61

Long time no see. I was having a lot of trouble finding time to write with my final semester of Uni coming along and especially dissertation deadlines hanging over my head. Also honestly, motivation has been an issue. Without a surplus of time to devote to this story, the scope of what I want to do with it and the lack of progress towards later story arcs have taken a toll on my ability to write. When I sit down to write, I end up thinking about plot points I want to get to rather than the ones I'm currently dealing with and it's demoralizing.

Even with this chapter, I'm posting it earlier than I should because I wanted to get it out rather than spend another month on the second half of it. As much as I want to make promises on consistent chapters I just can't right now. I'm going to try to get the chapter after this out relatively quickly but again, no promises. I'm sorry this took so long but I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter Text

Suzaku didn't give me a timeframe for when she would arrive. Though she did seem confident that even if she didn't rush to get here she'd be able to analyze the lingering Demonic Power from the devil's teleportation.

With the remnants of their magic still present, Suzaku said she would be able to glean their exact location. Since magic isn't my forte, and she is one of our generation's prodigies when it comes to magic, I'll trust her opinion.

In the meantime, however, it isn't as though I have nothing to do. My first priority is ensuring the unconscious Byakko Shinra doesn't kick the bucket while we wait.

It's a simple matter to heal him up before he loses any more blood. Still, I'm careful in how fully I heal him.

Rather than either reattaching his arm or helping him grow a new one which would be generous options, I settle on the minimum treatment of sealing the wound.

I don't plan on him waking up before Suzaku arrives but if he does, the missing arm should make him wary about starting another fight. I also leave the majority of his internal damage untouched for the same reason.

I'll heal him fully once Suzaku is here to clear up his confusion because as enjoyable as our fight was, I have more important things to do than go another round.

This conveniently brings me to my second priority, examining what I learned in our fight while I wait.

The martial arts he demonstrated are a vast improvement over my own Tiger Style martial arts.

The efficiency of the energy usage, the power behind the attacks, the physical enhancement of the body, and the special traits of the Touki are all above mine.

Whether that is a result of the origin of the martial art being the White Tiger of the West, a greater understanding of Ki and its implementation, more research into the ideal ways to utilize the human body in combat, a millennium of refinement, or a combination of all those possibilities hardly matters.

What matters is taking these new techniques and making them my own.

I was able to copy the techniques Byakko used and the breathing and circulation methods but that isn't the entirety of the martial art.

The breathing technique, despite seeming simple when I first copied it, is incredible.

If I compare it to the breathing technique that my disciple developed for himself, the difference is worlds apart. It fully uses the lungs and the respiratory system, drawing in the maximum amount of oxygen with each breath, even during heavy activity. The stability of the rhythm also lowers the chances of a sudden jolt breaking the rhythm.

Lastly, the technique draws out the body's potential to absorb Ki in a way that I had never considered. The lungs are the natural mechanism for absorbing Ki into the body.

In the same way, the lungs are integral to oxygenating blood, they're used for infusing purified Ki into the meridians. Then the remnants that couldn't be purified are exhaled back out into the environment.

With this as a reference, I can understand why martial arts rely so much on proper breathing since it allows the body to absorb and purify Ki and kickstarts the circulation of Ki.

However, using a Breathing technique for Ki accumulation is multiple times less efficient than simply absorbing Ki in the way I'm used to.

The way I taught myself solely relies on the ability to sense the energy and your will to gather it and purify it. There is no loss in the cycle since every bit of Ki I draw into myself is purified. My familiarity due to years of practice also means the mental strain is negligible.

Personally, the advantage of the breathing technique is its synergy with martial arts.

The breathing technique is a part of the martial arts equation I was missing. If the body is taken as a system that works towards the execution of a martial art, my breathing was never working in harmony with that system.

This is a proper technique, much like the difference between my martial arts and the Shinra clans.

The circulation method is no different in that sense.

My own method was to force my Ki in the direction I wanted without following any specific path. And that lack of knowledge regarding the body and its circulation structure for Ki made this inefficient.

Whether you label the system meridians, chakras or other variations of a similar belief, there's clearly a spiritual structure that my method disregarded.

Beyond that, there are other techniques that wouldn't have been useful in our fight or that he simply didn't have a chance to show before his defeat.

With that in mind, I don't need him to teach me those or to even see them. I have a blueprint for the entire style right in front of me in the form of his body.

Sitting down beside his prone form, I scan over his body in excruciating detail with my Ki.

