It was already dark when they got to Tsukinoya and by the time their food arrived the moon hung just a sliver higher in the sky, a pale lobe of light shining feebly from beyond the dirty stained windows. Himuro had ordered another ramen, which he dug into without restraint once the waitress brought it out. Seated in the booth opposite of him, Tatsuhito couldn't help but eye him critically as he took up his chopsticks.

"Are you sure this is alright? Leaving Riyu to watch them on her own."

The young man glanced up at him from beneath his unkempt orange mop, jaws working idly over a mouthful of food. Then he let out a small chuckle.

"Don't worry about that," he said between chews. "Kamome-dono can handle herself."

"The lord sent you to keep an eye on them."

"Their captain, you mean. Who's still here."

"You don't need to remind me."

Himuro let out an exasperated sigh when Tatsuhito maintained his skeptical expression.

"Where is Mototatsu-sama?"

"Don't know. Probably with Yanjirō-dono. Last I heard they had some last minute business to attend to before our departure tomorrow..." Tatsuhito frowned. "So he still hasn't moved?"

"Eh?"

"Trafalgar."

A flash of annoyance crossed Himuro's face. He thinned his eyes and kept tucking away spoonfuls of broth.

"Do you think we'd be sitting around here so casually if he had?"

"Tch."

"At least he's nowhere near your brother's place now –" Himuro paused, noting Tatsuhito's immediate grimace. "What's with that face? It's been hours since and he hasn't tried anything."

"Yet. If he's still here, then that means he hasn't given up."

"Never underestimate a pirate's stubbornness, I suppose..." Himuro answered in an appeasing voice. He thought for a moment, before adding absently: "Remember that she's there, too."

"What?"

"Arisa-san." A pause. "You really think she'll let him try anything?"

"I wouldn't be surprised by anything at this point –" Tatsuhito stopped short, squaring his shoulder defensively when he caught Himuro's incredulous expression. "That's not what I meant."

"I never said anything."

"Hmph."

A small silence bloomed as they continued to eat.

"...it's the lord I'm really worried about, you know," Tatsuhito presently muttered.

Himuro arched a brow, waiting.

"Don't you get the sense how weirdly... lax he's been with this whole situation? Even from last week." Tatsuhito's lips tightened ominously as he looked away. "Yanjirō-dono and I have made our concerns clear to him over and over again, but it's starting to feel like we're shouting at a wall."

"A wall, you say."

He turned and leveled another glower. Himuro laughed a little and looked away.

"All I'll say is that this is just like you, Kijibato-dono," he chided. "To always preoccupy yourself with the worst case scenarios –"

"Am I wrong to be cautious? An alliance between the clan remnants and a pirate crew would be unprecedented."

"Maybe unprecedented situations call for unprecedented measures."

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?" Tatsuhito retorted, agitated now. "Dr. Yotsuji is right. We shouldn't trust a man with a reputation like that."

"That is up to the lord to decide. Just like the deal with the Amatsuki."

Tatsuhito lowered his gaze and fell silent. Himuro raised his chin abruptly, his tone turning brisk.

"...you have made up your mind about that, haven't you?"

The instructor's expression immediately soured. He looked away.

Himuro hummed and leaned in slightly with narrowed eyes, his demeanor turning somber.

"So Yanjirō-dono has been talking to you. Or is it Shiorin?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Does she even know?"

"Of course she knows."

"You know I'm not talking about the proposal."

Tatsuhito didn't answer. Himuro studied him closely.

"The lord received another letter from Commodore Murasaki on behalf of the Amatsuki leadership," he began slowly. "You should know that their situation is far more precarious than your brother would like you to believe."

Tatsuhito's posture instantly went rigid.

"Mototatsu has no reason to lie to me."

"Lie, no. But understate, certainly. You know he would, if only to give you a choice to be happy." A tinge of scorn crept into the Seer's words. "As if that's the sort of reality we're living in... He would be foolish to believe that he can keep you trapped in such an illusion."

"Maybe you don't know what the hell you're talking about," Tatsuhito answered in a terse voice.

"Well I certainly don't. I'm just the messenger. But Misokatsu-sama does." Another pause. "Do you want to know what was in that letter?"

Tatsuhito closed his eyes briefly. He willed himself to focus on something – anything other than the cruel reality posed by Himuro's words. The clattering of glassware. The scratchy Tone Dial music. Shiori's downcast face. Then he thought that maybe he should order another drink.

"Is this the real reason why he sent you?" he finally muttered.

"Hmm. Well maybe not the only one." Himuro's lips twitched into a small, vacant smile. "You could say my role is a bit of a juggling act. No different from yours."

"...you don't have to use that tone on me, you know."

"What tone?"

"The one that makes you sound an awful lot like Hokyū-dono."

Himuro continued to smile.

"You should understand that the lord is only trying to be transparent with you."

"Transparent," Tatsuhito repeated, a tinge of bitterness surfacing in his words. "Perhaps Yanjirō-dono might see it differently."

