8

Once the world had succumbed to twilight, the pair left the castle. Their destination was Okishio Castle. There weren't any actual buildings left standing at the site of Okishio Castle. The castle used to be the holdings of the Akamatsu Clan, but the clan was eventually subsumed into a larger clan, and the castle demolished to be used for materials.

What was left was an area of land atop a small mountain that was cloaked by a chilling atmosphere. The stone foundations and terraces that the castle used to be built on were still visible to the naked eye. The local Qi smelled of old death, battle, and the weathering of time.

A flare of foxfire lit up their surroundings. Both Suzaku and Onari were cautious, wary, and ready for something to jump out at them. Nothing came as they held their breath.

"Before you even suggest it," Onari said. "Splitting up is a terrible idea."

"I agree," Suzaku giggled.

"We have plenty of time left in the night. Why don't we search terrace by terrace?"

Suzaku nodded her assent, and the search for the Gashadokuro began.

The wind rattled through the trees as they walked. Shadows cast by Onari's foxfire seemed to grow and approach then fade away into nonexistence. The scent of the local Qi became more and more sinister as the night went on. The pair searched for hours, only stopping to take short breaks to rest and steel themselves as the night grew more eerie.

Suzaku began leaning into Onari to ward off the night's unnatural chill. Despite Onari's age, he stood a couple inches taller than her. His frame was lean, toned, and taut, reassuring Suzaku of her safety. Even in the dark, creepy night, Onari's presence was like a flaming beacon of life and energy and something that Suzaku couldn't identify.

"Maybe it's moved on… I don't even sense any-" Suzaku said.

She didn't have a chance to finish her sentence. In a split second, Onari turned, scooped her up, and leaped away with an astounding amount of force. The ground groaned and rumbled as Onari alighted on a tree branch with Suzaku in his arms.

Suzaku didn't even have time to question him before a skeletal arm breached the soft earth that had been beneath their feet a moment ago. The arm was followed by a shoulder, then a torso and head. The whole colossal skeleton pulled itself out of the ground in a matter of seconds.