.... and hell is coming with me.

[Kakita Sojiro]

Sojiro stormed down the hallway towards Agasha Shodai's quarters, having paused only to make certain he was headed in the right direction - he had found a servant tending to.... something, he didn't care what, and told them that he needed to speak to the Void Master NOW. After a few feeble protests, the servant decided that it was best just to go along with the wants of this obviously crazed man, but as they got to the entrance to Shodai's room, he seemed to have second thoughts about waking him this late. As the man stammered excuses, Sojiro huffed and brushed him aside.

"Fine, I'll do it myself," he spat out. Sojiro attempted a somewhat civilized knock, but it most likely sounded like a dragon was having a seizure outside of the room.

"Agasha-sama! This is Kakita Sojiro. We need to speak. Immediately."

[Agasha Shodai]

Agasha Shodai's eyes flickered open as Kakita Sojiro's rabid knocking interrupted the meditation that typically replaced normal sleep for the shugenja. With a negligent gesture the door popped open and lit the candles in the room, permitting Mitsouko's oldest friend to enter the chambers.

Shodai was dressed only in a pair of black hakama pants, the massive tattoo of the Void Dragon - the top slightly covered by the Phoenix's unbound pectoral-length white hair - covering his back with it's long body wrapped around the shugenja's waist five times staring at Sojiro in the dimly lit room.

"Come on in, Sojiro-san."[/b] The Void Master said, as clear of voice and mind as if he'd been awake for some time instead of sleeping. "I trust it's on the important side to call on me this late... I doubt you are in the habit of knocking on the door of major dignitaries for no good reason..."[/b] He said calmly, but without turning to face him. Shodai had a new tattoo and he was not willing to let anyone see it before Mitsouko-sa...

[Kakita Sojiro]

It wasn't until he actually took a look at Shodai that Sojiro stopped to think about what he was doing, and how completely ridiculous he probably looked doing it. He had left his waraji in his room along with his kimono, wearing only his black hakama and his kakita elite haori. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was most likely a disaster area, and the only thing that would give the random passer-by a hint as to his station was the two katana on his hip.

Fortunately, it seemed the Void Master wasn't turning around. Which was.... well, disconcerting.

I don't have time for disconcerting.

"Shodai-sama, please forgive the intrusion, but I need to talk to you about Shoju... the same Shoju you helped Bayushi Senshi to ambush not long ago."

[Agasha Shodai]

Agasha Shodai made a clicking sound with his teeth. The Void Master knew there had been too many witnesses to the fall of the so-called Tamihei Shoju for it to stay a secret for long, though he knew the moment he'd confided in Mitsouko about the events, she would have been bound to report it to the Crane leadership. "I was not aware this was a matter of concern for your clan..."[/b] Shodai said simply.

He gestured to a stand with a crock of water and a silken towel. Shodai's gaze had remained looking away from Sojiro, but the eyes of the body were but one pair the Void Master utilized. The Kakita's fatigue and stress were rolling off of him like waves. "But before you offer your counter-reply, take a moment to refresh yourself... You look like an Utaku Battle Maiden used you as a saddle and you sound as if you went a few hundred rounds with the First Oni..."[/b]

[Kakita Sojiro]

Something halfway between a choke and a chuckle escaped Sojiro's throat as he availed himself of Shodai's offer. Knots of void energy seemed to coalesce in his chakras at the mention of an Utaku Battle Maiden - something Sojiro was completely unaware of, but would be plain as day to his companion.

"That's an ironic statement, given the subject at hand."

He took a moment to collect himself both physically and mentally before continuing. Where to begin?

"I suppose that it's only proper to tell you that this isn't a Clan concern, it's a personal one. Shoju contacted me in a dream tonight. He is holding the woman I love, Utaku Mai, captive as we speak."

Everything poured out of Sojiro in a rush. The mission Mitsouko had sent him on, his first meeting with Mai at the inn, Yoee's apparent fall, horse milk and outbursts that led to her coming to Kyuden Doji with him, the day of Haru's arrival and why she had left, and the meeting he had with Mitsu after she arrived here, where she told him what had transpired between Shoju, Shodai, and Senshi.

He took a deep breath that he hadn't realized he needed.

"Mai went to Far North Village to defend those people from a Maho Tsukai that was raising an army. We had no idea that the Tsukai in question was Shoju. I didn't know until tonight, when he brought her with him to contact me in the dream."

