Chapter Eighty-One

Family Bonds

 

 

"Can't believe this," Kataji grumbled under his nose as he took away Abihiko's seashells and turned aside to not peer at his brother's further undressing. "Nothing better to do with my life than to watch you bathe. Just wonderful."

Abihiko balanced on one foot as he threw all the rest of his inner garments to the floor.

"Nothing better to do with my life than to have my little brother watch me bathe," he sighed in response.

"Hey, somebody has to, and you made a big fuss about not letting anyone see you undressed!"

From within the seashell, Nekohiko gaped at their surroundings. The main Shrine in Nara was built to house the urban Spirits of the capital and all the elements that were associated with them. Thus, unlike most Spiritway Shrines that stood inside forests, groves, on hills, and by the rivers, this one stood in the center of the city, holding the market streets and the bustling buildings as its Spiritual domain.

The Shrine felt different compared to others. The noises of the city, the overwhelming smells and lights that came through its windows, the market streets stretching from its main gates in all directions -- it made this place too frenetic for Nekohiko's liking. The market was still far enough that no crowds would disturb His Majesty's wedding ceremony here in a few hours, but Nekohiko still cringed with distaste at all the faraway noise.

The room with the spring pool in it was bathed in light, casting refracted sun rays onto the water surface. Nekohiko did everything in his power to look anywhere but on Abihiko who now crouched at the edge of the pool to remove his hair ribbon because Kataji ordered him to.

To do that, Kataji needed to glance at Abihiko one more time. And as he did, he noticed something that troubled him.

"What the hell?" Kataji hissed, lowering himself beside his brother at the edge. In Nekohiko's view, Kataji's face looked both angry and afraid, his eyes clearly drawn to Abihiko's naked body.

To the markings of the Binder's corruption.

Even though the edges of his darkened, corrupted veins usually peeked from within his day clothes, they weren't quite as evident as they were now, completely in the open.

"You look horrible!" Kataji cried. "What did you do?"

The water purled as Abihiko slipped inside, promptly descending up to his chin so that no part of his ill body showed above the surface.

"Nothing to worry about," he said, quiet.

"Oh yeah?" Kataji folded his knees more comfortably beside the pool, leaning over to Abihiko. "Sure doesn't look like you're literally dying!"

He did look like that, actually.

Nekohiko had always marked just how spent and weakened Abihiko's appearance was. But today, there was also this... resignation in his eyes. If before, Abihiko could easily counter his illness with his cheery attitude, today, none of that attitude showed.

He looked so unhappy.

Inside the pool, he leaned his back against the wall, watching the dissipating water circles that still rippled the surface after he'd climbed in.

"I'm fine. But of course if others saw it, they'd make a big deal about it, so it's better that only you are here," Abihiko told Kataji without turning.

"How's it better? Or do you think I won't make a big deal?" Kataji reached his hand to grab Abihiko's wrist and see it better, but Abihiko easily avoided him. "You really need to get it checked out! I don't know much about Binding health issues, but that looks extremely wrong!"

"Kata, I'm telling you I'm fine!"

"Yeah, but you look as if you're going to your own funeral, so allow me not to believe that," Kataji grumbled, also turning away and sitting up, leaning his elbows on one raised knee.

Nekohiko had never truly seen the two brothers interact. It was... odd.

With Aomi, they had maintained the pretense of family, but just these two together -- it definitely evoked the feeling of unbelonging. Of being afraid of each other. Or maybe, even of being strangers.

Kataji sighed, watching the sunlight coming in through the silk screens while Abihiko fumbled around in the pool.

"Not my funeral. But, come on. It's a royal wedding. Between two people who have hardly exchanged a word in two years of the engagement," Abihiko said. "Do you really expect it to be a merry occasion for me?"

Unlike the usual anger Kataji exhibited toward his Eldest Brother, today, he even seemed talkative. Now, especially.

Kataji glanced over his shoulder. "That Lady Sakami seems very nice to me. I feel that you underestimate her and how happy she can make you."

"..."