"I don't blame Yanjirō-dono at all. I really don't. He has his own perspective, and it's completely understandable that he wishes to protect his daughter's feelings. But that doesn't change the position we're in. Your own family's position, Kijibato-dono."

Tatsuhito seemed to be staring at something beyond Himuro's shoulder.

"How bad is it?"

"Bad enough to shake up the elders at Amatsuki, that's for sure." Himuro looked around, then leaned in and lowered his voice. "It's worse than when the news about Towa-san came out – even when this is nothing compared to what happened back then."

"That's –...." Tatsuhito broke off, looking away with another troubled sigh.

"It isn't just the media coverage, either. There's been mutterings that the Government may be planning on using this investigation to test the waters for something bigger."

"Like what."

"What do you think?" The Seer scoffed. "Pay attention to the rumors – and not just the ones about Commodore Murasaki! The state of the Naval Academy. What better opportunity is there for them to clean house, so to say?"

"They don't have the means to pull off something that drastic."

Himuro only looked at him, his expression turning grave.

"Is it too far-fetched to you?"

Tatsuhito let out a feeble sound of annoyance.

"The Amatsuki clan has spent hundreds of years integrating with the Navy," he argued, sounding more as if he were attempting to convince himself. "There's no way the Government can just... extricate us from the system. Not without razing the whole thing to the ground."

"Maybe not entirely, sure. But if the Cipher Pol agencies put their mind to it they could get pretty damn far. Think about it. This whole shitstorm's already laid the groundwork for it. Look at the papers – the story clearly isn't going anywhere. Sure, they've redacted a lot of the names but people aren't blind. They can put two and two together. They'll read the headlines and only latch onto the bits that they wish to remember. The Nightingale's daughter. Murderer. Coverup. Infiltrators. They'll clamor for Justice as they always do, and of course the Navy will be happy to serve it to them on a silver platter."

"Is that what the lord believes?"

"It's what the Amatsuki leadership is afraid of. Just ask your brother if you don't believe me." Himuro took a deep breath and shot him a hesitant look. "You want to know something else?"

The instructor glanced over to him, his face reluctant.

"Maybe it's out of place for me to say. But I do think that this is unfair on your part. That Misokatsu-sama shouldn't have picked you to go. If anything, it would have made more sense for... for –"

"I think," Tatsuhito interrupted in a dangerous tone, "that maybe you should just leave it at that."

"Alright... Alright."

"It isn't her fault. None of this is her fault."

"Alright," Himuro repeated hastily. "You know, I didn't mean it that way, casting blame or anything –"

"Maybe you didn't."

"You're right. It's my bad."

Himuro's eyes had sunken down to the table, his shoulders curling. Tatsuhito shot him a wary look.

"Tell me, Himuro," he said. "Do you really think that she might have done it?"

The young man let out a small sigh, reluctantly dragging his gaze up to meet the instructor's.

"...what do you –"

"You know exactly what I mean. Arisa. Murdering that Marine. And I don't mean it as a question of capability."

Himuro didn't answer right away.

"That man was butchered in his own home. His throat split wide open. I don't know what sort of person he was and quite frankly I don't think it necessary to speculate at this point. All I know is what he meant to her, and it was a whole lot more than her own wellbeing. Even after she'd gone through hell and back six years ago. Even when she had all the reason to never let anyone in again. Do you really think she has it in her to kill someone like that?"

"Arisa-san herself doesn't seem to know what happened for sure."

"Of course she doesn't. She could be given footage of the incident exonerating her and she'd still doubt herself to the grave. Just like with Suzume." Just like with Saboady. "She has never been the sort to be able to forgive herself so easily. To...."

"To believe that her life fully belonged to herself?" Himuro nodded as if he understood. A dull smile crossed his face. "Maybe you're right about that. But isn't that all of us here to an extent?"

Tatsuhito let out a breath and looked away.

"...he hasn't moved yet?"

"Still no. She hasn't either."

Tatsuhito nodded and lowered his chin. Somewhat reluctantly, they returned to their food. The bell at the entrance chimed as a party of four entered – students from the shrine, by the looks of them.

"...Kijibato-dono," Himuro suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about this. I really am."

Tatsuhito sighed.

"Don't be losing sleep over it, is all I'll say. You're only the messenger after all."

──────────────────

It was to nobody's surprise that Uzuki Misokatsu's counter offer was not met with much resistance from the Tenkū-jō faction. Though certain parties within – the Azami family, most notably – did have bad blood with the Nightingale, Uzuki Hiyamugi himself was not hard pressed to strain an existing alliance by squabbling over the matter. Ultimately, he ended up siding with Misokatsu with the stipulation that Amenoka-ji be the one to send the hostage.

Several of the Osoegawa Uzuki retainers contested the change. Akasuka Suzume had originally been one of their own after all, and they would be damned if they allowed a lesser clan like the Fūgetsu to gain leverage over them in such a way. But their position was severely weakened by the fact that they had willingly given Suzume up to be a ward of Amenoka-ji. The Tenkū-jō in particular were keen to hold that against them, and Suzume's own willingness to go also worked tremendously against their favor.