Using the techniques I copied, I can tell how the body and Ki of the martial artist work in concert to produce the effects of the martial art. This is in a general sense rather than each specific context but I can use that as a template for the wider assembly of techniques not shown.

Information like which of Byakko's muscles show more signs of use and which areas that correspond to those movements have higher resting concentrations of Ki. Then I make a mental diagram of corresponding movements and see if they align with the breathing and circulation methods he already demonstrated.

Variations of claw strikes, punches, kicks, or other methods of attacking he didn't demonstrate can then be pieced together and tested.

In my mind's eye, I envision hundreds of movements, strikes, holds, and stances. Each one is simulated, and then I throw away the failures or refine the successes. My own experience creating techniques allows me to get a sense of what would work and what wouldn't, otherwise, this would all be useless guesswork.

I compare the hypothetical movements to the ones I successfully copied from Byakko earlier and ensure each has the same efficiency and power output.

But simply copying Byakko's martial arts isn't enough for me.

If I'm throwing away my own techniques for the ones his family developed, I'm simply replacing my foundation with theirs. Sure, my abilities may increase in the short term, however, what about the future? Will I be able to further develop a martial art the Shinra family has refined so far or will I end up stagnating my own growth?

I'm not arrogant enough to say that what I had developed is better or even equal to their family's martial legacy, but neither are my martial arts useless in comparison.

That's easily proven by the results of my battle with Byakko. If the Shinra family's martial arts were far greater than mine, the physical advantage I possess would not have been enough to surmount that difference in skill.

My martial arts were directly adapted from the wild tiger to the human form and they retained the ferocity and primal edge. My movements were more faithful to the essence of a real tiger, an unparalleled hunter and an apex predator.

The martial arts of the Shinra family have been taught and practised by humans for such a long time that the savagery has diminished. At the same time, they're far more suited to drawing out the power of the human form.

Yet, my body, while humanoid, isn't human. I can draw out more physical strength, my body is more durable, and my claws are sharper.

I can't comment on the Ki system of an Oni vs a human to alter the circulation technique with my lacking knowledge but I can change the breathing technique to account for my more resilient body.

As I contemplate both martial arts, all these differences are acknowledged.

The final goal would be to incorporate the strengths of the Shinra family's art and the strengths of what I developed to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

I lose track of time as I ponder the embryonic martial art, pitting it against both its predecessors in my mind.

The shadows fight till the death perpetually as I refine the art that is slowly taking shape, each simulation ending with it being polished further.

I let my instincts control the direction of development as the image training continues, making alterations when my instincts point out a flaw or a potential improvement. Because, out of everything, the instincts I've honed from a life of battle are my most trustworthy attribute.

The final form of the martial art takes form after some time and barring some instruction from a master or enlightenment, it is the pinnacle of what I can develop as I am now.

I breathe out slowly as I open my eyes and notice changes in the warehouse around me.

The air is thick with Ki, so much so that there's an ever-present glimmer of gold when you look around the warehouse. It's to the point where a normal person would find it difficult to see across the space.

Not content to ignore this, I greedily absorb the Ki until the environment returns to normal.

I take a moment to expand my Ki sense outward to see whether Suzaku is almost here. I told her there not to rush so it takes me a second to find her. She's around two minutes away if I had to guess. The interesting part is I also sense Seiryuu in the car with her.

With that done, I refocus on my martial arts and manifest my Touki according to the new Ki circulation method.

Rather than the usual soft glow of normal Touki, mine is now the same blinding white as Byakko's was. To copy my earlier observation, it looks like the combination of a tiger's pelt and a sea of stars.

I can feel the disparity in power between this and even my fumbling mimicry of this Touki earlier.

If I thought that was intoxicating, this power is ambrosia.

The air cracks with even a casual movement of my body which brings a gleeful smile to my face as I wind up for a proper attack.

I stop myself before punching with my full power because I'm afraid I'll destroy the building. Given the power I can exert, the destruction of the warehouse might be a vast understatement.

I slowly and gently go through the newly created forms of the martial art.

There is no feeling that I'm forcing power out wastefully in any of my actions even if the force behind them has multiplied. The movements flow between each other smoothly and the entire process is comfortable.

Compared to my old martial art where it sometimes felt that I was dumping Ki into attacks, this is light and efficient.

Even with how lightly I'm moving to not destroy this place, the force my movements exert is around the same level as me before today's evolution.

To check my manoeuvrability, I dash around the warehouse with the refined footwork, enjoying the raw acceleration and undeniable improvement in speed.

In comparison to the others from the Dragonslayer festival, I still wouldn't say I'm the fastest but I would confidently claim second with this speed.