"She's lovely, she's well-behaved, she will give you respect and admiration from the commoners, and she can give you children!" Kataji said, folding his fingers in a countdown. "What's not to be happy about? You just haven't tried women, that's why you're cranky. But you might even like it, in the end."

When, at last, Abihiko shot him a hard stare, Kataji shrugged. "I'm trying to look at the positive side."

"You seem to be very impressed with women yourself, lately, aren't you?" Abihiko said, suddenly breaking out in a smile. "Last night, my people gave me reports about what you've been doing in the gambling parlors and bars and restaurants through the night. With some ladies surrounding you at all times. Apparently," he went on, getting more and more amused as he folded his arms over the edge of the pool and put his chin on top, "you had so much fun, Kataji, you even danced on a table and attempted to strip in front of all the patrons of the Lemon Slice Parlor. So I bet you know a lot what you're talking about--"

Kataji sputtered. "Strong words from someone who was known for raiding brothels in his youth!"

Instead of an answer, Abihiko sprayed water at him. On his face, already a childish smile bloomed, and frankly, Kataji sounded like he was not so much angry as he was huffy. A huge difference; Nekohiko knew.

For some reason, the two brothers had managed to bond around debauchery. Which... sure. They were Asazuma's kids, after all.

Yet Nekohiko was still at a loss of Kataji's lenient behavior toward Abihiko. Kataji wasn't a forgiving or forgetful person. He could keep his grievances with others for a long, long time. Yet now, with Abihiko, of all people...

It wasn't that Kataji felt secure around Abihiko now, was it?

Not only was Abihiko marrying a woman and then spending at least one whole month with her in complete seclusion -- but also... yesterday night's events. Nekohiko and Kataji making it more or less official in between the two of them.

If before, Kataji had seen Abihiko as a rival, then now -- what threat would Abihiko really pose to him?

Nekohiko didn't know for sure, but he felt relieved nonetheless. Anything, to get Kataji away for a while and not be so constantly suspicious and frustrated with Abihiko. Nekohiko was happy it worked, and the brothers were conveniently kept apart from bothering each other.

But then--

"Kata, about that doll that you made," Abihiko said. In the brightening rays of the early sun, his hair, covered with a fine drizzle of water Kataji had sprayed back at him, seemed aglow. "I wanted to talk to you about it yesterday, but there were too many people around and you pretended you can't hear me."

"I'm pretending I can't hear you right now, just so you know," Kataji retorted and wanted to round away from the pool.

Abihiko caught his sleeve.

"I didn't want to take him away from you. I didn't want to steal him. I only wanted to check. By now, you've probably heard from someone how meaningful such a facial model is to me."

Kataji kept quiet, but Nekohiko could both feel and see the tension inside him.

"I was genuinely worried this doll -- this individual inside the doll -- is not a safe person to be around. For you, or for Aomi. I really wish you've told me about him the moment he appeared in your lives. Why didn't you? Did he tell you not to speak to me?"

Kataji sniffed on derision but Abihiko wasn't done.

"I know where you've become acquainted with him. In the Red Stone Estate. Months ago. Probably around that time Daichi was murdered, or at least that's where I would place my count at. Yes?"

At this, Kataji visibly stiffened. His eyes flicked back to Abihiko. "What are you implying, Eldest Brother?"

"That you are my family. You and Aomi. I won't order either of you to never hang out with that... Itsuki person any longer. I won't tell you that he is dangerous or insidious." Abihiko kept his tone calm, thoughtful. Nekohiko couldn't help but hush down, listening with his entire being to what he wanted to say. "He isn't any of those things. I don't believe he'd harm you or Aomi. But... if you trust me and my judgment, Kata -- please, I implore you, do not hang around him anymore. Please. For your own good. For my peace of mind -- you really should not get closer to him. You are already too close, I'm afraid," he whispered under his breath, "do not make it worse."

...

Deep inside, Nekohiko agreed. Kataji's personal involvement in this whole mess was... inconvenient, to say the least.

If Nekohiko regretted anything in his relationships with others this second time around, it was his relationship with Kataji. He should not have allowed the young man to get so close and personal with him.

He should have been stricter and more distant with him. He should have been more careful.

