Regalia Reunited

Life, Milestone

The Hashinara generals' misadventures at Yakisoba Yashiki proved to be quite taxing for Golden Boy Aotsuki Tsukamoto. Indeed, he had apparently at one point all but been killed by a tree. He couldn't remember it himself, but that wasn't the sort of thing that could just be dismissed. Now, at least, he was free to pursue some personal business. The morning matches had ended, which meant that fellow general Fubuki no longer required Kintoki's Hatchet. That weapon was the last puzzle piece in Aotsuki's plan to trade Musashibō Benkei for Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. If he could achieve that, he'd finally have Mirror, Jewel, and Sword; the three Imperial Regalia of Japan. Fubuki and Maxim seemed to be heading for the nearby arena anyway, so Aotsuki accompanied them that far.

Upon regaining the arena's flowered sands, Fubuki revealed that she* did not have Kintoki's Hatchet on her* person. Instead, the cold-eyed oni directed Aotsuki to the other side of the stands. There, her* retainers Taira no Tokuko and Aka no Kitsunebi were tending the weapon. So, Aotsuki left the other two to their unorthodox tasks and made his way over. Aka no Kitsunebi did indeed have Kintoki's Hatchet held loosely in one hand. As Aotsuki approached and asked for it, however, she could only stammer a weak reply at him. Unbeknownst to Aotsuki, the Red Foxfire had only recently achieved sight after a lifetime of blindness. She had literally never seen someone as gorgeous as the man who now stood in front of her. Tokuko, however, seemed much less impressed. She checked with Fubuki to make sure that Aotsuki truly did have claim to the weapon, but before she got authorization, Aka no Kitsunebi had already handed it over. In this case, that was fine, but Tokuko's brow knitted at the worrying precedent.   Thanking the two, Aotsuki sought out Benkei to make the trade. As it turned out, she was right below in the arena proper, examining the burst remains of that stained-glass cube that had set there since Randi Carter's match. When Aotsuki made his way there and produced the three weapons, he made his pitch. It was simple; weapons from three legendary Tarōs, the Peach Baton, Tsurimaru, and Kintoki's hatchet for the single, priceless Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Benkei was obviously interested in the uncommon weapons Aotsuki had brought to barter. However, she hesitated. Kusanagi was the sword, perhaps the greatest in Japan, and she had already gotten much use out of it. On the other hand, Aotsuki was offering a very nice selection, and trading three for one would finally let Benkei break her goal of owning one thousand weapons. Eventually she agreed, on one condition.   It was no secret that Minamoto no Yoshitsune was on a quest to root out a darkness, a corruption which she felt within Wakigami Castle. According to Benkei, Yoshitsune had forbidden her loyal monk to help in this endeavor, fearing that another curse might separate them for centuries as it had before. So, said loyal monk wanted Aotsuki to help out Yoshitsune in her stead. He was willing, and began to ask for details, but Benkei had few to give. His promise was enough. Accepting the trade now, she took the weapons and gave over Kusanagi, with one last entreaty not to tell Yoshitsune that it was she, Benkei, who had sent him.   Aotsuki was about to assent, but as soon as his hand touched the legendary blade, a shock ran up his arm. Then, as though pulling some piece of him out, the same power jumped back through his limb and into Kusanagi. Aotsuki was left feeling bewildered and a little hollow. The blade in his hand was glowing radiantly, a soft white light enveloping it and his arm before building to a nova that wiped everything else from his world. Somehow, Aotsuki managed to keep his feet and consciousness. When he recovered and the glow faded, he found that he was no longer holding the Kusanagi. Instead, a regal-looking girl of a bit shorter height than himself was looking up at him with an imperious expression. This, she proclaimed, was no way for the Emperor of Japan to behave.   Her name, of course, was Tsurugi, and she was the final result of the Imperial Regalia reacting with Aotsuki's soul. Kagami and Tama welcomed their new sister, excited to finally have the gang back together, as it were. Aotsuki, too, was pleased. This was a major milestone for him, a culmination of a goal he had been pursuing for some time now, and the first step to truly claiming his heritage as Emperor of Japan. Benkei, still watching, was a bit nonplussed. Was this, she wanted to know, normal? Aotsuki couldn't answer that, but he did tell her that it was the result he'd been hoping for. Gathering up his three Regal Sheele, he bid the warrior monk farewell and returned to Saitō Dōsan's side.   