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Erin's Gift - Part 3.A Tokyo Babylon fanfiction by Ariane Kovacevic, AKA Fuu-chan. "Is everything ready, Aislinn?" I nodded at Lord Fitzgerald, stifling a yawn with difficulty. I had woken up well before dawn to give my five charges a thorough grooming. Today we would reach the city of Edo, and everything had to be perfect for our entry into the shogun's capital. All five horses' coats were now shining like jewels, and I was quite sure the sight of them would make people's heads turn in admiration. "Then it's high time we got started. The sooner this journey ends, the better it will be for us." I shot a quick glance at the English nobleman, wondering why there had been such an edge in his voice. The man was nervous, unusually so. It was as if anxiety had grown inside him as we were nearing our destination. Why? Was he afraid of the welcome we'd be given? Shrugging inwardly, I decided it was not worth it to waste my time searching for answers, and that if my hypothesis was correct there was little I could do about it. I bowed slightly, and the man waved me away, allowing me to leave his presence. I pressed my back against one of the panel walls in the inn's corridors in order to allow passage to servants bearing a wide and cumbersome trunk. Apparently everyone was truly getting ready to leave...funny. I smirked when I brought up the mental image of some of the courtiers forced to wake up early, disgruntled. It'd serve them right. As I reached the inn's yard, I stretched like a cat, closing my eyes and breathing in the scents of dawn. The wind on my face...so gentle. The sun's warmth enveloping me.... I could have taken a nap right here on the wooden floor of the terrace. Muffled whinny. Curiosity. Surprise. I tensed, opening my eyes and saw someone on the other side of the yard, right at the stable's edge. A man, tall and slim, wearing the funny wide pants they called hakama and a jacket. He.... I watched, paralyzed, as his left hand brushed Sreim's nose, in a slow motion, and as he walked away from him and towards the inn's gate. I stared at the retreating back of the stranger, my mind empty of thought, my vision reduced to the sight of him, of the mixture of green, black and white which was the color of his clothes, and of the short hair which barely reached the base of his neck. That man...he.... Snapping out of the sudden trance which had taken hold of me, I made to run after him, but at this very moment fingers closed around my left arm, holding me back by force. "Don't worry, that one wouldn't harm your horses." Shaking my head, I tried to pull free but failed. On the other side of the yard, the man reached the gate and was met by a group of soldiers, unaware of the presence of people watching him from the inn's terrace. Mastering my anger with difficulty, I turned to face Sakurazuka Sekai, and hissed, "How would you know?" He released his hold on me, and I froze when I saw the expression on his face. Intent. Focused. Guarded. He wasn't even looking at me, his eyes had been set on the stranger the whole time, and the light shining in them.... "Sumeragi Kirikaze...what are you doing here, with such a small escort?" There had been wonder in the soft whisper, curiosity, and also something darker which I couldn't have named. On instinct, I refrained from giving him the slap he deserved for having dared to intervene when I had wanted to rush towards the stables, and stood very still at his side. Watching him. Feeling. Watching. The fire in his eyes. I knew. The shadow within me remembered. Remembered. Forgotten times. Drowned under the implacable flow of Time. Reality turned into legends, into ethereal cobwebs.... Delicately slicing through the eerily quiet silence which had settled over the yard, I asked him in a whisper, "Who was he?" Sakurazuka Sekai shrugged all of the sudden, and the tension in the air faded in the same time as the dangerous light in his eyes. Chuckling, he said, "Sumeragi Kirikaze, a second cousin of the current head of the Sumeragi House. Their clan has served the Emperor since the beginning of Nihon, and they watch over the spiritual balance of the land. They're a weird lot, most of them talented but bridled by their strict rules of conduct and by their narrow vision of what good and evil are...." He smiled at me. "Trust me, none of them would harm a living being." I snorted, unwilling to face the fact he was likely right. I hadn't felt anything bad, but still.... A stranger had approached the great war horses descending from the line of Flidais' own steeds. A stranger had reached out and