My footfalls are silent as I dart around the warehouse but that doesn't hinder the ferocity of the movement in the slightest.

I revel in the sensation of perfected movement, my body and Ki working in harmony, and am overcome with joy.

Years of relentlessly seeking strength and training without pause have awoken something in me that I'm feeling at this moment. My desire for power was originally motivated by fear but once that fear was overcome, all that was left was that raw unbridled passion for growing stronger.

At this moment all I feel is endless gratitude for being able to pursue the heights of strength in this world and having my determination rewarded. I drop my Touki and stand there for a moment revelling in simply being present in the moment.

Letting out a slow breath, I take a quick glance at Byakko Shinra's unconscious form and smile because of the fact that he was the one that the Yura-Ann manipulated into fighting me.

Fighting him was the best-case scenario for me because it allowed me to take another step forward.

Heck, even right now I'm cursing myself for not healing him fully. If he had woken up by now I'd be able to fight him again. I'd be able to test out this new strength and maybe awaken further.

I shake my head, burying that thought so it doesn't bring me down. There's no point in mulling over that 'what if'.

Instead, I head towards the door to the warehouse as Suzaku and Seiryuu arrive.

The warehouse door slides along its rail after I give it a light push and I wave to Suzaku. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course." She replies with an easy smile, "I'm happy you thought to call me first."

A quick glance at Seiryuu shows that he's barely paying attention to our interaction. Rather, his focus is the inside of the warehouse behind me and he's staring there with a frown.

A raise an eyebrow in question and Suzaku gives a helpless smile, "Seiryuu takes things like this very seriously."

"Things like this?" I ask and it's Seiryuu that replies.

"Actions that make light of our clans and their foundation." He says finally making eye contact.

Behind his glasses, his pupils have narrowed into slits and his eyes are shaking with rage.

The sight makes me itch for another fight but it isn't to be as he lets out a calming breath. "Though the situation is complicated given this devil is a Pureblood from a Pillar House -nobody is allowed to touch our people without punishment."

"I thought you were talking about me for a second there." I can't help but add, narrowing my eyes at Seiryuu.

"If Byakko couldn't be bothered to keep his wits and assess the situation, his subsequent defeat is his own fault." Seiryuu punctuates his reply with an eye-roll. "Thank you for handling him gently."

Having said his piece he walks past me into the warehouse.

I would've expected him to have been more on Byakko's side given their clan's relationship. Though I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean anything on a personal level.

I shrug and turn my attention back to Suzaku, catching her looking me over quite intently.

"Enjoying yourself?" I tease her but instead of denying my words or blushing, she shakes her head.

"I was making sure you weren't injured." She says and after glancing over at Seiryuu she pulls me into a hug, "I didn't know whether you were downplaying the danger on the phone earlier. I was worried that you'd be in dire straits again."

I smile at her concern as I reciprocate her hug, "Nah, the hardest part about the fight was trying to beat Byakko without killing him. It wouldn't have been much of a fight if I used lethal moves or wasn't trying to gain as much as possible from the experience."

She pulls back and realizes this isn't the environment for this. As nice as this is, there's a massacre behind us.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't kill him. That would make this conversation a bit more awkward." Suzaku tries to sound cheery though it's forced.

That reaction makes me relieved I had the forethought to hold back. It would be an understatement that ruining our budding relationship over that would be a downer.

"What made you bring Seiryuu along?" I ask, wanting to change the subject.

Suzaku smiles awkwardly, "He was with me when you called and when he heard the circumstances…"

She trails off and shrugs, "Besides, he's as skilled as I am so his help should cut down time investigating."

I nod along with her reasoning. "True, his magic is impressive from what I've seen."

We both look towards Seiryuu and he walks through the carnage inside the warehouse.

"Let's also head in," I say leading the way, "I'll wake Byakko up while Seiryuu starts investigating. That way we can skip any potential drama."

Suzaku laughs, "Only you could call the White Tiger Inheritor trying to kill you 'drama'."

I shrug, "He wouldn't be able to touch me if we fought now."

That may be interpreted poorly so I address it, "Though that sounds a bit arrogant out loud."

"You're quite confident then," Suzaku says sounding pleased.

Or maybe I was wrong and it was an attractive level of confidence.

"Of course," I shoot back with a wink, "I'm not one to make empty boasts."

Kneeling down beside Byakko, I go through the process of reattaching his arm and then continue where I left off with healing him.

It doesn't take long before his Ki fluctuations show signs of his awakening.

