Death Draped in Red Silks

Life, Death

While making preparations for her* foray into the Dreamlands, Princess-Daimyō Hashinara Yoshitakatomo received a message from a loyal retainer: Ryūzaki Sanosuke. The Silver General had been thinking of late about the man they'd met at Himeji Castle, the man who claimed to be that fortress' architect. Other avenues of investigation, however, had revealed the true planner to be one Akamatsu Norishige, now long deceased. It was Sanosuke's hope that Yoshitakatomo could turn her* dark magicks toward communicating with Norishige. Through such original necromancy, they might be able to shed light on this remaining mystery.   While not against the idea, Yoshitakatomo conceded that ancient Norishige's soul was no doubt in the clutches of Izanami-no-Mikoto, deep below in Yomi. Even the great necromancer's magic could not reach that far. Not without help, at least. Sanosuke's suggestion was that she* might find assistance at Miwa-myōjin, that grand temple to Izanami north of Wakigami.

As might be expected, Sanosuke's advice gave Yoshitakatomo pause. A great shrine to Izanami? How long had it lurked in Yamato Province under her* domain? By checking with Tōdaisen Nobuhara, Yoshitakatomo was able to discern that this was a part of Ryūzaki Sanosuke's great plan to found temples across the Hashinara realm. Indeed, Miwa-myōjin had reached the height of its magnificence even today. Wary that a locus of Izanami's power so close could pose a threat, Yoshitakatomo was also curious. She* called upon Nobuhara once again, requesting an onmyōji for backup while she traveled to this unearthed shrine.   To his continued credit, Nobuhara had just the man in mind. They'd recently received an application to join the clan in the form of a young onmyōji and his brother. This Hano Sadao was apparently fleeing gambling debts, but displayed enough skill and promise that Nobuhara thought him worthy of a further look. Yoshitakatomo agreed. This excursion would serve as Sadao's interview to join their clan. First, she* would meet with them in the audience chamber, where she* currently remained with Alice of Clubs.   Not long after giving the order, Yoshitakatomo's discussion with said Alice was interrupted by a polite knock on the door. It was Hano Kansei, bowing politely and forcing his much-less proper older brother into a similar position. When she* saw the two, Yoshitakatomo was struck by the unusual nature of their relationship. Kansei was not Sadao's younger brother, but his sheele. For the spirit to be male was strange enough; sheele almost always manifested as female in form. What's more, this boy showed a distinctive level of individuality. This was, by the brothers' own account, because they had been together since Sadao was born. They had grown up thinking of themselves as unusually close siblings. Only recently, when they pursued onmyōji training, had Sadao learned that Kansei was a spirit: effectively a separated part of his own soul.   Yoshitakatomo impressed upon the two how unusual Kansei's existence was. Indeed, he was perhaps the rarest sheele in the world. What was not so strange was his relationship to Sadao. Calling upon Hashinara Kiyowara, Yoshitakatomo introduced her as a daughter. They had that in common, sheele accepted as family. Throughout this discussion, Kansei presented himself well, with proper etiquette and a wide array of expertise on display. Sadao was much less impressive, always seeming a bit off-balance and out of his depth. It was clear that the two came as a combination package, however, so Yoshitakatomo explained their next mission. Should they encounter anything hostile in their journey to Miwa-myōjin, it would fall to Sadao's (apparently excellent) skills as an onmyōji to deal with it.   That all said and done, Yoshitakatomo hailed Shigeaki Fujino for transport to Miwa-myōjin. At first, the bubbly psychic was surprised to even find that Yoshitakatomo had found out about the temple's existence. She knew where to go, however, and soon the Daimyō and her* company were in the cool, moist underground air of the subterranean temple. That the shrine lurked beneath the earth explained why Yoshitakatomo had not previously noticed its construction. This was not its only uncommon attribute, however. The red silks and pillows arranged around skull-ensconced torches gave the impression of a morbid boudoir more than a place of worship. Alice vanished into the shadows while the Sadao brothers stood at the ready. They were not to be kept waiting long.   