touched them with impunity. It didn't make sense, Sreim should at least have attacked him, and yet the black stallion's only reaction had been a muffled whinny. Surprise and curiosity had been the only feelings rising within him, not wariness, not anger. Chasing the questions away, I reported my attention on Sakurazuka Sekai, and saw he was watching me attentively. I felt my cheeks color slightly, vexed that he might have glimpsed my inner turmoil, and gestured nervously. There was something more than a bit irrational in the anger inhabiting me, I knew that; but for the moment I just couldn't discard the emotion. Staring at him right in the eye, I asked him in a deceptively soft voice, "And what is that man to you, Sakurazuka-san? A rival?" He laughed at that, hilarity and amusement spreading from him and intoxicating the air around him. I watched him laugh, puzzled and uncomprehending. Had I been wrong in my perception of his reaction to the stranger's presence? Eventually he sobered up a bit and shook his head, saying, "Sasuga wa, Aislinn-san!" He grinned at me. "No, he's no rival of mine. Rather, I suppose you could call him my white reflection." White reflection, hey? Damn him, but that didn't explain anything, that didn't even mean anything. Unwilling to play games with Sakurazuka Sekai any longer, I jumped down the terrace and briskly stepped towards the stables. I had more important to do than to bear with his smug words. When I reached Sreim, the black stallion held out his head towards me, and I absentmindedly stroked his forehead. He snorted, and I smiled despite myself. Yes, I know. I'm sorry, Sreim. I know you're way too smart to let an enemy near you. I should trust your judgment more. Perhaps it was true that Sumeragi Kirikaze would have been incapable of hurting my horses, but I knew one thing: even Nia had allowed Sakurazuka Sekai to touch her, the black mare had accepted him, even though I knew with a cold certainty that he wouldn't have hesitated to kill her if he had judged it necessary. Oh yes. Why Nia hadn't felt it, or why she had discarded the threat, I didn't know. It frightened me. A loud whinny interrupted my train of thought, and I suddenly realized Aodhan was hitting the door of his stall with his left hoof repeatedly, wanting out. Wanting to be outside and to play. In the yard behind us, the soldiers were getting ready, and the servants had finished loading the trunks on the pack horses. I was going to be late. Shaking my head helplessly, I walked over to the chestnut stallion and grinned at him. With questions and doubts still haunting my mind. I ignored the sound of hooves approaching, refusing to acknowledge the presence of the one who had come to my side. On my left, Sreim snorted, laughing at humans' too complex maze of emotions, and I reached out to him, tickling his chin. It could have been quite funny though, when I thought about it. On my right, I felt Nia tensing as the black mare gathered her strength. Shaking my head again, I turned towards her and grinned. Beautiful, utterly black eyes met mine, and for a fraction of a second I didn't react. Then I turned my head to face the direction we were following, discarding Sakurazuka Sekai from my mind with an effort of will. Liath made as if to jump forward, and I stared at the grey stallion, stern. "So, you still haven't forgiven me." It took a conscious effort to keep walking and to deny the inner voice which wanted me to stop right there and confront the man. Hell.... In a deliberately slow movement I turned my head to face him, and said softly, "No, I haven't. Why should I, Sakurazuka-san? I don't see anything between us that would require forgiveness." "Sou desu ka." He nodded with a knowing look on his face, and I felt a thin, ironic smile come to my lips. If he thought I'd take the bait, he'd be disappointed. What I had told him was the truth. There was nothing he had done which needed forgiveness from *me*. And the horses.... Liath had never seen the need to forgive, and the others trusted Nia's judgment. Despite all that reasoning, there was still anger in my heart, defying all logic, irrational. I kept telling myself it was just wariness, and that it was fully justified, but the emotion wasn't cold as it should have been. No, it was burning hot, a fire whose ashes would flare to life again and again, refusing to die. I was a fool. I knew how strong and dangerous Sakurazuka Sekai was, I had seen it and felt it at least twice, but.... I couldn't help feeling something vague and unnamed towards this tall, proud stranger. Like...kinship, perhaps? Sometimes, I felt him