Although this was exciting news and reason to celebrate, Aotsuki still wanted to take full advantage of the lull in this day's activities. That meant talking to his trusted retainer, Dōsan. The giant man had some information to report on his efforts to gain the aid of the Oda Clan, and apparently something personal to ask of Aotsuki too. Together, they called upon Shigeaki Fujino to deliver them to Ōtsu Castle. Not long after they left, all hell broke loose, but that wasn't Aotsuki's problem.   Upon arriving at Ōtsu, Aotsuki reached out to Abe no Seimei and asked both her and Tokku-hime to join him in the second-floor meeting room. They all arrived there not long after, along with a creepy fox-masked child that Aotsuki didn't remember inviting. This was Ooawagaeri's doing, as evidenced by the Black Blade's voice emanating from behind the mask. Since they would be discussing private matters, however, Seimei requested that the fourth sheele be left outside. Kōyō didn't argue when Aotsuki agreed, but instead teleported out of the room. At the same time, Aotsuki summoned deadly huntress Alice of Hearts to find the masked girl and play with her.   Tokku-hime, at least, was reacting surprisingly well to the addition of Tsurugi to Aotsuki's "children." She'd shown some trepidation toward the possibility of needing to act as a mother figure toward Kagami and Tama, but now Tokku and Tsurugi sat shoulder-to-shoulder. Apparently they'd found something in each other that both liked. Tucking that observation away, Aotsuki started the meeting.   First, there was the matter of Ikkyū, the fugitive, and finding a member of the Oda willing to hunt him down. Dōsan had been successful on this count. He spent the night last eve at Owari Castle and asked around. It turned out that one Hayashi Hidesada might be exactly what they were looking for. Hidesada was a Tengu, a bird-yōkai race usually limited to the Uesugi Clan. She, however, had broken off from those worshipers of Bishamonten and sought to bring the rest of her family into the Oda Clan. Negotiations had been going well until Oda Nobunaga's crisis and departure as head of the clan. Leadership of the Oda was questionable now, and she was left sitting on her hands, or talons as the case may be. Helping Aotsuki would both give her something to do and, through aiding an old friend of the clan in Dōsan, endear her to the Oda's remaining members. Therefore, she would be willing to perform the task at no charge.   This was certainly welcome news. Aotsuki commended Dōsan for his fine service and looked forward to talking with Hayashi Hidesada personally later. Speaking of emissaries from other clans, the situation brought his mind to that general they'd taken in from the Rokkaku. He asked Seimei, and received an impromptu report. Kannonji Castle, headquarters of the Rokkaku, had vanished with the morning light as it did every dawn. Rokkaku no Jakusai, however, remained whole, healthy, and intact within Ōtsu Castle. She was asleep right now, but Seimei suspected that was just a result of her normally operating at night, rather than any sinister magicks. That, too, was interesting, but didn't bring them much closer to solving the mystery of the One-Night Castle. Seimei offered that she'd like to put something big and visible but inexpensive where the castle was due to reappear and see what happened at evening. This wouldn't really give them much new data, but would at least assay the ancient onmyōji's curiosity. Aotsuki agreed, and presented a fine idea to boot. They would ask Alice of Hearts to create a big, shiny, colorful structure at the site of the castle. Perhaps a tower with instructions left inside for anyone who might appear there.   With that settled, they returned to Dōsan. The big man scraped the ceiling with his hair as he tilted his head back and forth. It seemed he had something else on his mind, but was somewhat embarrassed to explain it. Eventually, Aotsuki managed to coax it out of him. When he'd been to visit Mitake himself, that band-raised settlement in the eastern parts of Mino Province, Dōsan had gotten a glimpse of Parapara Starlight and the instruments they played. The guitars struck some inspiration within him, and he began to wonder if it would be possible to get something like that in his size. Aotsuki was a bit nonplussed at this unexpected request, but Dōsan affirmed that if anyone could figure it out, it'd be the future Emperor of Japan. The old Saitō patriarch was more than a fine retainer, he was a friend, and Aotsuki owed him a lot. He agreed to help Dōsan however he could to achieve that dream.