But Kataji barely reacted. He turned back to Abihiko, nonchalant. "Have no idea what you're talking about, Eldest Brother. The honeymoon vacation will really do good for your mental health."

"Tsk," Abihiko groaned. "Don't be like this. I'm trying to take care of you -- why do you have to make it so damn impossible, Kata? And it's not like your own mental health is looking very good either." Abihiko's eyes gave Kataji's wannabe-Abihiko hairdo an unimpressed gaze. "Nice ponytail. Did it yourself?"

"A hairdo is not some kind of a thing you can have the rights to. Any person can spontaneously wear a ponytail, you know," Kataji gritted out.

A palmful of water flew into Kataji's face even before he finished.

He recoiled, shocked out of his words, but it was too late. Abihiko got hold of his ankle and -- in one single brutal rush -- he yanked Kataji to himself. And into the pool.

Water exploded in a burst from the impact, to Abihiko's vast glee. Ah, laughing now. How wonderful? The groom is finally somewhat animated before the wedding!

Yet judging by how Kataji's fist crushed around Nekohiko's seashell in fury, Abihiko's joy would be rather short-lived. Kataji was not a kind of person to be dunked into a sacred pool and not throw a tantrum about it!

Nekohiko could only flee from the place, relieved to find his human body not abused too much in his absence. He still sat in the same dressing room in Spring Sunlight Shrine and was still waiting for his turn in the machinations. Only Aomi had, apparently, amassed a small house of wooden cards on top of his head while he was unconscious -- but other than that, everything was calm and as intended.

"Is Sakami here?" Nekohiko asked Kasuga. Out of all the people in the room, she seemed the most competent.

Both Kotone and Haehime were gone. No doubt because they had to serve Sakami in her rituals in the Shrine.

"Yes, just entered the sacred cleansing pool," Kasuga replied.

A bit later than Abihiko but still on time.

"How many guards does she have with her?"

"Ten Hisome girls. And a Towa," Kasuga said, suddenly grim. "A very advanced Towa, actually. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the personal bodyguard of Iokirihime's. An odd decision, to give such an important Towa soldier to Sakami, and on such a day..."

Nekohiko grew rigid.

A personal bodyguard of Iokirihime's?

Please don't tell me...

...it was him!

Arata, the Towa guard who had been gifted to Nekohiko to be his Imperial bodyguard in the last year of his previous life! The Towa version of Daichi, Etsuko, and Hibiki!

Here, today -- out of all times?!

Ugh, hells, Nekohiko remembered with the first pangs of a headache setting in. Arata was a damned beast on the battlefield. Out of his five Imperial bodyguards, Daichi was defense and healing, Etsuko -- strategy and leadership, Hibiki -- support and maintenance. Chinatsu, the bodyguard given to him from Utsuro, was stealth. But Arata... Arata was brute force.

And he had to be here, today?

Sure. Why not.

No wonder Morokata had seemed so pleased with himself back in the Imperial Palace after Nekohiko had asked him about Sakami's guards for the wedding ceremony! Of course Morokata would feel happy. Arata guarding Sakami was worth an entire squad of her other bodyguards combined!

"Kasuga," Nekohiko called as he slipped to her by the table. He grabbed the empty teacups, the small plates, the napkins, the uneaten candy. Slowly reshuffling it, he made a tactical map of the room they were in. "Plans changed."

Kasuga and others stirred, frowning. "In which way?"

Nekohiko nodded at the "map" with a grim expression. "We wanted to seclude Sakami and only a couple of her maids in this room and take them all out. But I'm afraid that the person you say is the Towa bodyguard also needs to be inside this room."

"Wouldn't it be easier to deal with him after the body-shift?" Aomi cocked her head. "As Sakami, you'll just tell him to back off and he'll leave you alone."

Slowly, Nekohiko shook his head. "It won't work on someone like that man. He is powerful. He knows about the possibility of a body-shift. He will look out for the signs specifically even if most people would never consider it." His voice dropped. "As a top-tier Imperial bodyguard, he was trained precisely to do that."