close, sometimes I desperately wished I hadn't perceived what I had. A friend.... An anchor.... Someone who could understand.... A shelter. Likely it was incredibly stupid or naive of me to have wanted to see all that in him. When I let my mind dwell on the subject, I always found myself laughing at my own idiocy. How could one expect things like that? How could one demand of someone to be something they were not and had no reason to be? I sighed inwardly, knowing full well that my heart didn't care in the slightest for my mind's cold logic and reason. The heart did as the heart wanted. As the heart felt. As the heart knew. And mine stubbornly kept refusing to back down from that whim of his. Unfair. I blinked as the thought imposed itself at the fore of my mind. Yes, I had been unfair, and I was still behaving like a spoiled little girl. I knew the world in which I was living, and I should have known better than to view and take everything personally. I had had no business doing so. None. None. I shook my head, and stared steadily at Sakurazuka Sekai, telling him sincerely, "I don't think you see, Sakurazuka-san. But it doesn't matter. I'm sorry." Surprise flashed in those eyes, and a distant part of me smiled at the sight, happy without knowing why. He bowed slightly, as if I had just behaved in one of the gracious ways only highborn ladies used, and I hid a smile behind my right hand. Pain. I froze suddenly as the feeling hit me. On my sides, the five horses followed suit, having likely picked it up as well. I looked on my left, and saw one of the courtiers had stopped right outside of the path, and had gotten off of his horse. The way his bay gelding stood, favoring his right foreleg.... All right, you all stay here and behave for once. Nia, watch over everything while I take care of the problem. Nodding at the black mare, I started at a run towards the arrogant Richard of Southampton. "Aislinn-san?" Without turning back, I answered the question in Sakurazuka Sekai's voice. "My help's needed here. The convoy must stop for a while; it won't be long, I hope." Almost at once, everything stopped around us, and I smiled inwardly when I saw the servants wiping sweat from their brows and sighing in relief at the unexpected moment of rest. Some of them quickly disappeared behind the trees surrounding the route, and I thought to myself they were lucky we were presently crossing through the deepest part of a forest. They'd have at least a chance at privacy. I stopped beside the young noble, who turned towards me and said petulantly, "At last! I thought you'd never get here. This worthless beast started limping half an hour ago, fix the problem so we don't get late." I nodded shortly, refraining the impulse to punch the fool's words back down his throat, and stepped over to his horse. Reaching out to the gelding, I let him get my scent before gently stroking his forehead. It's going to be all right, I promise. I squatted down beside his foreleg, gingerly, carefully running my hands around it, feeling for anything amiss in the sinews, dreading to find something there...nothing. I nodded to myself, relieved, and focused on the hoof itself. Hmmm..... Nothing bad beyond some cracks which were natural after a journey such as the one we'd all been through. I stood up, gently lifted the horse's hoof from the ground, and closely examined it. There, of course. I gingerly took out a sharp stone which had stuck itself in the frog, and then gently pressed on it, eliciting only the smallest response from the bay gelding. Good, it hadn't had time to fester. Turning back to face the young noble, I told him, unable to refrain from letting the faintest bit of contempt from being heard in my voice, "It should be okay now, but you'll have to be careful for a while. That stone must have been there for a while. Did you check or have someone check your steed's hooves last evening?" The man snorted. "How should I know? I'm not a stableboy, I--" Fear. Tension. Danger. I turned away from the nobleman, unaware of what he was saying, my whole being focused on the feelings whirling in the air. Rising. Choking. Nia! Death. Cold invaded my being as the perception struck me. In front of me, the five war horses' ears were flat on their skulls, their eyes were wide, black, and their powerful muscles taut with an awful tension born of all the things invading their senses. The feeling of danger, of battle, the smell of.... Blood. I stepped back, my mind reeling as the smell hit me, sickly sweet and rising in the air like the perfume of roses at dawn. A distant part of me noted that some of the soldiers were