71

AN: This is part one of two for the interlude. I separated it because it's becoming longer than I thought it would be. Therefore, the part Susanoo referenced in the last chapter hasn't happened yet (Just so you don't think it was underwhelming foreshadowing lol). Also, o7's in chat for the cardinal sin of love triangles. They're like the romance equivalent of Gege killing your favorite JJK character every week. The second half should be quick like this chapter was. See ya in the comments.

Chapter Text

As he adjusts his backpack, Takehiko continues the long hike up the overgrown stairs towards the shrine.

He had wanted to make it to the next town before nightfall but the skies up ahead were beginning to fill with dark clouds. Rather than risk getting soaked to the bone, he decided to borrow a bed at this nearby shrine.

It wouldn't be the first time he relied on the hospitality of a shrine since his journey began, and he has come to enjoy the vibe of such places. The simplicity of the lifestyle reminds him of his time in Crucible village with his Shishou, minus the intense training.

The charity of the priests was sometimes overwhelming but he always did his best to repay them. Whether that be doing odd jobs around the shrine for a day, making a delivery for them to the nearest town, or simply cleaning.

It never failed to fill him with a sense of accomplishment, to show his thanks and repay their good intentions in kind.

Still, if he didn't know any better he would suspect divine intervention with how often the weather seemed to mess with him. His journey has been constantly delayed or rerouted by torrential rain, or extreme thunderstorms blocking his path.

Of course, the idea of a god going even being aware of his existence is laughable. Surely someone capable of influencing the weather on a wide scale would have more important things to do than mess with him.

No, coincidence was a far more likely answer.

Nearing the top of the stairway, Takehiko has to brace himself on the handrail alongside him as the winds pick up once more. It's a fierce squall, an occurrence that has grown only more common the closer to his destination he has gotten.

Each successive gust has grown more powerful and the interval between has grown shorter; the harsh winds threatening to send Takehiko back to the bottom of the mountain the hard way.

The old shrine, with its faded signage, was dedicated to a nameless wind god. The statues guarding the bottom of the stairway up here had been destroyed long ago. All that had remained were two sets of powerful legs chiseled in crude harsh shapes, and the rubble from the rest of their shattered forms.

A shame but a consequence of time and neglect.

Crossing the threshold under the gate, the winds finally grow calm and Takehiko breathes a sigh of relief. He nearly collapses as the exhaustion hits him all at once.

Instead, he slings his backpack around to his front and pulls out his water bottle. He takes long gulps trying to hydrate himself and gasps in contentment as he finishes the bottle.

He shakes the exhaustion from his limbs as he looks around the shrine.

Mirroring the state of the steps, the place is overgrown and like the statues at the bottom, the buildings are also damaged. Still, it's more than enough to provide shelter for the night, even if he would've preferred the shrine not to be abandoned.

Before he can figure out the best building to sleep in tonight, Takehiko takes his time to respect the shrine. Cleansing himself in the oddly pristine basin, and offering his prayers to the nameless god.

Once he has paid his respects, the winds shift and he begins to hear someone off in the distance.

His eyes narrow and grasps the hilt of his sword before slowly approaching the direction the voice is coming from.

"----have to let it guide you. You're too forceful." The distorted voice slowly becomes a smooth soothing baritone as he reaches the edge of a clearing.

Standing with his arms crossed is a tall man with long white hair and a clean white beard. Not the kind of white hair associated with the elderly but a shade of white that reminds Takehiko of his Shishou.

He's wearing baggy white pants, tied up with a belt of thick dark blue rope and his chest is bare, revealing extensive tattoos of stylized clouds.

His piercing blue eyes are filled with warmth despite rumbling out those critiques just now.

"Allow your wrists to be guided by the winds as you move, and angle your weapons so they sing among the gale." He continues, drawing Takehiko's attention to the subject of his critiques.

Takehiko's weapon slips from his grasp and he watches in awe as what can only be a divine spirit… Dances.

With a delicate fan in each hand, she moves. Like a leaf drifting in the wind, she rises and falls; sometimes swiftly, others slowly.