In the end, Fūgetsu Chazuke accepted the new terms, though this was more so due to a stroke of luck than any strategic maneuvering from the Uzuki side. Shortly after Azami Kakiage's meeting with the Amenoka-ji elders, one of Chazuke's close retainers publicly renounced his allegiance and defected to Fūgetsu Anago's cause. The news was shocking, revealing the fragility of the loyalists' position and perhaps solidifying the immediate need for the alliance through Chazuke's eyes.

As such, the deal was finalized roughly a month later at Tenkū-jō, the summons for the two hostages being issued shortly after that.

"It isn't faaiirrr!" Shiori whined for the umpteenth time, looking as if she were about to cry as she flopped around the little fortress of pillows and blankets she'd constructed at her futon. Both she and Arisa had snuck to their friend's room the week before her departure, and despite Koga's repeated warnings not to make things any harder for Suzume, neither could really help themselves.

"You've said that already," Suzume said patiently, turning from her mirror. She had already finished packing most of her things and was borrowing one of Koga's old kimonos.

"But it really isn't!" Arisa chimed, looking up from the pillow she had clutched to her chest.

"I don't know. I asked to go, and now I get to go. Sounds fair and square to me –"

"Quit joking around! I'm being serious, alright?" Shiori flew upright and scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her fist. "Why does the lord let everyone boss us around, huh? If I were him I'd have told those jerks to scram!"

"It's all my fault..." Arisa whimpered, muffling her face into her pillow.

Suzume's face darkened.

"Hey. Don't say that."

"But it is! If I hadn't gotten picked first, you wouldn't have volunteered!"

"You shouldn't have gotten picked to begin with," Suzume said firmly. "You aren't a yōgari. These aren't the sort of things you should be expected to do."

"But you aren't either!" Arisa peeked up at her tentatively, blinking away her tears.

"Not yet at least. So how can it hurt to take on a few of my responsibilities early?" Suzume shot her a reassuring smile. "What, you think I've been slacking off on my training or something? I can handle this!"

"Well..." Arisa sweat dropped a little.

"What?"

"Ta-chan did say you've been slacking lately –"

"Oi, Ta-chan is full of it!"

"Whatever. I still think that this isn't fair," Shiori grumbled again. "Why does it have to be one of you? Why can't they send Towa-san or something?"

Suzume studied her for a moment with her eyebrows raised, bursting out in a fit of giggling.

"Yeah, as if that would work!"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"Come on, think about it, Shiori! Towa-san? The Fūgetsu would be too scared of her to have her as hostage!"

Shiori let out a small giggle of her own, and Arisa cracked a halfhearted smile.

"Besides," Suzume went on. "Even if they tried to get someone else to go... at this point, I'm not sure that I'll let them!"

"Ehh?"

She shrugged.

"Is it bad that there's a part of me that looks forward to the voyage? I've always wanted to travel around, see more of this world, you know... And now I get to do it early!" Her smile faltered a little. "A lot of what I had to see back in the New World was so dreary and stifling... but what pulled me through those times was the thought that there was so much more to see out there, and that it was only waiting for me. That there were so many other places far away that were lively and vibrant. Places so colorful that I could only dream to capture all of the beauty in my sketchbook."

"It isn't scary to you at all?" Arisa ventured, still looking troubled.

"Of course it's a bit intimidating. It's only natural to feel that way. And no doubt it really will get lonesome at times... But that's the thing! It'll only be for a little while, until Chazuke-sama is able to reconcile with his son, and then everything will be back to the way things were before. Remember that." Suzume clasped her hand and gave a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, Arisa. I'll be back in no time. And once this is all over with, maybe we can go on a little adventure of our own."

"On our own?" Arisa widened her eyes. "Do you think Uncle will let us?"

"I'm sure he will!" Suzume gave her signature laugh, airy and bell-like. "It'll be lots of fun. Just the three of us, no worries or regrets, sailing around and exploring all the pretty places in this world. Doesn't that sound exciting?"

"Yeah!" Shiori exclaimed. "It really does!"

Arisa thought for a moment, then broke out into a tentative smile of her own.

"I think I'd like that."

──────────────────

The moon had risen high in the sky by the time Haimushi slunk out of the shadows to rendezvous with his compatriots. The same abandoned fishing village, the same ratty old hut. That they had stuck to the exact same meeting spot could be considered a security oversight, and he was half in the mind to tell Megitsune so. Not because he had a legitimate fear of being found out – more so because there was a perverse part of him that reveled in seeing her so riled up no matter what the situation.

Masabe-sama surely wouldn't approve, but could the Kyōgui really help himself? Haimushi knew very well that Megitsune resented him. Whoring around with Ue-sama's second in command must have filled her head with all sorts of ridiculous notions of superiority, perhaps even to the point where she might have actually convinced herself that she was better than him. Imagine that – when he'd served Kodera-Ikki for longer than she'd been a Kyōgui herself! It was laughable!