nowhere to be seen, and that the servants who had gone off still hadn't reappeared. "What's going on here?!" Ignoring the question, I ran off towards the trees on the left of the path, unable to help myself. Nia, Sreim, Laigen, Liath, Aodhan, guard yourselves. Defend. Hear me, defend, and do not let anyone come close. Strike out if you must. Blood. Spreading between the blades of grass, shaping pools on the ground. Corpses. I stepped into the small clearing to be greeted by the sight and feeling of death all around me. My eyes scanned the place and saw the servants, slaughtered, and also the bodies of four men, clad wholly in black and their faces masked. Sakurazuka Sekai and three of his men had arrived here before me and had dispatched the attackers...too late. Death had come and taken the lives he required. Sound, fainter than the smallest breeze. On my left. A shadow. A blur. I turned to face the threat, in a slow motion, and in the same time I saw Sakurazuka Sekai rushing towards me. Silent. In a movement too quick for my eye to see, he unsheathed his sword. The blade made a perfect arc in the air, shining as it caught the sunlight, and the black shape fell at my feet, like a puppet whose strings would abruptly have been cut. Empty of life. Right in front of me, Sakurazuka Sekai shot a quick, indifferent glance at his tainted blade, and slashed it towards the ground in an incredibly swift and sharp motion, ridding it of the blood which had stained it. I watched silently as the crimson red drops mingled with the deep green of the blades of grass and ran down, dripping to the earth like morning dew. Sakurazuka Sekai sheathed his sword, the expression on his face one of anger. No, more than anger. Before I could thank him for saving my life, Lord Fitzgerald entered the clearing, surrounded by ten soldiers, and asked in a quiet voice, "What happened here?" Sakurazuka Sekai shook his head, and replied in a carefully neutral voice, "Your servants were ambushed. It's likely they weren't the true target, but I suppose those who did this didn't really care who they killed as long as they were members of your delegation." He stared at us steadily. "They don't care about you, the move was designed against the shogun, to attack guests under his protection. Under my guard. I failed you, and I will take responsibility for that. We will find whoever is responsible and deal with them as they deserve, I--" Lord Fitzgerald interrupted him. "Finding them is what matters, but I won't have your life wasted for this. There is no fault of yours that I can see. Any idea who's behind this?" Sakurazuka Sekai looked sharply at the English Lord, taken aback. There was a moment of absolute stillness, then he nodded and his eyes swept over the clearing, taking in all the corpses, and stopping for a while on the one closest to us. "No. Those were ninja, but I am certain they weren't Onmitsu. I can place a guess, but...." His voice reduced to a whisper. "I could swear I have seen that one before...." The black eyes suddenly widened, and he turned away from us. While I was watching Sakurazuka Sekai disappearing on the other side of the clearing, I heard Lord Fitzgerald sigh heavily. "Politics are the same everywhere I see, just as dirty and cowardly.... Let's bury those poor men." I nodded absentmindedly, and looked back to see the rest of the delegation entering the clearing. The whole thing hadn't lasted more than a minute or two. I was given a shovel, and numbly started digging graves along side the remaining servants and the soldiers. It had happened too fast, it had been too abrupt. From one moment to the next we had passed from a foreign land to be discovered into enemy territory where our lives weighed nothing compared to political games we knew nothing about. Perhaps Lord Fitzgerald and the courtiers could easily bear with that, but I couldn't, not like they did. I smiled ironically, aware that my way of coping with human death wasn't something the people surrounding me could ever have accepted. But where they would accept those deaths and never demand justice for those who had lost their lives in their service, judging the sacrifice a regrettable but necessary one, I wouldn't forget, or forgive, just like I had seen in.... I stood, leaving the shovel lying on the ground beside me, and looked around. Everybody was busy digging graves, soldiers had established a watch over the clearing, and everything seemed perfectly normal. But Sakurazuka Sekai was nowhere to be seen. Nodding to myself, I stepped out of the clearing without anyone challenging my actions, as if they had been unaware of