A Kitsune of fine garb and voluptuous proportion came through a curtain to greet them. She introduced herself as Sumisaki Hisae, high priestess of this shrine and devotee of Izanami. This role made her a natural enemy of Hashinara Yoshitakatomo, who had consistently snubbed the Goddess of Death in her* many forays into necromancy. There was an immediate tension between the two, but neither made any immediately hostile moves. It seemed they would be able to talk, which was good because Hano Sadao was struck a babbling, dumb mess by the beauty of the elder kitsune whom he was meant to counter.   Through their discussion, several facts about Hisae came to light. She was hired by the Silver Meteor Storm as perhaps the best of all dangerous options to head Miwa-myōjin, but her roots ran much deeper than that. Hisae's peak had been in the times of the Matsumoto Clan, when Matsumoto Jigenzaemon had established his dark dominion across the land. She had seduced Jigenzaemon, as she had so many other men before him, but the tables had turned on Hisae. Jigenzaemon killed her at the height of their passion, and her soul had simmered for revenge ever since. Izanami had allowed her back into the mortal world upon the condition that Hisae actively seduce more souls down to Yomi for the Mother of the Damned.   In contrast to her willingness to speak about herself, Hisae seemed quite uninterested in Yoshitakatomo. Although the kitsune priestess conceded that the Daimyō was technically her superior, she made it clear that she had no intention of accepting any orders. A trade, however, might be in order. Hisae might be able to rustle up Akamatsu Norishige's specter for questioning, but such a difficult task required compensation. As obsessive as her mistress, Hisae wished for only one thing: Matsumoto Jigenzaemon. Yoshitakatomo let slip that the ancient lord did indeed still live, albeit not in the same form as he once did, but could not arrange a meeting directly. Instead, she* offered to allow Hisae to speak with the last scion of that ill-fated clan, Matsumoto Ooawagaeri. This would require Hisae to leave Miwa-myōjin, which the vixen seemed to have little issue with.   Their terms set, the Priestess and Nemesis of Izanami came to an agreement. It would require some time for Hisae to retrieve Norishige's soul from the sulfuric springs below. In the meantime, Yoshitakatomo would perform her* side of the deal and bring Matsumoto Ooawagaeri into the conversation about Jigenzaemon.   Except... Yoshitakatomo's next words were not assent. Rather, she* wished to speak with Akamatsu Norishige now as a small show of appreciation, then she* would return later to extract her* true price for bringing the Matsumoto Clan into matters. Hisae was not pleased. She immediately countered that it was Yoshitakatomo who wanted something from her, and therefore Norishige would not be making an appearance until Hisae's own desires were fulfilled.   It seemed that neither of the prideful negotiators were willing to budge on their respective sides. Yoshitakatomo adopted an aloof disposition, claiming that it was an interest of hers* but nothing more to speak to Norishige. Hisae's desire, however, had a much stronger grip on her heart and the Princess-Daimyō recognized this. Slowly, Yoshitakatomo teased all the ways Hisae's crusade could go wrong into the conversation. When the Daimyō said that the ancient Kitsune was no longer powerful enough to do anything about Jigenzaemon, however, Hisae snapped.   With a flick of her hips and a glow in her eyes, suddenly every eye in the room was intractably drawn to Hisae's form. Hano Sadao, Kansei, Alice, and even Yoshitakatomo were unable to look away, unable to think, and unable to act as the vixen glided up to her opponent. Lifting up her* mask, Hisae planted a cold-lipped kiss upon Yoshitakatomo's mouth. Pleasure and pain mingled with an icy chill running down her* spine. Yoshitakatomo had time only to send a hurried plea for help to Ryūzaki Sanosuke before falling to the ground, all life gone from her* slender form.   Sanosuke was busy elsewhere, but he came almost at once upon news of his lord's crisis. Sending Fujino off once again for backup, he faced off with the priestess of Izanami in that cavern, the only person still able to focus and move. Hisae held two souls dancing in her hand. One was surely Yoshitakatomo's, which meant that the other could only be that of Akechi Mitsuhide, taken from the corpse's mask. Sanosuke had known when he hired her that Hisae was a risk. Any priestess devoted to Izanami would be. Still, he tried to talk her down before taking any other action. When he asked for the souls twirling in the vixen's hand, Hisae refused. The point would soon, however, become moot.   