All her airs and condescension had fostered a deep rooted hatred from Haimushi's own end – the sort of bitterness wont to afflict men of all walks of life – both human and hybrids alike – who'd had the experience of being snubbed by an attractive woman.

Truly, he couldn't deny that the last several months had secretly been a delight. Watching her grit her teeth and endure what she perceived as torture...

Like the rest of the clan remnants, the Amatsuki were a sworn enemy to the Kodera-Ikki. But damn it, Haimushi had to give them at least some credit for successfully knocking the kitsune yōkai down a peg or two.

Oh, so you had to babysit a brat for a spell. Put a rag on his forehead, wipe snot from his nose, sing him a fucking lullaby. And they asked you to smile when spoken to? What horrors! Haimushi inwardly cackled at the mental image. Spoiled ingrate bitch.

He picked at the bandages looped around his throat, grounding himself in the familiar writhing sensations which pulsated from beneath, and watched Megitsune's impatient countenance from where she sat across from him. Even when donning the illusion she'd cast to disguise herself as 'Ito,' Haimushi couldn't deny that she was very beautiful. Symmetrical features, shapely proportions...

Haimushi had turned when he was still relatively young – Ue-sama himself had been the one who'd found him, taken him in before a yōgari could get to him – but not young enough to be wholly ignorant in the more... bodily attractions that most human women had to offer.

His leering gaze crawled downwards to linger over her chest.

Shapely proportions, indeed. He nearly scoffed in his frustration. It was a damn shame such an alluring body had to belong to someone he found so disagreeable...

Megitsune caught his eye and scowled openly. But Haimushi kept staring, now more to get a rise out of her than out of any sort of gratification. He wondered fleetingly then if she was thinking of killing him. No doubt the prospect must have occurred to her several times in the years they'd known each other.

If so, he thought, shaking inky strands of hair out of his eyes, then I won't hesitate to admit that the feeling is mutual.

And he had no doubt in his mind that he could kill her if he really set his mind to it. His innate abilities were objectively superior to hers – there was no way she could hold her own against him in a fight; Haimushi was convinced of it.

So if she really did want to kill him, then this all surely must smart like an open wound. Being forced to take this mission alongside him and Mukade. Her inability to do anything about it...

Truly, Haimushi felt sorry for her. Triumphant, yes, but also sorry. (He used to be quite a thoughtful young man when he was still a human, you see, and was still capable of empathy from time to time.) He felt sorry for everyone who'd been foolish enough to look down on him, regarding him as nothing more than a lout and a weakling just because of what his namesake entailed. Just because they found his methods unsightly and disgusting...

Haimushi tapped his fingers together, knowingly shaking his head to himself with a noiseless chuckle. They had all been blind to his true potential, and his very presence here now served to prove them all wrong. His abilities had played such a vital role in this mission – one could even argue that without them, they would have never gotten so far! Masabe-sama would certainly be the first to agree!

It was hard to tell how long they waited there in silence, with Megitsune clearly being too spiteful to engage him in any sort of conversation. Haimushi was all too happy to return the favor, making a point of maintaining the unnerving smile he kept directed to her all the same. Anything to maximize her discomfort.

He didn't look away from her once – not even when the door rattled open, signifying the arrival of the last of their party.

Megitsune's small pointed chin came swinging upwards, her large grey eyes narrowing a fraction as heavy footsteps sounded from around Haimushi.

"What took you so long?" she snapped.

Mukade merely laughed as he sat down – at the head of the room, Haimushi was keen to note, quite unable to stymy back a throbbing wave of irritation. As if he were the mastermind behind the whole plot!

Ah, but what can you expect, really? After all, it was beneath Haimushi to get so worked up over the bumblings of a brainless hulk like Mukade –

"Relax, Ito-chan," the Kyōgui in question was saying. "We have all night. Unless your dear Koga-dono has you out on curfew again?"

The folds of his kimono fell back slightly as he lounged back with his hands interlaced behind his head, revealing a sliver of his scarred, sculpted torso. Speaking of scars... were it not for that unseemly line of thick, knotted tissue marring a good portion of his left cheek, perhaps even Haimushi, with all of his self-assurance, would have envied him for his face.

Megitsune only set her teeth, her eyes flicking over to the open entrance. She rose without another word and went over to slam the door shut with spirited force.

Mukade squinted up at her, folding his muscular arms as she returned to her seat.

"Phew, someone's touchy. You nervous about tomorrow or what?"

"Has Haimushi told you about Masabe-sama's message?" Megitsune snapped, ignoring the quip entirely.

"Of course I did." Haimushi hid a sigh, rolling his eyes. "Did you suppose I was just laying around doing nothing these last two days?"

Megitsune's eyes sparked dangerously.

"Compared to what I had to put up with –"

"Now, now both of you!" Mukade rapped his knuckles against the floor, drawing the two up short. He still wore his good natured smile, though Haimushi noticed the slight clench in his jaw which betrayed his impatience. "Let's stay civil this evening, eh? This is our last chance to iron things out before we set things into motion. Masabe-sama would surely be displeased to find us squabbling at a time like this!"