my movements. I focused my mind, narrowing my eyes in concentration, and suddenly saw them. Ripples. A curtain of transparent ripples enshrouding the whole clearing. Smiling softly, I reached out to it and passed my hand through. I shivered reflexively when the faintest sensation of cold brushed my skin, and then stepped beyond it. I stopped for a fraction of a second, sending my thoughts over to Nia, and resumed my walk when I was reassured that nothing was amiss. The war horses had felt the same thing as I: the danger was past. They'd be safe now. There. Listening to the forest around me and listening to the wind's whisper in the trees, I turned towards a grove of the most beautiful trees I had ever seen, full of magnificent and delicate blossoms. I stared at it for a few moments, uncertain, but eventually I chased doubts from my heart and entered it. There was a tree, right in front of me, tall. So tall its branches touched the sky. So beautiful the sight of it took my breath away. Unreal. The breeze gently swung its leaves, and took with it a myriad of pink blossoms, flying them before me and blocking my view. I reached out to them, and caught a few in the palm of my hand. "So, the Sanada House has already forgotten the lesson taught at Sekigahara. Sanada Yukimura was a fool to send you, Sarutobi Sasuke." The whisper was soft and quiet, one with the gentle wind. The breeze suddenly dropped, and I saw Sakurazuka Sekai standing right beside the great tree, holding at arm's length a body from which the last drops of life were fading. The fingers of his right hand released their grip, and the corpse fell on the grass at his feet, in a slow motion. I watched in silence as blood spread into a pool in the grass from a gaping wound in the dead's chest, and was slowly absorbed inside the ground. As if the earth was drinking it. Draining the life from it. Taking. The breeze rose again, and it took the fragile petals from my hand. Sakurazuka Sekai turned to face me, his face an expressionless mask in which nothing could be seen. The eyes which were darker than a starless night set on me, and he asked, "How?" How had I managed to come here, and to intrude into this ritual of killing, that was what he was asking. I looked at his hands awash with blood, I looked at the bright crimson red stains all over his clothes, and told him the truth which hadn't been uttered in more than a thousand years: "Your geas cannot hold me, Sakurazuka-san. I cannot be bound by the power at your command." I smiled at him and went on, anticipating the next question, "I told you before, even if you didn't understand my words: my heart is not one. Despite the countless generations which separate me from the beginning of my line, Faerie blood runs true in my veins, and it will not be bound by a mortal's spells. Even though I cannot wield magic of any kind, one of my personal curses is that I can only be fooled by human magic if I allow myself to be, if I choose to close my eyes to the truth. I saw the illusion you weaved around the clearing, I saw the shroud of ignorance you cast over them; and I followed you, because I am tired of the game between us, where you pretend not to notice me and I pretend I don't feel anything when you tamper with reality." He stayed silent for a long while, as if weighing my words and trying to understand a hidden meaning behind them, and then he asked in a toneless, detached voice, "Did you see, Aislinn-san?" Ah, there we were. I nodded to myself in understanding, and replied while he was coming towards me, "No." He froze at that, and something flickered in his eyes. I stared at him steadily, seeing Death beyond him, whirling in frustration at being deprived of another prey, and smiled inwardly. Then I went on, "When I entered the grove, I was blinded by the petals of those beautiful blossoms, and when the breeze dropped and freed my vision, the life had been taken." He nodded slowly and came to me, stopping less than a step away. The mask slowly slipped form his face, and I saw a smile coming to his lips, full of a strange mixture of emotions. Pain. Weariness. Sadness. Relief. He reached out to me, and I let him. His fingers stroked my left cheek, marking it with the lifeblood of the dead behind us, and he whispered softly, "I'm so happy you didn't see it. So happy...." He bowed his head, releasing me and making to step back, but I closed my left hand on his right, holding him back. I felt him tensing as he looked up to face me, and for a fleeting moment I wondered if he'd try to win free. I focused for a few seconds of the feeling of the rapidly cooling sensation of