His finger fell into the center of the table "map", pinning down heavily. "Our only chance is to fight him off here. Then do the body-shift on him as well." He raised his eyes at Mikawa, both apologetic and reluctant. "Probably on you."

Aomi was on the distraction work, chatting away the other maids of Sakami's outside the room, with Kotone as her second-in-command. Inside the room, Kasuga, Mikawa, and Haehime would take down Sakami, Kiyoko and some other Hisome girl who would come inside.

Only now, Nekohiko knew he would have to participate as well. No way would they defeat Arata without his help.

Oooof. He needed to ration his powers to be able to cast three separate Mirror-Image Splitting spells onto Sakami, Kiyoko, and now, Arata, apparently!

He had no idea how he would manage. If only he had more people at his disposal and a bit more... space in this room. A bit more chances to maneuver.

"But if I pose as this bodyguard man, who will pose as Kiyoko?" Mikawa asked, scared.

Damn it, more issues to take care of!

"Just how dangerous is that bodyguard man?" Kasuga asked, looking very stormy. "I cannot allow Mikawa to engage in a fight with him if he's truly dangerous."

Aaaaargh...

Mikawa gulped, casting a helpless look at Kasuga. She was silent again, too busy trying to decipher the exact positions of all the participating figures on the table.

Aomi, too, leaned onto the surface, studying the map Nekohiko had made.

Then, even before Nekohiko could come up with a reply that would satisfy Kasuga, Aomi scoffed. "This plan sucks, by the way."

"Thank you, Aomi," Nekohiko cut.

So helpful, aren't you?

"It misses one very crucial point," Aomi went on, ignoring him. "And the previous plan did, too!" Her eyes crinkling up evilly, she beamed at Nekohiko. "Me. After all, who better to fight off a Towa ice and water than a Hira, mmm?"

"You are not a Hira directly," Nekohiko said, fingers going to rub his nose bridge, "and your Binding is sealed. So--"

"Not if I have plenty of spells to steal from others," Aomi purred. She tapped the table and swiftly moved the pieces to Kasuga's vivid displeasure and Nekohiko's deepening bafflement. The proud mischief in her eye only sparked higher when she saw their reactions. "And now, for the explanation for all you lesser minds than my own," she intoned.

"And before you say anything else -- you're welcome."

 

 

---

***

 

 

Nekohiko didn't intend to go back to Abihiko at all before the wedding. Kotone came and went, bringing some news about what Sakami and her entourage were doing, and Kasuga had updated her on the new plan.

The plan that even Nekohiko considered far too outlandish to work. To be fair, the outlandishness of the plan wasn't due to the powers it needed to use to work, and neither due to the specific restrictions they would be operating in. No. Nekohiko actually believed the plan would succeed, however ridiculous it had seemed at first. The greatest outlandishness Nekohiko saw was because, without Aomi being able to keep all the rest of the Hisome girls away from this room with her chatter -- someone else had to do it.

And this someone else was chosen to be Kasuga.

Yes, Kasuga. After all, Aomi being present in the bride's dressing room was easy to explain. She was the bride's future sister-in-law. But how could they easily explain Kasuga being there without summoning a ton of suspicion from the already-too observant Arata? Exactly.

Thus, Kasuga had to go.

She had to go and talk to the Hisome girls for at least half an hour to distract them from whatever would be going on in the dressing room. Yep, Kasuga.

The girl who could hardly even look at other young women without being completely destroyed by their very presence.

Ah, Nekohiko didn't even want to think about this.

He tried to distract himself with Kotone's news, but according to her, Sakami was only in the altar room, meditating and praying for her happy union with Abihiko.

Agh, how long was this girl going to stretch her own wedding rituals? Why not get rid of them as fast as possible? It almost appeared as though... Sakami was enjoying this day and everything it brought her!

Annoyed, Nekohiko shifted his mind between this body, the seashell, and even the dummy twin he had given away to Suminoe's goons yesterday...

He was checking if every other part of his life was on the right track or if something was off.

But so far, he had nothing to worry about. The seashell was back on Abihiko as he was dressing up after his bath. While the dummy twin--

Actually, what was happening to the dummy twin amused Nekohiko greatly.