Haimushi was still watching Megitsune; he didn't miss the subtle shift in her expression at the mention of the name; hell, in that moment he could have very well convinced himself that she looked nervous. He narrowed his eyes, fingers stilling from where they had been picking away at the bandages around his wrist.

"Is there anything wrong?"

"...hah?"

"You've been acting strange since we got here."

The jab was nothing more than an over exaggeration, but Megitsune visibly bristled none the same. Haimushi straightened ever so slightly, feeling slightly emboldened by her clear dodginess.

"Am I wrong?" he challenged.

"Yes, because I don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

A beat passed with Haimushi still maintaining his unblinking stare, and Megitsune momentarily looked as if she were about to lunge over the hearth to strangle him. Mukade paused to shoot them both puzzled looks.

"I have no idea what's gotten into you, Haimushi," Megitsune finally said through gritted teeth. Her gaze slid over to their companion to her right. "And quite frankly I'm beyond caring. Mukade is right – I am on curfew again, and we need to hash this out before I head back."

"Quite so." Mukade was nodding along in a brisk, businesslike fashion. "So what's first on the agenda? We have Masabe-sama's updated instructions...but that's old news, I think we've all covered that –"

"The pirates," Haimushi supplied. Megitsune tore her eyes away from him and nodded along reluctantly.

"Ah, yes." The Kyōgui's slitted yellow eyes gave off a sudden calculating gleam. "The pirates. Shall we start there then?"

There was a certain giddiness to Mukade's voice which provided a stark contrast to his annoyance when he'd first been presented with the complication – and indeed, complication was really the only term fitting for the occasion. The Heart Pirates' presence at Amenoka-jima had blindsided the three Kyōgui when they had first found out about it. Mukade and Haimushi in particular... though for the latter, their arrival had proved to be an unintended godsend.

While Megitsune – no, Ito-chan had managed to access Amenoka-jima through Hachinobe Mototatsu's visiting party, her two companions had to sneak in through more rudimentary means. The original plan had been for them to hitch a ride via the ōnamazu ferrying the vessel, but through a combination of clumsiness and bad luck, Haimushi had been thrown off, causing him to fall behind a single day.

The accident had occurred so close to shore that he'd been able to swim safely back to Minetsuki Island, but that had been of little consolation. As far as he knew the mission was as good as compromised, because there was no way of knowing when another ōnamazu would be dispatched to his location.

But as it turned out, Haimushi only had to wait a single day before his ticket to salvation emerged in the form of a certain submarine surfaced not too far off the coast. The Kyōgui initially hadn't believed his eyes when Iroha arrived to ferry it a short while later. But an opportunity was an opportunity and he didn't hesitate to leap headlong after his second chance.

Still, Haimushi had come dangerously close to being found out at the very end of the journey, when he'd accidentally disabled the protective amulet Masabe-sama had provided them with to mask their Kyōki signatures. It had only been for a fraction of a second – too trace to be detected by even the most trained Seer – but it had been more than enough to spook Iroha, causing her to grace the submarine with... somewhat of a rough landing.

In the end, Mukade – who'd already been hiding out at Takanotsume for the past day – had been the one chosen to monitor the Heart Pirates and glean a possible reason as to why Uzuki Misokatsu had let them past the Remote Clime barrier. Initially, he hadn't been too keen on the idea, complaining about the boredom and whatnot. But paired with his decision to forego the last meeting, his beaming demeanor now seemed to suggest that he might have actually managed to unearth something worthwhile.

"We should first tackle the most pressing matter, which is that of motive," Mukade began languidly. "They seem to be here on account of an alliance."

"An alliance?" Haimushi repeated, frowning. "With who? The Amenoka-ji Uzuki? Or Tenkū-jō?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Haimushi quelled the urge to roll his eyes in resignation. But that was Mukade for you. Brash and trigger-happy, yet lazy enough to overlook all of the important details. Physical strength was just about the most you could expect from a battle junkie like him!

Yes, this was why it was absolutely imperative for someone with sense (Haimushi) to come along in this mission. Of course Masabe-sama must have seen this coming!

"It could be with either of them. Or maybe even with the Amatsuki, since their arrival lines up suspiciously close with Hachinobe Mototatsu's visit..." Mukade was saying, scrunching up his brow. "Again, I don't know any of the details. Just what little I've been overhearing from the crew here and there –"

"Fine." Even Megitsune sounded slightly exasperated. "Is there anything else you've uncovered that I don't know already?

Mukade crooked an eyebrow.

"What you know?"

She leveled him an unenthused look.

"I have ears, you know. And those pirates came barging in to demand audience twice over the last several days –"

"Why don't we start there then. Did you learn anything useful?"

She sighed.

"I don't know if you'd call it useful. Just that their captain seems awfully set on treating Hachinobe Tatsusada –" Megitsune stopped and corrected herself, catching the sudden watchful gleam which came over Haimushi's eyes. "Pardon me. Attempting to treat."

Mukade squared his shoulders and flicked the pale bandaged man an inquisitive glance.