the blood soaking his hand and mine, and eventually reported my attention on him. With a hint of curiosity on my voice, I asked gently, "Why is there pain in your heart, Sakurazuka-san?" The black eyes widened in shock, but I didn't release him. I waited in silence, until at last he said, "That's not your concern." I shook my head, not about to let him escape that easily. "You are who and what you are. Why should it cause you pain? As long as you stay true to that, I see no reason for the pain inside you." His eyes searched mine, as if he wasn't sure he had heard me correctly, and eventually he asked in a toneless whisper, "Have you no mercy, Aislinn-san?" I smiled at him, both gently and implacably, replying, "Mercy and compassion are human qualities, Sakurazuka-san, and to a part of me they are nothing more than empty words. I told you, faerie blood--spirit blood if you prefer--runs true in my veins. With that heritage come things other than the Sight. I have asked you a question, and I will have the answer. I don't wish to cause you pain, but if it is necessary, then so be it." I stopped for a few seconds, allowing a bit of time for my words to sink in, and then went on, "Why should you be tormented by what you are? Death exists, it's necessary in the order of things, it's not evil, it simply is." He laughed at that, a sound full of a grief that sent shivers down my spine and struck my heart. He looked away from me, staring at the magnificent, unreal tree above us, and said quietly, "You don't understand. You don't understand the consequences of being what I am. I am the Sakurazukamori, I am the guardian of the Sakura and of the barrow under it. I am one, I am alone, I must be one, always. And the meaning of that, the consequence...." His voice dropped into silence, and I stared at him, numb with the realization of what his words most likely meant, implied. I watched him, and the tree behind him for a long while, and eventually bowed my head, whispering, "Forgive me." He gave me a sharp, startled glance, and I smiled crookedly. "I didn't understand, and I should have." I reached out to him, adding, "It's a terrible curse when the heart, " the tip of my forefinger touched his chest, and then brushed his brow, "and the mind are opposed, and it's an even more horrible curse when the heart and the very nature of your being are in conflict. You must be true to what you are, you have no other choice, and it tears your soul apart. I understand." I sighed softly. "Know however, Sakurazuka-san, that the heart which bleeds inside you is also what makes you *you*, it's what makes you a unique, living and feeling being. It hurts you and torments you, but it also enriches you in a way you cannot even begin to imagine. To be without it might free you, but it would also make you empty and soulless." I stared at him steadily. "A monster whose very existence would soil the land." On impulse, I closed my arms around him and held him close. Embracing him. Half expecting him to pull free and back away. He tensed, and suddenly I felt something like a shiver running through him, and his arms wrapped around me as well, hugging me back. I rested my right cheek against his, willing him to feel the strength, the calm and peace of the shadow which lived inside me, willing to share that with him so he could go on. "Why?" Still hugging him, I told him, "Not so long ago, you gave me a gift a bit like this, I'm merely returning the favour." Silence followed my words, and then: "Ah, so you have truly forgiven me now." I looked at him when I heard the soft whisper, and saw the faintest of smiles on his face. I shrugged, unable to refrain from pouting, and the fingers of his right hand stroked my hair while he said, "Friendship is a wonderful gift, Aislinn-san. I can accept it and even return it, but you must never try to reach beyond that threshold. Never." I stared into his eyes, understanding the terrible seriousness behind the words, and also the desperate plea almost perfectly hidden in his voice, then nodded. "I promise you I shan't ever reach or allow you to reach beyond that line, Sakurazuka-san. You have my word." "Good." He hugged me tight, and then gently pushed me back. At the same time, I suddenly saw a shadow, up in the tree's branches. A great mountain cat. Watching us, its ember eyes glinting. "What is it?" I abruptly realized I had tensed, and told Sakurazuka Sekai, "There's a wild mountain cat right behind you." He laughed at that, and shook his head, saying, "It's my shikigami, my spirit companion if you wish, there's nothing to fear." Up in the branches, the great cat lazily