He sighed. This was going to be the hard part.

"His demands are fairly simple. I am to deliver his sword, the one he lost during your battle, to him in Ryoko Owari. I'm allowed to bring one person with me. If I do this he has sworn to release Mai to me unharmed and taint free, and given that he has yet to harm her I think he's being honest about that. If I fail to do so, or if I bring more than one person with me, he will kill her. To begin with."

"Shoju is hellbent on revenge against Senshi for the murder of his wife and child. I can tell you from personal experience what being forced to watch while the woman you love is murdered will do to a man's mind."

"Please, Shodai-sama. I'm asking you not to force me to endure that a second time. I'm asking you not to let a woman who was willing to sacrifice everything dear to her to defend the weak, be murdered and turned into..." Sojiro couldn't finish the statement. He cleared his throat as his eyes found the floor.

"Shodai-sama, I need that sword."

[Agasha Shodai]

The Void Master listened impassively to Sojiro's story. As a well-connected Phoenix, he was aware of what had happened to the Crane's first love; a beautiful woman of Shodai's own Clan. There would have been a time - not that long ago, in fact - that he would have been moved by Sojiro's request, but would have rejected it out of hand.

But that was before he had known true love. The love he shared with Kakita Mitsouko.

Agasha Shodai sighed. "Shoju's no-dachi is embedded in the corrupted soil of the Dragon Heart Plain where he left it, although I have erected a number of wards and shields to keep anyone from approaching it and to try and contain it's evil... To try and keep it from spreading."

"If not for the fact that I did not believe my will could resist long enough to carry that damned relic to the nearest volcano, I would have destroyed it weeks ago... The blade carries Shoju's hunger for Bayushi Senshi's blood and transfers that unholy lust to anyone who touches it."[/b]

The shugenja rose to his feet from the kneeling position he'd been in with a smoothness the belied the fact that he'd been sitting like that for nearly four hours. As he did so, an inky black robe melted into existence into place. He sinched the obi shut and finally turned to Kakita Sojiro. "I do not need to ask you if you have considered the fact that returning this blade to Shoju could lead to the death of the Master of Secrets. I can see that you have made up your mind already."[/b]

The Void Master walked over to a massive, free-standing cabinet engraved with a number of eldritch glyphs and wards. Shodai placed his hand over the lock and silently recited the incantation to unlock it. When he finished, the door disappeared, revealing a very old naginata. Even though he was a bushi, Sojiro could feel the raw mystical energy eminating from the weapon.

"If we are going to do this, it will be on the following terms..."[/b] Agasha Shodai said as he took the Isawa Naginata in hand. The very air rippled as the nemuranai's magic was added to that of the Void Master. "I will be the one to accompany you. Despite his perverse origins, Shoju does possess a sense of honor, so I have no doubt that he'll keep to the letter and spirit of your bargain."

"The problem is that he is mentally unstable, so whether he will actually let the two of you GO after he holds up his end is debatable. That will be my job to guarantee. You will also need me in that I am the only one who can remove the shields I erected and I can get us from here to the sword to the Unicorn lands all within a single day."[/b]

Shodai looked at Sojiro. "But let me make this perfectly clear: I am not doing this for you or for Utaku Mai. I SHOULDN'T do this, every fiber of my being is begging for me NOT to do this... But you are Mitsouko-sa's oldest friend and most trusted advisor; she's counting on your skill and support and your heart just wouldn't be in it if you leave Mai where she is. Understood?"[/b]

[Kakita Sojiro]

Sojiro nodded. relief was written all over his face, but his energy told a slightly different story. There was still something there...

"I have two concerns, Shodai-sama. The first one being that, given how unstable the man is, and given that right now the only person he hates more than you is Senshi, I'm not sure that bringing you into his presence is a wise move, unless absolutely neccessary. It may be the thing that throws him over the edge," he grinned slightly, "although I have to admit that there are very few people I would rather have at my side when facing down a crazed Tsukai."

"The second.... it honestly has nothing to do with you coming with me. In fact, I'm actually relieved to have the chance to ask you about it. There is another condition Shoju layed down. I... would prefer that if you do speak to Mitsu-chan, you don't mention this to her, not in her condition."

"In addition to the sword, Shoju asked for a quantity of my blood. Now, I understand that giving him my blood may well be the most foolish thing I could ever do, but he has, again, sworn that he won't use it to harm or taint me in any way. But that begs the question, if he is so honorable, what does he intend to do with it?"