The travel convoy Suminoe had given him was taking the sedan carrier through the country roads. But however long the trip was, the people did not rest or stay in any of the roadside inns they passed. At times, Nekohiko's dummy twin peeked out of the window at the bland countryside landscape of Hira Kingdom and sighed in dejection.

It was such a sunny day. And the surroundings were lovely, even though a bit boring.

Nekohiko missed traveling through his Empire so much. He sometimes wondered if the dummy would be allowed to take a stroll just for the sake of it, but of course no.

His convoy couldn't even allow itself to stop and eat a meal -- that was how diligent and alert they were to the task Suminoe had given them. But being unable to stop or let Nekohiko's dummy twin out of the sedan didn't imply they couldn't lighten his mood with a pleasant conversation instead.

For some reason, these people must have thought he needed them to socialize with him.

Because whenever he popped his mind into his dummy twin's body, he found some other person walking beside the sedan carrier and talking to Nekohiko through the window. Trying to distract him from the boredom of the journey.

And Nekohiko was simply flabbergasted.

Why? Why were they so talkative to him? Even... friendly?

But then it hit him.

The dummy twin was extremely talkative as well. He had cast too many spells on it to be able to respond automatically when people talked to it. And thus... it did.

"...and my wife and daughter worry about my knee so much--"

"I fell in love with him but he doesn't notice me!"

"Ah, it is so nice to finally find another educated person who understands poetry!"

So many people rambling about their lives to Nekohiko, and all his dummy twin did for them was say, "Hm. Ah. I suppose. Well-well," on repeat.

And yet -- it had apparently befriended almost everyone on Suminoe's convoy to Izumo with just this kind of meaningless small talk!

...

Nekohiko was speechless. Speechless!

He had wasted so much of his life trying to understand how people worked, and actually, a dummy twin of his did a better job seeming like a normal human being than he himself did?

Wonderful. Great.

Grrrrrr.

In an even crankier mood, Nekohiko checked his other bodies again and peeked back into his seashell only to freeze over when he saw.

When he heard... to whom Abihiko was talking now.

And for which reasons.

 

 

---

***

 

Abihiko and Kataji had exited the bathing area and already dried themselves and put on clothes. Kataji must have been too annoyed with Abihiko after the dip, so he had disappeared somewhere, refusing to take part in the following rituals of the groom. Abihiko hadn't cared to pray or meditate at the Shrine altar, and neither did he bother too long with his dressing up. He'd donned all his wedding clothes as fast as he could and now sat in the center of his own dressing room, being slowly fancied up by his grooming dummies who took care of his hairdo.

One wooden dummy brushed his long, silky hair, the other prepared the crown and the pins on the side table. Abihiko paid them no heed. But he also didn't look up at the visitor who was here with him, telling Abihiko something incredibly important.

Lord Okinaga.

Nekohiko tensed up, seeing him here, and with such a grave mien, too! This was the first time he was face-to-face with Okinaga ever since he'd died.

He couldn't help but feel worried.

The man sat opposite Abihiko on the floor, his hands in fists on his folded knees as though right after pleading to the Emperor for something and now waiting for the answer. He was dressed up in the festive Hira clothes, his own kingly crownlet or burnished gold holding his tight topknot. Lightless black and deep, blazing lava-crimson of his robes only highlighted how much older he had grown. A subtle hoar of white decorated his hair at the temples, and subtle wrinkles decorated his eyes and the perpetually downturned mouth. But the eyes themselves looked before with a calm, well-hidden and well-tempered rage.

His gaze burrowed into Abihiko with such ferocity, it scalded Nekohiko.

And yet, Abihiko could not care less. His face was turned aside, to the small cup with green tea Abihiko was sipping.

"...I beg forgiveness for being so late and not being present at the reception," Okinaga said, fuming. "Or later. I hope Your Majesty can forgive me."

"I told you not to go north to investigate," Abihiko replied, keeping his cool quite competently, to an onlooker. But his heart rate was high, and Nekohiko heard every last hastened beat of it. "Yet you still went, so now of course you're late. You've almost missed the wedding. The happiest day of my life," he added with a wry smirk.