I feel his Ki surge as his awareness comes back and he bolts upright, taking a swing at me as he does so. I catch his arm by the wrist and wait to see how he reacts.

The confusion in his eyes clears as he fully wakes up and he takes in his surroundings. When he notices Suzaku standing beside me he calms down even if his gaze remains hostile towards me.

Smiling, I release his arm and stand back up. "You're a lot more reasonable after your nap, huh?"

Suzaku sighs at my obvious amusement and Byakko rolls his shoulder, electing to check if I healed him properly instead of replying.

Byakko picks himself up and after a few seconds of scrutinizing me while frowning he bows. "I apologize for not allowing you to explain yourself and attacking you. I wasn't thinking rationally given the circumstances."

I respond after a moment of surprise, "Er, thanks, I appreciate it."

He crosses his arms and looks satisfied, "With that settled, I assume you know who was truly behind the murder of my cousin and the carnage around us."

"Yeah," I reply with a nod, "I'm not sure how much you know about the criminal factions in Kyoto, but the leader of the Hell King Legion, Yura-Ann Shax arranged this. As far as I can tell, she used your cousin as bait so you would deal with me."

Her lack of knowledge regarding my abilities and the potential outcomes of the fight leads me to be suspicious. Surely if she had proper intel, her trap would have been more thorough to ensure one of us died in the battle.

I frown, "I can't be certain if anyone else was involved but she was here personally to draw me in before you arrived."

Byakko bares his teeth and his Touki flares at that new knowledge. "I can't believe someone would try this here in Kyoto of all places. How did she think she would get away with this?"

Suzaku clears her throat getting his attention, "She probably assumed that wouldn't be able to discover her involvement."

Byakko looks embarrassed all of a sudden and Suzaku continues, "With your tendency to shirk your magical studies in favour of fighting or working out, you wouldn't have been able to detect the traces of Demonic Power from their teleportation."

"I would've noticed." Byakko shoots back with a glare, "I wasn't chosen as the next White Tiger because I was lacking."

"Would you have checked if you won? Or would you have assumed you punished the offender?" Suzaku rolls her eyes at his indignation and I chuckle watching the byplay.

Byakko grumbles but doesn't argue, "Whatever princess. Shouldn't you be helping glasses so we can go after these bastards?"

"I was making sure you didn't wake up and attack my… friend." I raise an eyebrow at that and Suzaku blushes.

"Friend, huh?" I cross my arms and watch Suzaku bite her lip.

Byakko looks between us and shows he isn't slow despite his looks, "Ah, definitely just a friend, right, princess?"

"Byakko," Suzaku growls with narrowed eyes, "Don't you dare spread this around."

Feeling mischievous, I pout, "Are you embarrassed by me?"

Instead of backtracking Suzaku gives me a pleading look, "Don't encourage him. You know exactly why he shouldn't spread this around."

"We've been out on a date in public though?" I point that out, just in case she hadn't realised word would spread.

"Yes, in Urakyoto where any gossip that was spread around wouldn't affect conservative members of the clans because all Yokai are 'evil liars' in their eyes. Nobody reasonable would make an issue of us dating." I nod along since that's a good argument.

Byakko is watching this discussion with a look of surprise, "Huh, I didn't think you had it in you, Suzaku. Congrats."

He looks at me again as though examining me in a new light. "Well, hmm… I've gotta say I wouldn't have thought you were Suzaku's type."

For a moment I feel offended. Not to brag but I think I'm most people's type.

It must show on my face because Byakko hastens to clarify.

"Not that there's anything wrong with you two dating. On second thought, I don't know what I thought her type was." Shaking his head he shrugs.

He clears his throat and looks eager to shift the topic. Especially when he sees how unamused Suzaku is.

After processing that he holds out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Ibaraki."

"You too, dude." I shake his hand easily.

I already had a positive opinion of him based on his skill and his desire to hunt down the person who killed his cousin. I can't say his indirectly helping me grow stronger doesn't also help me like him more.

 If he's also polite then that's even better.

His grip tightens and he grins fiercely, "Don't think my loss today will be the end of the story. Let's have a spar sometime in the future now that we're on better terms."

I laugh and grip back even tighter, "You're on. I hope you get ahold of that transformation you showed me. If you don't there won't be any change in the result."

He snorts, "You worry about how you'll grow stronger before worrying about me, okay?"

"Hey, I'm just worried you'll plateau." I shrug and Suzaku is smiling as we interact.