"Oi, Haimushi. Should we be worried about this at all?"

"Ah? About what?"

"The Surgeon of Death. I don't know shit about medicine, but if he's a legitimate doctor as they say and he tries to interfere with your work –"

Haimushi snickered incredulously into his palm. Really now, was dear Mukade trying to act dense?

"You should have more faith in my abilities, Mukade-dono."

"But there's his Devil Fruit to consider," Megitsune pointed out.

Haimushi caught her eye and disguised his gritted teeth into a terse grin.

Oh, so now you're trying to get a rise out of me, huh?

"That won't matter. Dr. Yotsuji wasn't able to do anything, and now what, you expect some tattooed punk from the North Blue to make a difference?" Haimushi's grin widened. "Surgery, internal medicine...none of that really makes a difference at this point. That brat is done for."

"So you're sure that you haven't overlooked anything," Mukade pressed. "Positively sure?"

Haimushi nodded gravely.

"I could swear on my mother."

"You killed your own mother."

"Could swear on her grave then."

"That doesn't...! Tch." Mukade folded his arms, golden eyes slitting ever so slightly. "You better not have fucked this up. That's all I'm trying to get at."

"Don't worry," Haimushi answered magnanimously. "You got there just fine."

And he really was being magnanimous in humoring all these insulting questions. Seriously, what was the dumbass thinking, hounding him this late in the game? If he was so concerned about Haimushi's capabilities, he should have brought it up any time in the past year they'd spent working on this mission!

"At this point, I don't think we need to worry much about the pirates," Megitsune broke in, sounding slightly annoyed. "Even about the alliance... it isn't worth our time parsing the details at this late stage. Not when we should be focusing on the plan for tomorrow. I've already informed Masabe-sama about their presence. He can determine if the matter is worth looking into –"

"It won't be," Mukade suddenly broke in.

Megitsune frowned in confusion. The Kyōgui merely chuckled and flashed his companions an unsettling grin.

"It won't be worth looking into," he repeated, "if we just take care of em first."

Aha. And there's the giddiness from before, Haimushi reflected, arching a brow. Well, then. Looks like he's put together a real plan.

Let's see what you've concocted for us in that insectoid brain of yours, Centipede-kun...

"What do you mean?" Megitsune was saying, her frown sharpening. "We shouldn't deviate from Masabe-sama's instructions!"

"Never said we were. Not from the main points, anyways." Mukade leaned in intently. "Listen here now. That pirate crew being here could very well work to our advantage."

Megitsune squinted at him, skeptical.

"If you're going to suggest using them as a distraction –"

"Not as a distraction. An escape."

Megitsune opened her mouth, only to close it promptly. Haimushi scrunched up his face in bewilderment. Now here was an answer he hadn't been expecting...

"An escape?"

 "They have a submarine. It's gonna be a hell of a lot faster – not to mention easier – to escape using that than to wrangle a fucking Sea King."

Haimushi's frown deepened as he flicked a sideways glance over to Megitsune. Though he hated to admit it, Pea Brain over there did have a good point. Their escape route was probably the weakest link in the whole plan, the part that Haimushi himself had secretly been dreading. Not that coercing an ōnamazu yōkai was beyond any of their combined abilities... but it was no small feat, especially considering that they had to do it under the radar when presumably the entire island would presumably be under lockdown, just crawling with yōgari intent on sniffing them out...

"So here's what I'm suggesting." Mukade clapped his hands together, grinning from ear to ear. "The plan will stay the same on your guys' side of things. You both get up early tomorrow morning and do what needs to be done, exactly as Masabe-sama intended." He glanced at Megitsune. "You poison the brat and frame that chick, –" he nodded over to Haimushi, "– and you follow along to back her up in case things go south.

"Meanwhile, I'll take care of the pirates and hijack their submarine."

Haimushi listened, nodding along begrudgingly. Maybe he had given Mukade too little credit, because it all made perfect sense. The Heart Pirates were completely isolated at Takanotsume Island. There was no way anybody could escape the onslaught to warn the authorities at the shrine. Similarly, their "disappearance" could be chalked up to mere capriciousness on their captain's part.

Hell, pirates were supposed to be free spirits, right?

Megitsune still looked unconvinced.

"But none of us know how to operate that thing," she pointed out. "And we don't know how much fuel they have left..."

Mukade scoffed.

"Always so fretful, aren't you Ito-chan? Of course I considered those things!" He nodded sagely to himself. "I'll keep a hostage or two alive. Should be more than enough to coerce their helmsman. And as for the fuel... Well, they've had plenty of time to refuel by now, so I'm willing to bet on it. We only need enough to get past the Remote Clime barrier, maybe to Minetsuki-jima if we're lucky. Then we kill the rest, sink the vessel, and Masabe-sama will take care of things from there."

The fox and the worm shared a glance.

"...do you really think you can do it?" Megitsune finally asked. "They aren't considered a Supernova crew for nothing."

Mukade laughed, resting his chin atop his knuckles.