Okinaga's jaw clenched.

"Well, do you know what my investigation revealed?" Okinaga asked. "When we found Daichi's ashes and spent days reverting them to their original state? Or do you not care -- and have never cared, to begin with, Abihiko?"

...eh?

Huh?!

Nekohiko quietened, his pulse in his own throat.

Daichi's body... burned to ashes. Such a clean, perfect way to dispose of a body.

But of course not for a very powerful Binder like Okinaga was! If Nekohiko could revert the ashes of a burned letter to its original form, of course so could Okinaga! And being a Hira, dealing with the products of burning was not so hard to do for him.

And yet, Nekohiko had never hoped Okinaga would actually go himself to Sai¹If you forgot -- Sai is the name of the town near Red Stone estate where Kataji and Aomi lived at the beginning of the story. to do this. And least of all had he hoped it would be now, right before the wedding!

Abihiko didn't move an inch. Okinaga kept going, his voice descending into a low, disbelieving growl.

"Because I can bet that even without knowing what happened to Daichi in Sai a month ago -- you have already expected a certain outcome. And that was why you told me not to go and investigate--"

The cup with the unfinished green tea flew into the wall. Ceramic shards exploded from the impact.

"And you didn't listen to my direct order!" Abihiko roared at Okinaga. "What business do you have, investigating the Emperor's own businesses?"

"The Emperor's own--?" Okinaga also raised his voice. But neither of the men moved, only glaring at each other. "So, now you wanted Daichi murdered. Is that it?"

"I have no obligation to answer to anyone about what I do and why. Sai is next to my family estate. If something happens there and I do not want you to deal with it, it means it's my own private business. Concerning my family members--"

"Am I not your family, Abihiko?" Okinaga whispered. "Was Daichi not one, too?"

At last, Abihiko stirred. He turned aside, feinting dismissiveness. 

"What do you plan to do with what you've found in Sai?" he asked, yet his voice betrayed a quaver.

Okinaga watched him with such a hollow, eerie gaze, Nekohiko squirmed in discomfort from it. "I plan to find that murderous monster and end him. He does not deserve to exist, and you know it. I thought you believed that deep within your heart, as well. Or at least you acted like you did. But apparently not." He traded a few thoughtful breaths, slowly shaking his head, his eyes closed. "What were you thinking, Abihiko... You did not actually kill him, did you? I should have guessed... I should have predicted just how... stubborn you are."

"Just as stubborn as you are," Abihiko ground out, clearly losing his temper. "It's the true Hira way, isn't it?"

"No. It is not. The Hira way is about leveling your beliefs against the world. Finding that perfect balance and keeping to it no matter what. Justice, fairness, morality. It says nothing about tying your entire belief system to a genocidal maniac and ignoring everyone for his sake, Abihiko!"

...

Ah, it hurt. Nekohiko almost bailed on this place, wanting to flee and not hear anything they said.

...genocidal maniac? Him, Nekohiko?

In which way? His deeds throughout the Spiritside even in his past life showed no murders, no lives ending at his actions.

The Spirits would never lie!

What were Okinaga and all the others even talking about?

Abihiko got to his feet and began pacing the room, his breaths quickening as well as his thunderous heartbeat. "You know what they say about Hiras. That if we choose to believe that we are right even if we aren't, we'd be so blinded by our own righteousness, we wouldn't be able to see it! I guess they're not wrong, so if you want to see me as a genocidal maniac alongside him because I stand on his side -- please feel free to. Not like anything I can tell you would change your mind. You are blinded, yourself," Abihiko laughed, bitterly, "as all Hiras are wont to be."

Okinaga did not reply, sitting where he was, watching before him with a crushed, pained look as though everything he'd known was going up in flames.

Abihiko kept pacing, unable to calm himself down. "What are you planning to do?"

"..." Okinaga's neck muscles tensed as he pondered his answer. "I told you. After you marry and leave for the seclusion ritual, I plan on sifting through this whole Empire to find him. And destroy him once and for all."

