to be something we are looking to fix.”
Anjin bowed his head in return. Bending anything below the shoulder was too trying for him to attempt in most occasions. So as to offset any disrespect caused by his lack of physical maneuverability, Anjin made up for it with words. “It is a great honor to meet you as well.”
Anjin nodded his head in Asahina’s direction. “I apologize, I didn’t introduce myself. I am Kitsuki Anjin. I’m in a bit of a daze; I’ve never been in a situation quite like this. I’m afraid I have no idea where I am, or what’s going on. I’m not sure if I can be of any help. I’m quite a keen observer, I can’t fight very well to save my life, but I would be much honored to help you if there is any way that I can assist.”
“What do you know of our current situation?” The Phoenix piped in.
“I know simply that this man has a very strange tattoo, and this ringing in my ears is driving me mad.” The next thing Anjin knew, Daigotsu was holding his hand, turning it palm up. He recoiled from her grievous breach of etiquette, she touched him. She was quick which only indicated she had done so without any pause for restraint, nor did she show signs of guilt for the physical contact now. Afraid she would grab him again he stared at Daigotsu wearily, who obviously accomplished whatever she had set out to do because she leaned back on her heels as if nothing had just happened.
“Well…um…” The Phoenix quietly began. “We’re all…dead.”
“Dead?” Daigotsu‘s behavior was shocking enough, now he was being told they were all ghosts. He had been conversing with spirits! Anjin unintentionally leaned back, as if putting mere inches between himself and the others would somehow save him from their insanity.
“Oh. Yes, yes.” Daigotsu confirmed.
“See, that’s the thing.” Interrupted Asahina. “I wasn’t trying to divulge that information because I don’t trust Jashuwa so we don’t even know if it’s fact.”
“It doesn’t taste right to me.” Daigotsu said while nodded with Asahina. Anjin’s head began to swim.
“Jashuwa is this…” The Phoenix trailed off, reaching for some word.
“Foreigner.” Finished Daigotsu.
“Foreigner. Who… apparently explained that we were all dead.”
“I’ve never been told I was dead before. So, frankly, I don’t believe it.” Asahina said coolly.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one.” Chimed in Daigotsu. They were all speaking so calmly and collected about the whole thing. This wasn’t every day conversation, this was life and death and foreigners and monsters. And the realization dawned on Anjin, if they were dead, then…
“Am I to take this to mean that I am dead as well?”
Everyone answered at once. “I would assume so.” “Looks like it.” “Probably.”
Anjin accepted it. To him it no longer had to make sense. He didn’t care where he was, or how he got there. He knew he just was, and that was okay. Having the answers wouldn’t change things. “I thought that death would be much less pleasant.”
“It will become very unpleasant very quickly.” Daigotsu assured him. “Brace yourself.”
He began scanning the surroundings for a clue, slowly pivoting. The sky wasn’t overcast, it was just… grey. And the buildings weren’t obscured by fog; they were just… washed out. Things were making less and less sense the more observant Anjin was. The ground wasn’t right either. And the tents, this was supposed to be the third day of the tournament, there should be more people. Speaking of people, Anjin glanced around nervously. Shadows in human form were passing by him. Most looking to be laborers, but that wasn’t the point, they were shadows. How peculiar.
Sudden movement brought his attention to something moving towards him from between two tents about ten yards away. It was blue, and white, and tall. A man, a Crane, walking directly at him. He was vibrant and solid and had a look of purpose. Anjin tilted his head; behind the Crane were more robustly colored people, their choice of clothing giving most of them away. A Phoenix woman, confusion written across her face, she was gesturing towards him. A Lion woman with a lion by her side, ah, a Matsu for sure. She was whispering something to the third that was taller than the other two and wrapped as the Spider he had met the day before had been.
The Crane stopped directly in front of him, at a respectable distance but not too far as to indicate he held any fear of Anjin. With a bow he introduced himself. “Asahina Kyuzo at your service. I assume you’re just as confused as the rest of us.” He gestured towards the group behind him.
“Asahina-san,” the Spider called out, “What are you doing? You don’t know what it is.” Anjin was taken aback. From what he could see, he appeared to be as normal as he ever was, what did this person mean by ‘what it is’?
“It looks like a person.” The Phoenix retorted.
“So did those ogres, well, they looked like ogres. And Jashuwa looks-”
“As I was saying,” Asahina began speaking again, leaving the Spider and Phoenix to bicker amongst themselves. “I’m sure you’re as confused about this whole ordeal as we are. If not then please consider any information you may have.”