Unholy magics crawled along the ground behind Hisae, earthing themselves in Yoshitakatomo's corpse. With a flare of necromantic light, Yoshitakatomo's soul ripped itself from the hand holding it and darted back into its original form. For a moment, the undead princess held in the air, then vanished entirely. A few things happened at the same time, then. As Hisae screamed in fury, Yoshinami Sujio appeared to lend his calming presence, while Yoshitakatomo reappeared on the other side of the cavern with Sanosuke between her* and Hisae. In the chaos, nobody noticed Mitsuhide's soul vanish from the vixen's palm...   Now regained of her* composure, Yoshitakatomo ordered Hano Sadao to bind Hisae to his will. It took a few tries and even a spell to break the spell of fascination that had come over the boy. Fortunately, as Sujio and Sanosuke astutely observed, Hisae no longer held the advantage. Whatever she had done before, she was unable or unwilling to perform it again. Hisae herself surely knew that. Expressions of consternation, rage, and fear were awash in her expression. Finally, Kansei managed to kick his brother into gear, and Hano Sadao placed Hisae under his control with an expert's flourish. It seemed that, his personality aside, the boy was indeed skilled with his shikigami.   Now that there was no more threat of violence, Sanosuke took control of the situation and attempted to calm everyone down. He went first to the matter of the remaining soul, but... The Silver General and Hisae noticed it was gone at the same time and were equally unpleased. As if on cue, a shadowy figure appeared above the altar in Miwa-myōjin, coalescing into the vision of none other than Kashin Koji. Mitsuhide's partially-digested soul flopped around in her hand as she taunted the Hashinara before her. With a preternatural burst of speed, Sanosuke rushed the hannya. She should have had no time to react, but it didn't matter; it was only an illusion. Kashin Koji's laughter faded away with a last claim that Izanami would be very interested in whatever soul this was that they wanted so badly.   A heavy annoyance set over the group as Yoshitakatomo chided Hisae for associating with the likes of Koji. It seemed the vixen herself didn't like it either, but Koji was her only current link to Yomi. Indeed, it would have been that mischievous spirit which Hisae would have asked to retrieve Norishige's soul.   It seemed no more horrible ghosts were about to pop from the shadows, so the only question remaining was how to deal with Sumisaki Hisae's treachery. Fully aware now that she was at an utter disadvantage, Hisae dropped to her knees and prostrated herself before Yoshitakatomo, begging for the Daimyō's mercy. Sanosuke spotted this display for what it was: a bid for safety and nothing more. Hisae possessed no remorse for what she had done. Still, the Silver General threw in his support for the vixen. This, too, could be a useful tool, and she was still the best choice he knew of for running this hidden temple.   After much groveling, Yoshitakatomo agreed to suspend her* vengeance on a condition. Hisae would procure for her three souls of increasing importance. First, Akamatsu Norishige as they originally bargained. Second, Akechi Mitsuhide, who had been stolen from her* by Hisae's actions. Finally, Hashinara Yoshiyuki herself. Yoshitakatomo expressed a desire to see her* daughter again, even if it would not be permanent. The implications of this statement were not lost on anyone in the room, except maybe Sadao, who looked clueless as usual. Indirectly, Yoshitakatomo had just revealed her* true identity as Hashinara Katamoto, thought-fallen patriarch of the Hashinara Clan.   The profound moment was shattered moments later by a strained message from Tōdaisen Nobuhara. Usutsuki, he claimed, had told him that an evil spirit had infiltrated Wakigami Castle and was now slipping into the dungeons. He'd already sent the security manager, Gamō Torasaburō, but wasn't sure how the man would fare against what seemed a dangerous supernatural threat. This was not the kind of news Yoshitakatomo wanted to hear. Indeed, it seemed to be one thing after another these days.