Abihiko stopped, shaken. "I command you to step down. I order you to not--"

Okinaga's heavy gaze lifted to Abihiko. "You will not be the one responsible for ruling while on the secluded honeymoon. Morokata will. I have always viewed this as a negative, but now I see the light. His Majesty Morokata will rescind your current order shortly if I tell him what Calamity we are up against. Trust me."

Deep within Abihiko, something snapped; Nekohiko could feel it. In Abihiko's sudden spiking temperature, in his rigid, hardened muscles.

He was posed to attack, Nekohiko realized.

Right here, right now.

Before the wedding.

"You do not do anything regarding Nekohiko before I come out of the honeymoon with Sakami," Abihiko warned him, sounding pained. "Or there will be no wedding at all. Trust me."

With a flick of his fingers, Abihiko flourished a simple Nagare blast spell, aiming at himself.

"No wedding can happen if the groom is severely injured, can it?"

Wait, wait, wait...

Nononono.

The wedding has to happen, you idiot! I already planned everything to keep myself safe during your stupid honeymoon! Do not you dare ruin this, Nekohiko screamed at him in his head, watching in utter horror at Abihiko's maddening actions.

Slowly, Okinaga rose to his feet as well. At the back of his mind, Nekohiko discovered that Abihiko had grown taller than even the Hira Lord, with age. Or maybe Okinaga had become too slumped, too weary in these past five years.

Okinaga's bloodshot eyes pinned into Abihiko's. "Are you insane?" he asked, aghast. In two great strides, he crossed the room and reached for Abihiko's shoulders to grab him.

Abihiko drew back, evading him. Yet his spell formation wavered.

"What am I saying, of course you are insane," Okinaga muttered. He held his hands out as if afraid Abihiko would cast his spell any moment now. "So much we did, to fully destroy that monster. We killed him, we burned his body. We gave his ashes to each Lord to scatter the ashes as far away from one another as possible. Abihiko, we went through all of that solely so that he could never have even the slightest chance of coming back, even as a ghost to haunt this place!"

Nekohiko could hardly believe his ears.

Burned his body?

Scattered his ashes in secrecy from the other Lords? Hells, so many precautions... These people did actually want him to never return, didn't they?

He had never even heard of such drastic measures used on any living person before. Only on actual demons!

...for gods' sake, what had he done in his last few months of existence to warrant such treatment?

"And yet you -- you just... lied to us all." Okinaga let out a shaken breath, almost a laughter of despair. "What were you thinking? How could you?"

Abihiko shuddered top to bottom, mustering his words. "Do not ask me. I cannot tell you. All I want is to beg you to... just trust me. Trust in me. That I know what I'm doing--"

"DO YOU?"

"As a Hira, can you just believe me, Ward Father? I am your family, and this time of the wedding ritual is for family bonds to strengthen with advice, with well wishes, with acknowledging whom the bride and groom truly love. Well, can't you do exactly do that for me?"

Okinaga dropped his head, dejected. "And suddenly, I am your family again."

"You always were. But please believe when I say that if you stand against me," Abihiko whispered, "I will not back away. Nekohiko is also my family. I stand where he stands."

...

But, according to Okinaga and everyone else, Nekohiko thought miserably, I stand with utter chaos and villainy. Supposedly.

Would you really stand there with me, too, Abihiko?

This hurt so badly.

This... inability to understand what they were saying.

Why everyone hated Nekohiko so.

"You don't even know what you're choosing," Okinaga rasped. "You're choosing your own death, Abihiko. If he's alive and he murdered Daichi -- and Etsuko -- did you know Etsuko was also murdered lately under suspicious circumstances?" Okinaga finally got a hold of Abihiko, crushing his shoulders in his hands, raising his face to Abihiko's, eyes wild and burning with furious pleas. "If he came back, he will not spare you. Out of all people, he will want revenge on you the most! Even if you did save him, you are still his murderer! Neither Spirits nor people of his ilk ever forget or forgive such offenses, Abihiko! He is a Spirit-attuned person! Whether he likes it or not, Spiritual justice will see you punished for the murder. He will hunt you down and he will take everything from you. Everything!"

