Yoshitakatomo Does (Not) Return

Gathering / Conference

Within a discreet meeting room at Wakigami Castle, Ryūzaki Sanosuke waited. Beside him, seated in awkward silence, was the man who still possessed Shōta's body. Rather, Dōhan was well and truly trapped within the lanky youth's form. This was a situation which Sanosuke felt his lord, Hashinara Yoshitakatomo could easily take advantage of, so he had brought the possessed boy here. And yet Yoshitakatomo had still not arrived. It was nearing midnight now, and she* was still on her* journey in the Dreamlands, despite many an assurance that she* would return soon.

Fortunately, Sanosuke had some other matters to keep him busy. Mentally, at least. Shōta-Narinaga was resigned to simply sitting there uncomfortably until their host finally arrived. At long last, the door opened. The diminutive form revealed on the other side was not, however, Hashinara Yoshitakatomo. Instead, the Princess-Daimyō's sheele, Hashinara Kiyowara was attending in her* stead.   To Sanosuke, this signified that Yoshitakatomo would not be returning. At least, not yet. Kiyowara confirmed this. The lord of the Hashinara would be remaining on the Isle of Oriab, where she* had recently encountered an Archdemon and an "Entity Beyond God". The Dreamlands truly seemed like a place where anything could happen, so Sanosuke took this news in stride. More importantly, he was here to deliver Hayashi Narinaga: the man who had possessed Shōta as well as Shigeaki Fujino and Tōdaisen Nobuhara in the recent past. A force who had been an elusive thorn in their side was now a pariah from his own clan. With his powers, it was an opportunity not to be passed up.   Kiyowara agreed. Or, more precisely, Yoshitakatomo did. The intensity of connection between sheele and master varied with each individual. In Yoshitakatomo's case, the two could be said to be one and the same. The Princess-Daimyō spoke with Kiyowara's mouth and saw through her eyes. In a very real way, the connection allowed her* to be in two places at once. At this moment, she* was making use of it to tease information out of Shōta-Narinaga.   It seemed that the ancient-wizard-turned-snotty-kid was indeed in a dire predicament. He had taken Shōta's body under the assumption that, as a member of the Hashinara Clan's envied tournament team, he was an important member of the clan. This could not have been further from the truth. And now, for some reason, he was trapped, unable to return his soul to its true home. Unknown to Dōhan, this was because that original body was currently rendered in only two dimensions as a tattoo on Yoshitakatomo's own back. Kiyowara did not reveal this information, and her placid expression gave away no clue that she or her master had indeed been involved in the situation.   Still, Dōhan could not turn to the Mōri Clan. He had cut ties with the Hannya Sūhai, from whom he implied that he could have otherwise received mystical aid. Mōri Motonari, too, was a dead end. Dōhan was one of the few oni of enough power, practical and political, to be seen as her rival. Although they had a tenuously good relationship, Shōta-Narinaga expected that she would not hesitate to take advantage of his situation should it become known.   It seemed then, that he was at the Hashinara Clan's mercy; the same organization which he'd been tasked to infiltrate. It was a cruel and ironic fate, but Yoshitakatomo did not immediately leap to exploit the poor Karō. Instead, in her* boundless wisdom, the Princess-Daimyō suggested a course of action which would benefit them both.   In the southeastern reaches of Japan, the Shimazu Clan was currently operating largely unchecked. Unaffected by many of the greater conflicts taking place thanks to their easily-defendable geographic location, they had been slowly creeping northward from their territorial lands. This path, if it continued, would surely lead to conflict with the Mōri Clan.   While the Shimazu and Hashinara were nominally allies, they were not close. Indeed, they had run their share of conflicts together in the past. What's more, the Shimazu Clan's continued peddling of narcotics and their flippant attitude toward the political stage were both of concern to Yoshitakatomo. With all of that taken into consideration, both the Mōri and Hashinara stood to benefit by gathering more information about the Shimazu.   As it happened, a member of the Shimazu's tournament team, one Yamada Arinaga had recently fallen in battle and been taken to the Mōri Clan's infirmary beneath the arena. That was the same place where Dōhan had stolen Shōta's body. He saw the wisdom in the other's suggestion and agreed to make the same switch, escorted by Sanosuke. Then, he would deliver information about the Shimazu Clan back to the Hashinara. In exchange, Yoshitakatomo would offer her* considerable power in dealing with his missing body and the political status it represented.   Then it was agreed. Through the combined cunning of Sanosuke and Yoshitakatomo, the Hashinara Clan had gained a powerful and unlikely ally. At least, for so long as he remained within their power. There were other matters yet for the Silver General to handle that night, and so he excused himself from the meeting room. First, however, they had another matter to touch on: that of Ashiya Dōman.   Not a few moments prior, Aotsuki Tsukamoto had reached out about the infamous onmyōji. His own adviser, Abe no Seimei, was none too pleased about his continued activity in Japan. She'd wanted to take the fight straight to Wakigami Castle, but Aotsuki had managed to convince her of a compromise. Instead, Seimei would settle for Dōman being removed from the same plane. Fortunately, Yoshitakatomo's plans to bring Dōman with her* to the Dreamlands fit nicely within the current situation.   Apart from that, Sanosuke had some matters to speak to the onmyōji about as well. With his lord's blessing, he reached out and contacted Dōman directly. While ordinarily he would speak through his many wraiths, Dōman seemed capable of direct mental communication. He was respectful, having heard Sanosuke's reputation and his deeds in Genmei's Sanctum earlier that day. The Silver General, too, maintained an air of professional respect as he asked a few questions about sheele. Could Dōman, like Seimei, summon them? A clandestine discussion followed, to which only Sanosuke, Dōman, and Fujino were party.   Finally, Kiyowara set about preparing Shōta-Narinaga for his new task, while Sanosuke took his leave of Wakigami. Fujino dropped him off at his home in Nijō Castle but, before he could do anything further, a strange sound arrested his attention. It sounded like a bell being rung several times in succession. There was a strange rhythm to it. When Sanosuke counted the chimes and came up with eight, his suspicions were confirmed.   He exited to the nearby castle gardens and found Umbriel there in her usual spot. The Daughter of Avatea was standing in the moonlight, ringing an ancient bell with one hand while she gazed at the Seven-Branched Sword in the other. Once aware of Sanosuke's presence, she explained her rationale in several sentences matching that same eight-tone rhythm.   Apparently, Umbriel had been successful in discovering another of the Seven-Branched Sword's resonant sounds. It was the chime of a temple bell. Other bells simply wouldn't do, but she'd retrieved this one from a ruin whose ancient denizens surely wouldn't miss it. The sword had resonated with it earlier that day. In that Lunarian spirit of experimentation, Umbriel was now attempting the same to see at what point the blade's "daily" empowerments reset. As the moon reached its highest point and midnight passed, the Seven-Branched Sword vibrated once again. It was midnight, as Umbriel had expected.   Suitably impressed, Sanosuke asked if she was enjoying the pursuit and whether she'd like to continue. Umbriel's answer was vague, but positive. Seeking out these tones was fun. A challenge. So long as Sanosuke was patient while she discerned the remaining three sounds, she would continue. The Silver General agreed. There was something else he may use the sword for once its last secrets had come to light as well.