I'm sure she's glad that I get along with her friends. Since, given her position in our society, she probably doesn't have many close friends who understand her duties.

"Did you all forget what we're doing here?" Seiryuu calls out, interrupting our conversation.

We all turn towards him to see a grand magical array formed around him.

Multiple large magic circles, that are Seiryuu's height in diameter, form a cage around the area where the devils teleported away earlier. Along the perimeter of the cage, multiple talismans are held aloft by azure wind curling around them. Finally, an even larger magic circle, at least triple the size of the floating ones, rotates slowly on the floor.

Seiryuu looks between Byakko and me then clicks his tongue, "Could you two have released any more energy when you fought? The signature is barely present due to your interference."

I look at Byakko and he hikes his thumb at Seiryuu as if to say, 'get a load of this guy'.

"We were fighting with our lives on the line. Should we have held back?" I say dryly.

"Should I have died instead? What're you trying to say, glasses?" Byakko growls out aggressively.

"This would've been easier if you did." Seiryuu snarks back.

I laugh and hold Byakko back from attacking Seiryuu. He acts like some of the members of the Golden Dragons but with more power behind that attitude.

"If the Demonic Power degraded too far, how would you expect us to draw information from it?" Seiryuu explains the problem once I've gotten Byakko under control.

Suzaku looks amused as she supports Seiryuu, layering more magic circles over the array. "Please, we both know Ki and Demonic Power don't interact like that without a targeted effort."

"It's the density that's the problem." Seiryuu shoots back, "We're simply lucky that the devils didn't do their best to disperse the remnants as they left."

Suzaku hums as they continue working, "They must have predicted more magic to be used by Ibaraki. Wide area Yojutsu would have completed the dispersal of Demonic Power given the similar natures of the energies involved."

I frown as I take in their analysis. It isn't that the devils were lazy in covering up their tracks but rather that they expected me to unknowingly cover their tracks for them.

They should've known that I don't rely on Yojutsu much though. I may be decently capable of using flames or even barriers but they're mostly only useful against weaker opponents.

I guess my Cursed Flames would have been useful if I wanted to kill Byakko and those are also Yojutsu.

Is this another point to this being a failure of intelligence gathering on their part or is it deliberate misinformation at this point?

As the two of them work their magic, a tiny ball of Demonic Power eventually appears in the centre of the array as they collect the traces to a single point.

Once that appears, the array shifts in structure as they begin to analyze the traces. Suzaku pulls out a new talisman which is tossed into the centre and as we watch, it absorbs the Demonic Power.

All the magic, while visibly impressive and surely complicated, now that they aren't discussing the process aloud, it is beyond me to understand it.

Rather than getting caught up in watching, I turn to Byakko. While he seems to be more aware of what exactly is going on, he also clearly doesn't fully understand given the glazed-over look he's sporting.

"Hey, how come you're not upset anymore?" I ask and he comes back to his senses.

He grimaces as he thinks about my question, "Don't misunderstand, I still want to tear apart the person who killed my cousin. But letting that rage out won't help when the culprit isn't here."

"Fair enough." If I was in the same circumstances, I'd have far less of a hold on my rage.

"Do you mind if I ask something?" Byakko doesn't wait for me to respond and continues, "Who taught you how to fight? From what I remember of our fight, your martial arts are superficially similar to my clans."

"A tiger taught me." I smile awkwardly since it isn't a good answer, "I didn't have the luxury to find a teacher so I mimicked the strongest predator I could find."

I can't call my Byakko out to show him since he's still not answering.

Byakko Shinra leans away from me and his face contorts into exaggerated disgust, "How am I surrounded by ridiculous prodigies?"

"Prodigy my ass." I shoot back, "I learned or I died. Talent had nothing to do with it."

He rolls his eyes, "The circumstances don't change that without being talented you couldn't reach that level without a proper teacher."

"I've surpassed that level now so maybe your point is valid." His confusion at my response shows and I smirk, "Thanks for the lesson."

He shakes his head and is about to ask what I mean when the magic being cast by Seiryuu and Suzaku disappears, leaving the central talisman as the only thing remaining.

Suzaku plucks it out of the air with a smile, "Good work, Seiryuu."

"Of course." He replies haughtily and adjusts his glasses.

Both Byakko and I show our impatience as we stare hungrily at the talisman. Byakko out of a desire to avenge his cousin and me because I want to crush the arrogant devil who tried to play with me.

"If you know where they are let's get going," Byakko commands us.

It's Suzaku that shoots him down, "Before we leave, our plan of action has to be decided."