stretched, and then settled down comfortably, as if getting ready for a nap. Sighing inwardly, I wished I could imitate it, but I knew I wouldn't be given that luxury. Nodding to Sakurazuka Sekai, I told him, "I suppose we'd better go back to the clearing, or they'll wonder what happened, even with your illusion influencing them." He chuckled. "You're right, and besides we must reach Edo before sunset, so we should really move on." His voice trailed off into silence while he stepped towards me, and when he reached my side, he said softly, "Once we reach our destination, be wary, Aislinn-san, and watch out for your charges. The men who attacked us belonged to one of the Houses which stood against the shogun. I had thought it destroyed eight years ago, but it looks like some of its strength has survived. They're likely allied with the Toyotomi House now, even if I have no proof of that. The fact that they would move against your delegation worries me, I wouldn't have expected the Toyotomi to try and reach so far already.... I will be there if you need me, but you'll need to guard yourself. Edo castle is vast, and many things can happen there. If only the shogun was present to receive your delegation at once, it might help the situation, but...." He sighed, and I shook my head, not liking what I had heard at all. "More power games? I thought you had ensured our position was sufficiently weakened." His hand reassuringly squeezed my left shoulder. "No. I was advised of the situation only this morning when we left the inn. There's been a problem in Kyoto, which demanded the shogun be present to settle it. A dispute between important Houses from what I heard. There was nothing else he could do, the stability of his rule is still fragile at best...." He looked at me and grinned. "Now I have given you vital information which could be used against my country. Do you think that was wise?" I raised an eyebrow at him, and then snorted. "It might have been stupid, I guess, but you know full well that I don't care in the slightest for politics or the influence the English King wants to gain in your country, Sakurazuka-san. My only care is for my horses." He smiled at me, a warm and gentle smile. "You're right, I know. Oh, and there's one last thing: as a friend, I'd be happy if you called me Sekai." I nodded in agreement, and then he walked beyond me, leading the way back to the clearing. When his hand left my shoulder, I heard the faintest of whispers in the air around me. "Thank you, Aislinn-san. For this priceless gift, thank you from the heart." I followed him with a smile of my own, and when we reached the clearing, we found everything taken care of. I strode over to the horses, and was greeted by Sreim who reached out to me and tickled my right cheek with his lips. Chuckling despite myself, I patted his neck. On our right, Aodhan whinnied, nodding, and then impatiently pawed at the ground, eager to move on. Just as I turned towards the unruly chestnut stallion, my eyes swept over the earth freshly moved to dig the graves, and every ounce of cheerfulness instantly vanished from my heart. Even though I didn't grieve for the men buried there, in the heart of a land alien to them, I would remember lives had been taken in this forest, their threads brutally cut because someone had dared think they were insignificant in his petty and futile game to gain power in this empire of a moment. Fools that they are. Don't they realize....? My train of thought was interrupted as Nia's head bumped into my back, almost making me lose my balance. I nodded at her, with a crooked smile on my lips. With a weary sigh, I forcefully chased the dark emotions away and got ready to march. ....
End of Part 3 . Notes
I had Aislinn refer to Death as "he", because in the Celtic pantheon, Arawn, the god whose attribute is Death is male. I had Aislinn use a comparison between faerie and spirits because I think it's the only way she can try to explain the term to Sekai. I'm aware it's likely mistaken and weird, but please bear with me ^^;;
Geas: a bond, a spell, a prohibition, a taboo, a magical injunction, the violation of which led to misfortune and death. I have Aislinn use the term because she doesn't know anything about onmyoujutsu, and the term "geas" seemed a nice one to approximate what Sekai had done, setting an illusion around the clearing so that nobody would notice he was gone and thus risk coming in on him while he was dispatching the last ninja in a "Sakurazukamori" fashion. In not allowing herself to be bound by it, Aislinn did risk death.
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