“Let‘s see…” Anjin said, trying to shut out the group behind Asahina. “I watched the tournament. I spoke with some Spider clan members after competing in the tournament. I went to bed and must have fallen into a long and deep sleep and woke up here. I have no idea how I got here, or why.”
Yesterday had been the second day of the Topaz Tournament. He remembered everything clearly, that is, until he woke this morning. He remembered watching the archery competition. He remembered the Unicorn’s food stand, how bold they were to vendor meat in the middle of Rokugan. His placing second in the poetry contest. The Spider who approached him. Even the fireworks from the night before. None of it seemed out of the ordinary nor gave any indication to why today started in such an odd fashion.
“Do you hear the noise?” The Phoenix had said. Asahina went quiet, glancing back to his comrades. “No, there’s no noise, it’s silent-”
Asahina shifted, moving closer to Anjin and creating a barrier between the background conversation and theirs. “Please forgive me for my abruptness,” he continued. “But I don’t think we have time to explain everything right now.” Asahina lifted his right palm and showed him a peculiar spell; there was a set of numbers, disappearing in descending order, and some very beautiful, yet ancient, calligraphy below that. “Can you see this?”
“That’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Well, for lack of a better word…” Asahina looked to be reaching for the right word to use, “There’s this spirit who calls himself Jashuwa and says that he brought us here for a game. And this,” he waved his hand towards Anjin, “is part of the game. The problem is basically…” Asahina paused, overhearing something behind him, he cocked his ear towards the group, listening.
“We could always just stab him.” The Lion said in such a casual tone it ran a shiver up Anjin’s back. Asahina smiled as politely as he could, inching a little closer to Anjin again.
“Don’t mind them. They’re… eccentric.”
“I’ve ignored far worse.” Anjin pressed his lips remembering some of the more bitter things people had said about him, some even to him over the years.
Asahina nodded and prattled on. “Essentially there has been something coined the Noise which is disrupting the area. It comes across as these scary looking creatures that will attack you quite viciously-”
As if on cue, a buzzing began in the background. It was like a chain being twisted around wet rocks, grinding into the stone. It was more than that, though, it was also some sort of ghastly groaning, making it pool in his chest. He could almost feel the ringing and screeching of the sound. Asahina swung back from Anjin, opening the barrier he had created so Anjin could see the small group again.
“Does anyone notice anything special about this?” Asahina quickly scanned the area, bringing his pack to his front.
The group wasn’t paying attention. The Phoenix was pointing to her ear and still arguing with the Spider, it seemed. Her voice was so mild Anjin couldn’t make it out above this new skull filling hum. The Spider was bristling. Anjin had been around enough court settings to know when someone was losing their temper. He could almost see the Spider clenching its jaw under its mask, he could definitely see the way the Spider grasped its polearm, and even noticed the end of its staff digging into the ground. The Phoenix continued with whatever it was saying, nodding to herself.
“Shiba-san! I highly suggest you watch your tongue.” The Spider erupted.
Anjin glanced at Asahina, wondering if he would do anything to prevent what appeared to be inevitable conflict between his companions. Asahina was readying a flute, either uncaring or unaware of the growing tension behind him. It was poetic in a way. Here, lost amongst the dismal world, peculiar things abound, friends fight each other while their charismatic Crane captain plays a melody. But what were they fighting about?
Anjin tried to parse out the conversation from the bits he overheard behind Asahina. The Phoenix had been repeating something about the Noise they were hearing. Her tone was mocking and her mannerisms treating the Spider as a small child. That was it, and then the Spider lashed out, thankfully with just a warning. He had heard what the Spider were capable of, and although he held no prejudice, his feelings held no sway over the actions of both parties. Now the Phoenix opened her mouth, and promptly shut it. She did it a second time.
“Choose your words very carefully.” The Spider said in a tone that carried more weight than those five words could hold. It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a threat. The Spider hadn’t relaxed yet, its fist still tight around the bisento.
Asahina began playing his flute, drowning out the conversation from the party. Whatever the Phoenix said, it had diffused the situation, Anjin watched the Spider ease up. A jovial song filled the air; it was lighthearted, quite out of sorts for the events that just took place. However, that sound still persisted above and beyond Asahina’s playing. It was starting to grate on Anjin. Perhaps once Asahina finished his spontaneous flute playing maybe they could get back to those explanations he had claimed there was no time for. No time to talk, but time to play a melody.
“What is that atrocious sound?” Anjin finally asked as Asahina put his flute away.
Asahina shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s a bad omen. It usually occurs when there‘s a physical disturbance in the real realm.”