Her kimono clings tightly to her lithe form, cut off at her mid-thigh, and as she moves her long legs demonstrate precision and grace. Her appearance is somewhat obscured by the high winds but he can see flashes of her short black hair fluttering around her.

Takehiko has to hold his arms up to block the wind that has built up from the woman's dance. The very air whistles a sharp tune with each shift of her fans, and the storm whips up further.

He's starting to be pushed back, and his shoes are digging into the ground when suddenly a sharp tearing noise rips through the clearing.

Both fans in her hands tear apart from the power of the winds she was channeling and she stumbles at the sudden lack of resistance.

She ends up falling on her knees, in the center of the clearing and she tips her head up to the sky, "Fuck!"

Takehiko blinks at the surprising curse. It's crude for a goddess but endearing.

"I told you to let the winds guide you. The fans won't tear unless you try to force the air to move as you wish. How do you expect to wield the Kamikaze if you can't handle nature's winds?" The man rumbles looking amused.

"I'll get it," The spirit says with a sigh, "It's hard to focus with a voyeur."

A chill runs down Takehiko's spine as he realizes she's talking about him. He settles into a defensive stance, ready to draw his sword in case things go bad.

It isn't surprising then, when she turns towards him and he gets his first clear look at her.

Atop her hair is a small red cylindrical hat with two tails of white pompoms attached to the bottom, framing the sides of her head. Covering the top half of her face is a black tengu mask with a sharp beak that covers her nose.

Thankfully though, she doesn't seem interested in attacking.

"Can I help you?" She asks sounding annoyed.

Blushing Takehiko collects himself, "Sorry, I got distracted."

He ignores the hearty chuckle from the man off to the side and continues, "I came up to the temple to stay the night but if I'm interrupting something I can leave."

It might be getting late but if he uses his Touki he can run to town before nightfall. He would exhaust himself of all his energy but would recover by midday at the latest. Therefore, it's an option he'd like to avoid but an option all the same.

The spirit tilts her head and watches him carefully for a moment before turning to the man instructing her. "What do you think, Master?"

"The more the merrier!" The man says and there's a mischievous look in his eyes, "You'll still have to continue training though, Shinobu."

The spirit, Shinobu slumps further into the ground, "Of course, Master."

As she pulls herself back up, her master tosses her two more fans that he certainly wasn't holding a second ago.

She snaps them out of the air with a familiar ease and returns to her starting position.

"Come here, boy! It's about to get windy again." Despite never having seen the man before, there's a familiarity to him that disarms Takehiko and he heads over.

Despite his words, as Takehiko reaches the man's side, the winds cease to reach him.

The man holds a hand out in greeting and smiles, "Nice to meet you boy, you can call me Yuto for now."

"Takehiko and likewise," He replies, shaking Yuto's hand.

"You seemed interested in my apprentice," Yuto remarks casually and Takehiko's spine straightens.

"Er, her dance is very beautiful." He quickly responds turning to watch her routine with reddened cheeks.

Yuto laughs and pats Takehiko on the back roughly causing him to stumble.

"She's an unpolished gem with a rough exterior but what she lacks in talent she makes up for with perseverance," Yuto replies with a proud expression. "Loosen those wrists!"

Shinobu growls in frustration and it's barely audible over the wind but she listens to the command.

Takehiko jolts as he's patted on the shoulder, "That advice applies to you too."

Those words echo in his head and Takehiko finds himself considering them deeply. If he loosens his grip on his sword hilt and focuses more on maintaining a smooth stable draw, would that improve the power? Is trying to force more power and speed out of the slash just draining more energy?

He shakes himself out of his trance and glances at Yuto in surprise. The man in question just grins. "I noticed the stance you took when you were alerted. It's good, a strong foundation but it needs polish. It isn't just your grip, your whole body is too tense."

Takehiko frowns feeling offended on his Shishou's behalf. Even if the words are reasonable, and they might not be, they would still be an overstep from a stranger.