[Agasha Shodai]

Agasha Shodai nodded. "You needn't worry about that part. Shoju is powerful, but comprehending the Void is beyond him. He will not see or sense me unless I wish him to see me... It is the same means by which I snuck into the Snake encampment that night..."[/b]

A frown crossed his features. "There are too many things that a maho-tsukei can use blood for to guess what his plans are... But if I were to take a guess, he could use the blood as the basis of a spell that would allow him to enshroud himself in your likeness, possibly so he can get closer to Senshi..."[/b] He shrugs. "Or he could want it for something completely different. I am familiar with what is possible with Maho than with the rational behind using it..."[/b]

The Void Master stepped over to the sumi-e set in his room and brushed a quick letter to Shoju, which he rolled up as soon as it was dry. He tucked the letter into his robe and looked at Sojiro. "Are you ready?"[/b]

[Kakita Sojiro]

"I should inform Mitsu-chan first. If I just vanish from court suddenly, she's going to be furious. I'd also like the chance to actually get properly dressed." He grinned at Shodai. "I imagine that my current outfit is interesting, to say the least. Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to offer to come with me, much less for you to be ready to leave now."

[Agasha Shodai]

The Void Master gave the bushi a genuine smile when the other mentioned Mitsouko's temper as he hooked a chain to the Naginata, allowing him to strap it to his back. "Oh, I COMPLETELY understand, Sojiro-san... I have the good fortune - or misfortune, depending on the day of the week and time of the year - to have a great many talents that can be in great demand wherever I am. As a result, I endeavor to keep myself prepared to perform any task I can reasonably be expected to perform at a moment's notice: be it battle or a blessing."[/b]

Shodai paused for a moment. "Since I do not know if I will be able to return before the end of Winter Court or when she leaves, I would very much like to have a moment to see and talk with Mitsouko before we depart... We have... Matters... To discuss before our duties send us in opposite directions. Again. Do you mind if I accompany you to see her; just for the time it takes you to get properly dressed after she grants you permission to go?"[/b]

It may have been phrased as one, but Sojiro could clearly hear that it was not a question. And considering the magnitude of what Sojiro was asking the shugenja to do a rather minor "price" to pay.

[Kakita Sojiro]

"I have no problem with that, although I can't guarantee that she will feel the same right now. Then again, it may be exactly what she needs.... from what I can see, Mitsu's biggest issue isn't that she's tainted - in fact, I don't think she is - , but the fact that she doesn't trust herself after everything that happened."

He met Shodai's gaze

"I know what as transpired between you two, and it certainly can't be helping her to be dealing with that on top of everything else, which is why I suggested giving her some space. But maybe hearing that someone besides me still has faith in her will help her to recover."

[Agasha Shodai]

Shodai was not surprised to learn that Mitsouko had confided in Sojiro - Shojiro was her most trusted confidant, much as Isawa Tetsuro was to Shodai - and he nodded at the other's words. "Oh, I quite agree; Winter Court - especially one held in Kyuden Otomo - is filled with too many eyes and ears for some matters to be discussed. It is her health and state of mind that I am specifically concerned with: Mitsouko is a very strong woman, but no one recovers from a betrayal or hurt as deep as the one Alesha inflicted upon her quickly... Or easily."[/b]

He placed his hand over his heart, over the new tattoo he carried. "But there are some things that one so hurt need to hear; things that words alone cannot provide the full comfort of."[/b]

[Kakita Sojiro]

"When would you like to speak to her? I can't honestly say if she would be sleeping now or not. Apparently, sleeping has been something of a challenge for her lately."

[Agasha Shodai]

"How soon do you want to be on the way to save Mai?"[/b] Shodai asked, his face clearly worried about Sojiro's words of Mitsouko's difficulty sleeping.

[Kakita Sojiro]

"I promised Mitsu-chan that I would attend tomorrow's strategy meeting for her. We can leave immediately after that. As much as I want to leave right this second, I'm not going to abandon my duty to her, and I imagine that getting some more sleep is probably a good idea."

A knowing look came over Sojiro's face as he saw Shodai's reaction to what he had said about Mitsu.

"But that doesn't mean that we can't go and visit her now. I've honestly wanted to see if she's taken any of my advice about dealing with the nightmares she is having anyway, and this seems like a great time for a 'snap inspection'."