It was nothing Anjin had ever heard of. He had a knack for recognizing omens, both good and bad. It came with living the life of a shut in. He spent most of his time watching the world pass him by and eventually he began observing the patterns and nuances of the world. He had been interested in the subtleness of both people and nature, and delved into several books based on the lore of omens to appease one aspect of his interest. The other wasn’t learned form reading.
The small group Asahina had told him to ignore approached, with the Spider in the lead. It offered a deep bow to Anjin, who watched the character carefully. “Hello, Dragon-sama, it is a pleasure to meet you even in this type of environment.”
Asahina leaned in. “Someone will eventually teach her etiquette.” Oh, it was a her. It was hard to guess not having anything to go off of besides her eyes. Her height and build could have put her in either category, she was as tall as he was, 5’4” and slender, not dainty. Granted, his affliction kept him from reaching his full potential in height, but he was also older than the Crane, Phoenix, and Lion, so he assumed the same applied to the Spider which meant she could have been in her boyish youth.
“We enjoy her company despite her flaws.” Continued Asahina. “She is an excellent fighter.”
The Spider tilted her head. Anjin was almost certain she was pleased by the compliment, as he had noted before, her body language spoke volumes even when she didn’t. “Thank you, Asahina-san. You are more than adequate yourself.” It may have been a compliment, but the wording wasn’t right. Anjin now understood what Asahina was saying about her lack of etiquette.
The Spider met Anjin‘s eyes, and he found two different colored ones staring back at him. It was an omen, or at least one that was mentioned in some of the books he had read. The information forced itself to the forefront of his mind. The Evil Eye, it was bad luck to be near someone with it, for they invited evil into themselves and their lives. He wondered if the others had noticed yet, with how amiable they were being towards her. He wasn‘t one to judge or hold prejudice, but the rest of the Empire wasn‘t so quick to accept those that were different. Like himself.
“I am Daigotsu Katsumi. And as one of our…” There was an obvious pause as Daigotsu eyed Shiba. “Traveling members have pointed out; you don’t seem to be something we are looking to fix.”
Anjin bowed his head in return. Bending anything below the shoulder was too trying for him to attempt in most occasions. So as to offset any disrespect caused by his lack of physical maneuverability, Anjin made up for it with words. “It is a great honor to meet you as well.”
Anjin nodded his head in Asahina’s direction. “I apologize, I didn’t introduce myself. I am Kitsuki Anjin. I’m in a bit of a daze; I’ve never been in a situation quite like this. I’m afraid I have no idea where I am, or what’s going on. I’m not sure if I can be of any help. I’m quite a keen observer, I can’t fight very well to save my life, but I would be much honored to help you if there is any way that I can assist.”
“What do you know of our current situation?” The Phoenix piped in.
“I know simply that this man has a very strange tattoo, and this ringing in my ears is driving me mad.” The next thing Anjin knew, Daigotsu was holding his hand, turning it palm up. He recoiled from her grievous breach of etiquette, she touched him. She was quick which only indicated she had done so without any pause for restraint, nor did she show signs of guilt for the physical contact now. Afraid she would grab him again he stared at Daigotsu wearily, who obviously accomplished whatever she had set out to do because she leaned back on her heels as if nothing had just happened.
“Well…um…” The Phoenix quietly began. “We’re all…dead.”
“Dead?” Daigotsu‘s behavior was shocking enough, now he was being told they were all ghosts. He had been conversing with spirits! Anjin unintentionally leaned back, as if putting mere inches between himself and the others would somehow save him from their insanity.
“Oh. Yes, yes.” Daigotsu confirmed.
“See, that’s the thing.” Interrupted Asahina. “I wasn’t trying to divulge that information because I don’t trust Jashuwa so we don’t even know if it’s fact.”
“It doesn’t taste right to me.” Daigotsu said while nodded with Asahina. Anjin’s head began to swim.
“Jashuwa is this…” The Phoenix trailed off, reaching for some word.
“Foreigner.” Finished Daigotsu.
“Foreigner. Who… apparently explained that we were all dead.”
“I’ve never been told I was dead before. So, frankly, I don’t believe it.” Asahina said coolly.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one.” Chimed in Daigotsu. They were all speaking so calmly and collected about the whole thing. This wasn’t every day conversation, this was life and death and foreigners and monsters. And the realization dawned on Anjin, if they were dead, then…
“Am I to take this to mean that I am dead as well?”
Everyone answered at once. “I would assume so.” “Looks like it.” “Probably.”
Anjin accepted it. To him it no longer had to make sense. He didn’t care where he was, or how he got there. He knew he just was, and that was okay. Having the answers wouldn’t change things. “I thought that death would be much less pleasant.”
“It will become very unpleasant very quickly.” Daigotsu assured him. “Brace yourself.”
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