"All thanks to their captain and their captain alone, no doubt."

Oh there he goes again... Haimushi heaved a sigh and inwardly rolled his eyes, already sensing an incoming rant.

"What's his bounty... two hundred million last I checked?" Mukade nodded again, tilting his chin against his knuckles. A familiar glaze had come over his eyes, as was typical of him whenever he got into one of his hypercompetitive rambles. "He's worth more than the rest of em combined, so there's really no reason to believe that there are any other heavy-hitters on that crew. Once he's down, the rest are sure to follow. Besides, out of the three of us you could argue that I'm the most well-equipped to take him on. Because, let's see, his techniques include teleportation and segmentation, so considering my abilities –"

Ugh. Just look at this hopeless meathead, Mukade thought, already on the verge of tuning out. Never reads the papers, he says... but you can't help but obsess over stats and bounties, can you? Just what you'd expect out of a battle junkie...

" – so then you could argue that that would be the perfect counter to an Ope-ope no Mi user's attacks. In other words, even assuming that he knows how to use Haki – which of course is very unlikely, since they haven't even gotten to the New World yet –"

"We get it!" Megitsune thankfully broke in at this juncture, rolling her eyes. "So you'll grab the submarine for us. How long do you think it'll take? We might need you to back us up in case something goes wrong."

"Tch." Haimushi sneered. He had started to pick at his bandages again. "It shouldn't get to that point as long as you don't fuck things up."

"No, no," Mukade intervened before Megitsune could lash back. "She's right. It's important to have a contingency plan. Who else would we be up against if we were to be found out?"

Shooting Haimushi one last glare, Megitsune retracted a single slip of rice paper from her sleeve with a single sharp flick. Her two companions crowded closer to peruse its contents as she smoothed it out on the floor in their midst. Scrawled out in neat handwriting was the following list:

CHIDORI (MURASAKI ARISA)

KAMOME (KUSHIHASHI RIYU)

KIJIBATO (HACHINOBE TATSUHITO)

HIDAMARI VILLAGE GUARDIAN (ISSEKI SHIORI)

"These four will be nearby at the very least," Megitsune said matter-of-factly. "So our safest bet is to go into this expecting that we'll have to deal with them at some point..."

Haimushi nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. His eyes landed on one of the names – a familiar one – before immediately flickering over to Mukade's face, intent on scrounging any sort of visible reaction. But Mukade seemed to be preoccupied with another idea.

"What about Kurowashi?" he demanded, leaning back with folded arms. "Bastard may be old, but we shouldn't expect him to be out of practice."

"He's back at the main shrine. Too far to be able to get here in time." Megitsune tapped the paper near the bottom of the list. "We should consider these two first. Our unknown variables, so to speak."

"Who is this Kijibato character, anyways?"

"Masabe-sama's records show that he was an active hunter several years ago, before retiring unexpectedly. From what I've heard from the people in the village, he is currently working under Kurowashi as an instructor."

"Formerly active as a hunter, huh? So spectral wielding is definitely a given..." Haimushi ruminated. "He could be trouble then."

"I don't know." Mukade sounded rather dismissive. "Plenty of yōgari become teachers once they realize they aren't cut out for field work. This guy could be no exception."

"Under Kurowashi though? We should still be careful." Haimushi glanced over to Megitsune. "No information on his abilities from when he was active?"

"None. And even then, it's been years since he retired. So he could have easily adapted to another yōkai during that time."

A true wildcard then. How bothersome...

Haimushi stifled a sigh of annoyance and directed his gaze back down to the list.

"Then what about this Isseki chick?" Mukade was asking. "I've never heard of her either."

"As far as Masabe-san's records go, she was never made an active yōgari." Megitsune frowned. "Village guardian is her official title, though I have no idea as to what that entails. I asked around, but everyone I talked to was pretty vague on the matter."

"Then she could be a civie for all we know." Mukade almost sounded disappointed.

"Yes." Megitsune squinted as if to remember something. "Though I have seen her with a weapon a few times..."

Haimushi snorted dismissively.

"Probably for show."

"Could be. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Hmmm." Mukade considered for a moment, before seeming to make up his mind. He pointed down at the names. "Well, then I say we go into this considering Mr. Instructor here as the greater threat. If Guardian Girl has any tricks up her sleeve, there's really no way of knowing unless she shows us outright."

"If everything plays out as intended, we should be the last of her worries," Haimushi remarked offhandedly. A few strands of fabric had come undone from the wrappings over his left forearm, and he was picking at them as a distraction.

Megitsune nodded and turned back to the note.

"As for the other two... Well." She paused, glancing briefly over to Mukade. "You've had dealings with Chidori before, haven't you?"

"Oh yeah. A long time ago." Mukade gave a careless shrug, smirking as if the memory amused him. "Wasn't expecting to see her here, that's for sure."

"You'll be the one to handle her then, if it comes down to it," Haimushi said, raising his gaze.

"'Course. It'll be easy."

"Easy?" A flicker of a disapproving frown passed over Megitsune's face.

"What's with that face?"