"My cousin- Er, that is to say, your master, did a great job teaching you but you can always improve." Yuto scratches the back of his neck looking apologetic.

Before Takehiko can question that statement, another loud tear rips through the clearing and they both turn to Shinobu who has destroyed another set of fans. Her cheeks burn scarlet beneath her mask as she stands back up.

Yuto clears his throat and grabs both of their attention. "Why don't you take a break from your practice for a minute, Shinobu? Instead, I'd like to suggest a friendly dance between you two."

"With him?" Shinobu asks, skepticism thick in her voice. After an instant, she shakes her head in embarrassment, "Not to be rude or anything."

Takehiko just fidgets awkwardly not knowing how to respond to that. While everything about his current situation is surprising, being asked to dance with a beautiful woman out of nowhere is beyond that.

Loud laughter from Yuto causes him to become even more embarrassed, "When I say dance, I meant a spar. Though if Shinobu agrees you two can dance instead of sparring."

The relief he expected to feel doesn't manifest, rather Takehiko feels disappointed now that the confusion has been cleared up

"Controlling your strength will give you perspective. Who knows, it might lead you to the revelation you need." Yuto suggests to Shinobu while Takehiko sorts out his feelings.

"I understand," She responds humbly and turns to watch Takehiko.

"No time like the present," Yuto says slapping Takehiko on the back.

Takehiko awkwardly walks into the clearing standing across from Shinobu.

Being volunteered to fight like this by someone he knows nothing about feels like an overstep. Yet Takehiko feels a sense of surety about this moment, as though the outcome is of supreme importance. There's no doubt in his mind that backing out would be a mistake.

So he resolves to learn as much as he can from the experience. He will do his best to make this sparring session valuable for both of them.

He pauses when Shinobu doesn't draw a weapon and turns to Yuto, "Ah, I'm not exactly skilled at hand-to-hand. Most of my training has been with my sword."

Yuto smiles indulgently and snaps his fingers. In correspondence to his gesture, the wind around him coalesces into a blade similar to a Ninjato.

The wind blade flies over to Shinobu and shifts as it travels, from an immaterial form to a physical blade.

It's an overt display of power that takes Takehiko by surprise. If a physical sword had appeared he could have assumed it was removed from a pocket dimension. By creating the blade from nothing, there's no room for doubt. 'Yuto' has an inscrutable level of power compared to him.

Steadying his breathing, Takehiko buries those thoughts. Trying to guess at another's power is a distraction.

All that matters is the opponent in front of him.

Takehiko slowly lowers his stance and thumbs the guard of his sword, "I'm ready."

A small gust whirls around Shinobu's feet and she holds her sword at eye level, the tip pointed at his neck, "Here I come."

With that simple statement, she vanishes from sight.

A thin line of heat burns along Takehiko's cheek and an instant later he feels the tip of a sword pressed against his nape.

"I think this round is my loss," He says grinning at the absurdity of the situation.

Shinobu reappears across from him again looking unsure, "Sorry, I hadn't expected… well, what I mean is…"

While she struggles to find the right thing to say Yuto speaks up from the side, "I don't think an apology will help anyone here. If anything it would just sting more."

Shinobu fidgets but stops trying to apologize thankfully. Though her looking awkwardly at the forest around them is nearly as bad.

Takehiko meanwhile wipes his cheek and stares at the blood on his fingers. Despite her warning him, he hadn't been able to react to her at all. He hadn't even been able to see her.

It's humbling.

Throughout his training and his journey so far, he had never felt like he was strong or anything. He couldn't forget the memories of people much stronger than him, nor is he the type to lose himself to arrogance. Therefore, others being stronger than him isn't some revelation but experiencing another person's strength firsthand is inspiring.

"Can I try again?" He asks with a smile, and he can almost hear the crack in Shinobu's neck as her attention jerks back to him.

Yuto clears his throat getting their attention, "I was hoping you would be willing to spar still but can I give you some advice first?"

Takehiko nods slowly, wondering where he's going.