"What plan?" Byakko snorts, "You and Seiryuu are going to teleport us to their location then cut off their escape with a barrier. After that, I'll kill everyone responsible."

"And that's why we need to discuss this," Seiryuu replies with disdain colouring his words. "There's more at play here than your grudge."

Byakko glares at Seiryuu and his Touki flares, "You think this is a petty grudge?"

"I never said petty." Seiryuu cuts that issue down before it manifests. "But despite knowing that the perpetrator is a member of a Pillar Family you still have ideas about killing them."

I tilt my head in confusion, "So what? Are you saying the greatest families of Onmyouji fear a mere Pillar Family?"

Byakko nods along with my question, "Even if they're offended, a lone Marquis family is nothing to our families."

"Do you think it would end there? The devils have already lost too many Pillars." Suzaku replies shaking her head, "The Great King factions and the Old Satan factions would find common ground against us if we tried. Public opinion in the Underworld would be swayed against us and then even the New Satan faction would be forced to agree with our destruction."

"I refuse to do nothing," Byakko growls out.

Meanwhile, I'm taking in what Suzaku said.

If I was only thinking about myself, I'd enjoy that challenge. The prospect of fighting a war alone against an entire Pillar family is an enticing picture. Even if I ended up as an enemy of the entire Devil race, the experience might be worth it.

Of course, my family would be inevitably drawn into that conflict and I doubt the protection they enjoy from the West Yokai Faction would be valid if I start a war against an entire faction. That would definitely break the 'stupidity clause' implicit in any protection agreement.

But even if that wasn't a hangup for me, the Principal Clans are already involved. So the question is, how do we punish an uppity devil who overstepped without pitting an entire faction against us.

"You want to capture Yura-Ann and then use her as a bargaining chip for reparations." I muse aloud.

Seiryuu looks surprised, -and I'm offended he thinks I wouldn't realize that instantly- Suzaku looks happy that I understood her intentions so quickly, and Byakko looks offended at that suggestion.

"She killed my cousin. There isn't a scenario where she gets out of this unharmed." Byakko warns everyone and I can see the lid on his rage loosening.

"If she's harmed or worse, killed, we won't get anything from the devils." Seiryuu points out clinically.

Before Byakko can get angry again, I interrupt, "We don't have to hurt her to harm her."

"She doesn't care about them from what I know, but a peerage is incredibly valuable in Devil society." Byakko doesn't seem to understand where I'm going with this but Seiryuu smiles coldly.

"Certainly entrance into rating games is impossible without one and amassing contracts is incredibly difficult without that manpower," Seiryuu explains the relevance and Suzaku looks uncomfortable.

"Is this line of thought proper?" Suzaku asks, "These are individuals, not just the possessions of their King."

"Akira Shinra was an individual as well." Byakko snarls with flinty eyes.

I'm glad he didn't try to bring up Suzaku's slaughter of her clan's elders. He wouldn't have been wrong to do so. The fact he didn't though does show that their relationship is pretty good.

Suzaku sighs and dips her head, "It's your choice, Byakko."

"I can show you a list of the crimes their gang has committed in Kyoto later if that helps." Suzaku looks a little less uncomfortable after hearing my suggestion.

"It's settled then?" Seiryuu asks, looking pleased with this result as Byakko nods.

I have to wonder if he's a little sadistic or if he simply desires to wipe out anyone involved in tarnishing the name of the Principal Clans.

Neither option is great, though I'm not any better.

I suggested that option because I want Yura-Ann to know there are consequences for not accepting my offer to leave my territory. Instead of keeping her peerage and a small amount of dignity, now she will lose both and return to the Underworld in shame.

Seeing everyone is ready, Suzaku begins to cast a spell using the information from the talisman with the Demonic Power inside

We watch as a large magic circle slowly forms on the ground beneath us as she transfers the information from one medium to the other.

"Thank you for your help in resolving this, Ibaraki." Byakko says to me suddenly, "Our meeting may have been rough but I won't forget your help."

"You realize I'm coming with you guys, right?" I reply confused.

Byakko for some reason doesn't seem to have even considered this and is slow to reply. "This is a matter of our clans now though?"

Suzaku giggles and Seiryuu pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Yes, but if you remember, we wouldn't have gotten this far without her." Seiryuu points out in a long-suffering tone. "She isn't a stranger and has her own issues with the perpetrator."

"Also, you couldn't stop me from coming if you tried." I flash a toothy smile and Byakko huffs.

"Fine, just don't get in my way." He says and Suzaku teleports us all in a flash of fire.