"You know she's the one who took Tobari Sadamichi's head."

"So what? Tobari had it coming to him then." Mukade's lips quirked into a malicious smile. "Sure, she may be strong – spectral abilities or otherwise. But I'm stronger."

Megitsune's frown only deepened.

"Then why didn't you kill her the first time around?"

"It was against Masabe-sama's orders."

Haimushi finally bothered to look up from his bandages.

"This was back at Sabaody, right?" he piped up.

"Oh." A look of disgust flickered across Megitsune's symmetrical features. It was one of the rare times Haimushi actually understood her sentiment.

Yeah. Sabaody, the land of dreams. Thank God I was never asked to be a part of that miserable clusterfuck – and I don't even believe in God!

Sure, there may be a few brain damaged adrenaline junkies like Mukade who thought otherwise, but there really was not a single sane member of the Kodera Ikki who didn't look back on that incident with a visible wince. Who didn't come away thinking that all that effort had been worth the cost.

Megitsune considered for a moment.

"So was she part of the decoy group, or...?"

"Decoy group – precisely that. Her and several others. There was at least one in that company who I remember killing with my bare hands. Some newbie from Tenkū-jō. Hell, she might have even watched me do it." Mukade chuckled when Megitsune narrowed her eyes at him again. "Knew at the time it was against orders...but eh, you know. In the heat of the moment these things happen."

"She was the only survivor out of that group, is what I've heard," Haimushi mused lazily.

"Yeah. Same. Don't know whether that makes her lucky or cursed, to be honest."

"Was she one of the ones he got his hands on?"

"Don't know. I wasn't there. It could have been her or one of the Osoegawa girls who were with her...." Mukade shrugged dismissively. "Or maybe he got a hold of them all. I wasn't put in charge of that and I didn't care to find out."

"Didn't care to...?" Up to this point, Megitsune had been listening with a stoic look on her face. She suddenly put her hands up to her face, her shoulders starting to shake with noiseless laughter.

"There's... there's no need to be so squeamish about it, you know!" she burst out between peals of laughter.

"Who the fuck are you calling squeamish?" Mukade snapped, narrowing his eyes. "I'm telling you, I really wasn't there for that!"

"Sure you weren't. Come on, I know you've done worse – and probably to people worlds less deserving of it!" Megitsune wiped at her eyes, still giggling. "Just admit it! We're all of the same mind here when it comes to insects like them!"

"Are you crazy? Masabe-sama had that entire fucking warehouse locked down pretty much from the getgo! Why the hell would I have wanted to stick around? My job there was done anyway."

Haimushi had gone back to picking at the bandages on his wrist, but now he looked up. The topic had mostly uninterested him up to this point, but there was still something he wished to clarify.

"You didn't stick around," he began slowly. "So you don't know how it all ended up?"

"With the captives? She was the only one who made it."

"Yes, we all know that. I'm talking about everyone else who was there."

Mukade's face darkened.

"I wasn't there," he repeated. "So my guess is as good as yours." A pause. "What, do you suppose Masabe-sama would have any reason to lie to us?"

"I suppose that I don't know," Haimushi drawled. "Would he, you think? He ended up having to take responsibility for that debacle, but let's say, in a moment of panic, he may have briefly convinced himself that he could have covered it up from Ue-sama..."

"What are you even saying..." Megitsune's pale lips gave a subtle twitch, the surrounding shadows curling over her face as her wide grey eyes shifted between them repeatedly.

But Mukade shifted in his seat, looking unsettled for the first time.

"You really think that could be the case?"

"It's either that or the official story." Haimushi gave a humorless smile, assuming a singsong tone. "A warehouse full of dead men, their blood staining the hands of a one rabid son of a bitch from Tenkū-jō..."

"He was still at Amenoka-ji at the time," Megitsune pointed out.

"Point still stands."

The floorboards protested with a quiet creak as Mukade shifted his weight again. His expression had soured considerably.

"Fucking hell. You've really got to leave us off on this note? Knowing what we're setting off to do tomorrow –"

"It's all just food for thought." Haimushi gave an innocent shrug – a genuine gesture. It was all harmless fun. He really had no reason to doubt Kodera-Ikki's master strategist – he just enjoyed making Mukade squirm, just like he had with Megitsune earlier on.

"Both of you are being ridiculous." The latter rolled her eyes at them and plucked the list off the ground. "Masabe-sama isn't going to betray us. And as for tomorrow.... Well."

Her lips pulled back to form a venomous sneer.

"Even the worst case scenario for us wouldn't be nearly as bad as what happened to them at Sabaody."

Translations:

Ue-sama (上様): Honorific equivalent to Your Majesty, Your Highness, etc. Was used to address high ranking officials such as the emperor, the shōgun, etc.

Phew, this finally marks the end of the buildup phase for this arc.  Of course there was meant to be more, but I sort of lost my patience with how long it's taken so we'll be diving right into the action.  Next couple chapters should be exciting; hopefully I can pull it off  ^^

Thanks for reading & see you next chapter.

-shiba