Abihiko started to speak, again in dismissal. With a helpless roar, Okinaga gave Abihiko a hard shake.

"I cannot allow you to die with me just watching from the sides, even if that's what you want! You are the closest thing to a child I can ever have! You are my family. Like Daichi was, like your siblings are -- I will protect you even if you resist."

Instead of an answer, Abihiko simply lifted the edge of his sleeve to reveal his pale arm corrupted with the darkened veins of Binder's corruption.

Slowly, he drew the sleeve further up his arm, exposing the distinct pattern of the veins worsening and multiplying the deeper into the core of his body they went.

Okinaga's face had never had access to a great range of emotions. As he watched Abihiko rolling up his sleeve, Nekohiko could only see the inscrutable solemnity in Okinaga's expressions.

But his eyes... his eyes revealed everything.

The true waver and weakness concealed deep inside him.

"You... idiot," Okinaga said in an undertone. His eyes flicked to Abihiko's and so much ache was in them, Nekohiko thought it could poison the whole world.

These were the eyes of a person who had just received a death sentence.

Not for himself. For his child.

"I don't mind dying," Abihiko told him, steady, and snapped the sleeve back over his arm. He looked past Okinaga, maintaining his usual closed-off, distanced attitude as the Emperor. "So if you have some blessings you can give me, give me them now. And promise me to not do anything during my honeymoon. That's the only thing I'll ever ask of you. I swear, Ward Father."

"What did you do?" Okinaga nodded at the hidden veins, inhaling through his nose with profound weariness. "What did you cast to earn them?"

Abihiko adjusted his robes to lie elegantly and motioned for the grooming dummies to come and continue their work on fixing his crown at the top of his head. He pretended he didn't hear Okinaga's question.

And after another painful minute of silence, Okinaga understood that. He sat down on the floor again, moving rigidly, heavily -- like an old man even though Okinaga was only about late forties now. Somehow, in the last few minutes, he had come to appear even older.

"How long do you have left with that level of Spiritual corruption?" he asked Abihiko instead.

"About two or three years if I don't overwhelm my powers with casting too much," Abihiko replied, matter-of-fact. "Less if I use spells."

Okinaga let out a lost chuckle. "That does not remotely sound as though you know what you're doing, Abihiko."

"Oh well." Abihiko finished with the hairdo and went to the doors, drawing deep breaths as though to prepare himself for something unpleasant. "So far, everything is under my control," he said, his hand lying on the door frame, squeezing it too hard, in Nekohiko's opinion. As though Abihiko wasn't quite sure what he was saying but denied it even to himself. "Kasuga's trial is in a month. I expect my plans to come to fruition around that time, so it doesn't matter how much I have left. Slightly more than one month is enough for me. Can you promise me that you won't do anything during this time? For the sake of our family bond, Ward Father? For the Hira way... of standing on the side of those you love? No matter what?"

Okinaga regarded the window with the blinding sun already rising up the azure skies. He held his pause, pondering it over. Then, as though unsure, he shook his head.

"You are not the only person in the Empire, Abihiko. I know it's hard for you to understand because for you, I suppose only one person exists and nobody else. But I am responsible for many. For your siblings, for Daichi, for countless others." He met Abihiko's gaze, firm. "Your truth is with the monster you are blinded by. My truth is with everyone else. I am sorry."

Abihiko stepped out the door, not glancing back once.

His body heat, his grinding teeth in his mouth, his clenched fists -- everything told Nekohiko this was not the moment to leave him alone.

Abihiko would do something stupid! Something incredibly stupid, just to spite Okinaga or to prove to him that he hadn't been joking when he had threatened his own well-being to endanger the wedding.

And exactly when Nekohiko could not allow Abihiko to ruin their plans!

Not now, of all times!

Yet as Nekohiko was desperately raking his brain to come up with a way to hold Abihiko off from some disastrous mistake, someone began shaking his human body's shoulder. Needily and demandingly.

What?

What?!

Don't tell me that it's time! he wanted to lash at them.

"It's time, Nekohiko," Aomi told him, jerking his elbow to drag him up. "Sakami is here! Now!"

...

Gods damn it.