"Humans often forget that the world they perceive isn't limited to what they see or hear. Your eyes are sharp but you don't see the wind, you feel it." Yuto crossed his arms and pins Takehiko with a serious stare, "When I called this a dance earlier, I was serious. You have to gauge the energy of your partner, predict their movements, and counter to succeed."

"Your fighting style is defensive, right? You dodge until you find an opening then finish them in a single strike." Takehiko just stands there poleaxed while Yuto continues talking.

Despite how off-balance Takehiko feels at being seen through: Yuto's words resonate with him deeply and he finds himself falling into a trance again.

"A defensive style means that you cede the lead to your opponent and position yourself to follow. Feel the tension in the air, the flow of the wind, and open your mind to the dance." Takehiko's skin tingles as the words caress him like a gentle breeze.

The air in the clearing hums with purpose and every breath he takes feels odd, new, and most of all uncomfortable. His brows furrow and he changes the rhythm of his breaths, the way he savors each breath, and the movements of his diaphragm until it all feels right again.

The air rushes into his lungs faster with each breath, spreading a chill throughout his body as the oxygen pumps through his veins. Distantly, at the edge of his focus, something starts to crack and a cool trickle of energy begins to spread from his navel.

"Every motion, every thought, they drift through the wind that permeates the world. Like a sea of clouds, it embraces everything in this world. Open yourself up to the feeling of the wind." The whispered words continue to filter into his awareness no matter how far into the trance he drifts.

Every inch of his skin feels raw as a world of sensation flows into awareness and the only thing stopping him from scratching at his skin is the energy from his navel that soothes his body. His mind soars along his skin, feeling every brush and nudge of the air.

He blinks awake as his consciousness falls below the clouds and looks at Yuto with suspicion, "What did you do?"

"I merely offered some advice," He shrugs, "Whatever you took from the advice is due to your efforts. Your success is your own, I'm not the type to hand out Blessings."

Takehiko shakes his head and doesn't dwell on the man's words, instead, he adjusts to the sensations.

"Do you still want to go again?" Yuto asks and Takehiko grits his teeth.

He inhales sharply, shivering at the sensation of the air filtering through his teeth, "If Shinobu is still willing, then yes."

"Of course," She says though she still looks unsure.

As they both take their stances again, the world falls away from Takehiko's sight and he loses himself in the feeling of the wind.

The gust that pulses from Shinobu's feet washes over his skin as she disappears once more.

He laughs as the skin on his cheek suddenly itches but he tilts his head in the opposite direction of the sensation all the same. Takehiko's hair blows backward as Shinobu passes by him, and he twists with the flow of the wind.

As he rotates his body, it feels as though a void rests on his hip where his sword rests. His awareness which was spread throughout the clearing is drawn to that singular point. At the same time, the chill emanating from his navel rolls and swells, drawn into that void.

There's a faint click as his sword begins to leave its scabbard, powered by the rotation of his body and the extension of his arm.

He feels his sword cut through the air, and in the moment adjusts the edge to carve through cleaner. The billowy white light of his sword intent glides along his sword as it flashes through the air.

Steel meets steel in a shower of sparks as his katana meets Shinobu's blade. A pit forms in his stomach, and for a moment Takehiko fears she won't be able to stop his attack.

Yet his swing halts there and as his vision comes back, Takehiko notices the cloak of wind covering her sword.

Takehiko's instincts save him as he draws on his Touki just in time.

Something heavy slams into his stomach and Takehiko is launched backwards by the force. He hits the ground and rolls with the momentum, only bouncing a few times before landing in a crouch like he was taught.

When his vision clears he sees Shinobu bring her extended leg back under her and the wind surrounding her leg dissipates. He realizes then that Shinobu kicked him away while he was distracted by concern for her safety.

He coughs and despite the pain radiating from his core, can't resist a bit of snark, "You didn't hold back much on that kick, did you?"

"Oh god, are you alright?" Shinobu calls out to him sounding concerned.

"I'm fine, thanks." He rubs his stomach, feeling bare skin rather than his shirt.

