Chapter 12: The Lion's Courage

"You are The Sword Who Cuts The Heavens—the man in my dreams. Now rise. You need never bow to me again, Akio-san." At the end of his words, my body stopped shaking. My nerves no longer rattled inside me. I slowly stood, with uncertain footing at first. I nearly toppled over, but I didn't.

Satsuma was nearly a full head shorter than I, and he no longer looked as intimidating from up here. My body stopped shaking in apprehension. I didn't know about dreams or cutting heavens, but I knew I had gotten my resolve back. Resolve enough to carry on a conversation with His Imperial Majesty, anyway.

But just as I was ready to reply, Satsuma's attention turned towards my companion. Was she in his dreams as well? Talk about an annoying nightmare.

"Hashimoto-san. Thank you for being here. It pains me to burden a young shugenja with this responsibility, but you are among the few who are not yet...inducted into the military." The grimace on his face was a certain sign of pain, which caused my mind to go into spirals about what this 'responsibility' might be.

With my wits returned to me, I finally noticed the second man who nearly melded into the darkness. I realized it wasn't a man at all, but a woman—the midnight blue shinobi garb tightened around curves only a kunoichi could have. The mask hid all but her eyes, though my gaze lingered around her hips.

I was searching for a weapon, though I was content to look for other reasons as well.

I ended up getting her attention, but she simply crossed her arms and shot me a nasty look in return. Not very talkative, though most ninja weren't.

Masami said something in a whisper that I didn't catch. I did hear the Emperor's reply, however. "Yes, that's an interesting answer." The divine gentleman turned and started pacing closer to the wooden statue. His hands reached out to the lion's mane, which he traced as gently as he had with mine. "I believe the body's pain comes from living with our spirit. Like a mouse who rattles too hard against its cage. Speaking of..."

His eyes returned to mine. "And you, Akio-san. What would you do if you had no fear?"

"Who's to say I have any?"

What did an emperor know about fear, anyway? A father fears for his children, a worker for his livelihood, a samurai for his honor. I was none of those things. I was an orphan who feared for his next meal, day after day. Until something inside me broke, and I started to unload my fear on to others.

If I was ruthless enough, powerful enough—the fears would always disappear. His Imperial Majesty was a bit taken back by heated response, but replied with a sincere smile all the same. "You have more courage than any lion, but courage requires fear to overcome."

Satsuma pressed his fingers against a spot where the lion was cracked, a blemish slight enough that no casual observer would notice. "I crafted this statue myself. Woodcrafting is a means of escape for me. The lion is my affinity, if the sayings hold any purchase. I had it submitted into a contest last year. Anonymously of course."

He chuckled at the memory. "The er...nobility here don't hold wood sculpting in high regard. But these hands..." He opened his palms, which were more calloused than any nobleman's ought to be. Especially considering that they belonged to the Emperor himself. "...could never create something elegant and beautiful. Anger, lust, fear. I can capture those well."

I was struggling to capture the purpose of this secret meeting, but thankfully the priestly ruler finally got to the matter at hand. "Sorry. I have gotten off track, and we don't have the candlewax to waste on metaphors. I have had recurring visions at night. Nightmares in the pattern of six. I have reason to trust these visions, and I have kept them secret to all save the three of you."

He smiled to his ninja, who nodded respectfully. As for me, my wrist started itching. So the kid and I went through this entire ordeal just because he was having bad dreams?! I cracked my wrist to release some of the tension I felt, as was a habit of mine. The ninja responded with another one of her glares, dissuading me from making any more sudden movements.

The elegant words turned from soft to sharp, in a powerful tone more accustomed to an authoritative figure. "They depict the spirits that will trigger events leading to the downfall of Hyuga."

Masami gasped in a dramatic fashion—I was too dazed from what I was hearing to react. So I just continued listening to this, even if I didn't know what this was.

"The spiritual balance in this world is more sensitive than you can imagine. Demonic forces do exist, and I have seen it corrupt men before my very eyes. I have had visions of your spirits as well. You have already broken through your cages and have the bruises to show for it. In every act of fearlessness you take your spirit grows larger."

Emperor Satsuma paused before asking, "Have you felt this inside of you?"

"I'm...not too connected with my spirit."

My spirit and I were never very close. You heard stories of guidance and good conscience from ethereal animal beings all the time, but I'd always dismissed them as folktales. I certainly didn't need anyone else—animal or otherwise—giving me a hard time. I liked to think I did a good enough job of that on my own.

The Emperor nodded as if he already knew what my answer was. "And what about you, Hashimoto-san? How has your spirit been as of late?"

The shugenja's reluctance to reply caught me a bit off-guard. I had expected her typical enthusiasm, but this response was anything but. "The red panda and I once thrived as one, Your Majesty. Yet ever since I've taken to my studies at the Academy...I haven't been able to...that is to say I...I..." Her words trailed off as a sad silence took over.

Masami was the most spiritually well-educated kid I knew. Seeing her get so disheartened made even a heartless man like me start to sympathize. But I had made it this far without imaginary pets, and so could she. A red panda though...those cat-bears were certainly cute. They made for expensive furs, too. Fit the kid perfectly.

The young ruler nodded once again, as if he had expected that answer as well. "It will return to you, trust in what I have seen. Attunement will come. Now let me tell you of the spirits in my nightmares. Your...targets."

My wrist itched again. My ears picked up and my eyes widened. All this talk of spirits and bad dreams and hobbyist woodcarving—finally we were discussing something I could understand! His Imperial Majesty wanted me to kill people for him. Should've said that at the start to save us both the hassle.