Realizing her kick destroyed his shirt, he rips the tattered remains off. Rather than feeling upset, laughter bubbles up in his chest and he runs his hand through his hair.

"Are you alright with continuing?" Takehiko asks with a wide grin much to Shinobu's surprise.

She sighs but can't resist a small smile, "Just tell me when you're ready to give up."

Behind her mask, her eyes start to sparkle with joy as she charges once more.

With the moon hanging high in the sky, Takehiko fidgets nervously on the roof of one of the temple buildings as he stares at the stars with Shinobu. It baffles him how he ended up here despite the fact he remembers all the events that led up to this.

After she continued to kick his ass for another hour, Takehiko was too tired and sore to even consider fighting any longer.

 Once he gave up, Yuto had conjured up an assortment of dishes for them to eat. The entire meal he asked Takehiko about his journey so far. He even listened intently to Takehiko's recounting of his travels despite the lack of grand adventures.

After stopping the murderers in that village, there hadn't been any real heroic feats to speak of. Takehiko merely traveled along and the most heroic things he did amounted to basic volunteering. Carrying groceries for the elderly, cleaning up temples, helping villages with miscellaneous problems, and the occasional cat stuck in a tree.

By the time Takehiko recounted his journey up to this point, the sun had already set and they had eaten all the food.

Yuto then thanked Takehiko for his story and gave him some cryptic advice before heading off to sleep. 'When you arrive in the village tomorrow, buy some cucumbers from the market and take them to the lake on the far side of the town. Do that and you'll find your adventure.' He then left Takehiko and Shinobu alone without explaining what any of that meant.

They had sat awkwardly together for a few minutes, neither starting up any conversation, until Shinobu suggested they sit here and watch the stars.

Again, despite knowing all the steps, Takehiko is thoroughly confused about how he ended up here.

"What drives you?" Shinobu asks out of the blue.

"I'm sorry?" Takehiko can't help but respond, caught off guard.

She covers her cheeks with her hands and shakes her head, causing her hair to twist back and forth in the moonlight. She sits in silence not answering as she regains her composure, then turns to him.

"You look like you're a few years younger than I am but you're traveling across the country by yourself searching for adventure. Not only that, but it's out of some selfless desire to help people in need." She looks frustrated as she scrutinizes him, "I only recently found a reason to train as hard as I do now. My reason is also by no means selfless."

Takehiko shrugs, grinning nervously, "I'm not being selfless either."

Seeing her look of disbelief he laughs, "I'm not, seriously! My desire to be a hero is as selfish as it gets. I just want to keep experiencing the good feelings I get when I save someone and to make my Shishou proud."

He looks away muttering under his breath, "And yeah, maybe I want to save others from experiencing loss as well but that's to soothe my guilt."

The silence that follows his statement stretches uncomfortably for what feels like minutes, "I'm sure your teacher is proud. I'm sure whoever you lost is proud too."

Takehiko's gaze snaps to Shinobu and she smiles gently, "From the stories you told, you're a great hero already. It sounds like you've helped a lot of people."

Takehiko is glad that it's nighttime, otherwise, Shinobu would see him blushing brightly at her words of praise.

"The same goes for you, you know? Whatever is making you train hard is just as valid a reason as mine is." Takehiko says, trying to deflect but also because he genuinely thinks so.

Shinobu sighs and stares up at the stars, "It's such a stupid reason."

"There's this person I admire. They saved me, twice now." She bites her lip, "I want to prove to them that I'm strong too and have them look at me as an equal."

She pauses and places her hands over her heart, "It hurts so much to be in love with someone and for them to not even notice you. Like the thought of being with you never crossed their mind."

Takehiko shifts closer to Shinobu and hesitates for a moment before squeezing her on the shoulder reassuringly.

"I think your efforts will get through to them." He says earnestly, "Even if they don't, the strength you find within yourself is more valuable than their acknowledgment."

Shinobu stills before reaching up and pulling off her mask. Turning towards him she gives him a radiant smile that lights up the night, "Thank you."