The Tower and the Dream of Dawn

     

            Before going to sleep, Ayaka set the origami swan in its glass case on the windowsill beside her bed. When she woke, the morning light raying through the glass served to remind her that the day before had been no reverie.

            "I'm going out again today," Ayaka informed Noribuko after breakfast.

            "Oh, and what do you plan to do?"

            "I have to meet someone."

            Ayaka was reluctant to say who, but her aunt grew suspicious. Folding her arms, she repeatedly demanded to know, adding, "Princess of Gurinhiruzu or not, you do not have my leave until you explain yourself."

            Unwilling to start what was a lovely spring day by arguing, Ayaka gave up. "I'm going to meet with Daisuken."

            "Who?"

            "Daisuken Kasainotora. The prince."

            Noribuko cocked her head, then scoffed. Ayaka showed no sign it was a jest, and her steadfastness transformed her aunt's amusement to shock.

            While you're at it, why not pull up the rest of the ginger root?

            “I saw him yesterday, and the day before," she said. "It was he who invited me to the banquet.”

            The use of language had become estranged to Noribuko. With thick stupefaction covering her aunt's demeanor, Ayaka couldn't see the happiness underneath, yet she knew it was there, and would increase until it overcame her aunt.
            “Oh, ok, ah,... then go," Noribuko stammered. "Yes. Go. You mustn’t be late, my dove, not for the prince."

            Before leaving Ayaka opened the mahogany box. For a moment she considered wearing the mizu-quartsel necklace, then decided against it, closing the box. Behind her somewhere, Noribuko was muttering gratitude to the gods.

            The sixth day of the festival was as pristine as the previous. Although Daisuken had been fond enough of Harumi, Ayaka went by herself; for she knew he wanted to spend time alone with her. After exchanging greetings with the origami vendor, Ayaka waited at the bridge's meridian, holding her umbrella, watching the Sukai River churn southwards.

            At the appointed hour the royal carriage creaked onto to the bridge.  

            Daisuken held her hand, helping her into the vehicle. "You are a vision," he said, once she was inside with him. "If born a bird, surely you would have been a swan."   

            Tayaro-san directed the horses to pull them outside the city, to the fields of Gunji-teki. Shenobi conducted the bulk of its military exercises here. During the week of the festival however, divers of colorful tents and a few large pavilions had been raised across the expanses. Several spaces between were being used for competitions of horsemanship, sparring, archery, and other contests of skill and strength. A troupe of merchants that had been unable to find space in the city, sold their vendibles to the crowds this other facet of the celebration drew. Southeast of the fields, upon a flank of Shenobi's walls, was a large wooden ring of tiered benches and galleries.

            "The Tataki Gridiron," Daisuken said as they stepped out of the carriage, followed closely by their escort of samurai.

            On their way to the arena they were met by Masuro. The general was flanked by a pair of his own stone-faced retainers. He was strong as a bull, and nearly as tall as the prince.

            "Daisuken-sama," Masuro bowed, fist to palm. He acknowledged Ayaka similarly, "Denka Soranoyume."

            Roughly three thousand spectators were in attendance at the Tataki Gridiron. The prince, Masuro, and Ayaka's seating was at the head of the arena, where the wealthiest daiymo enjoyed a gallery with roofed shade. Banners of various colors and symbols, representing different prefectures, rippled in the prime breeze. Ayaka took in the elegantly arrayed nobles. She could've slapped herself on the forehead. What am I doing here, sitting next to the prince? A lot of daiymo around her had to be wondering the same. 

            To the thunder of drums, a choreographed martial arts display unfolded atop a spacious wooden platform. Warriors performed stunning acrobatics whilst brandishing swords, spears, chain-whips, and halberds. The weapons clanged in bursts of sparks, the participants twisted in the air, silk robes whipping, then they rolled aground, their movements ever fluid. Ayaka winced at several exchanges, afraid someone was going to get seriously maimed, or worse.

            "Is the performance not to your liking?" Daisuken asked, concerned.

            "No, ... I mean, it is ... " Ayaka didn't want to seem squeamish, or cast sand into the fine dish the prince had prepared. She composed herself. "It's just that, I think I can do better."

            He raised an eyebrow.

            "Give me a staff and let me down there. I will not disappoint you, Daisuken-sama. I'll bonk them all on the head, you'll see. They won't wake until tomorrow, and then only with a bucket of cold water."

            Ayaka had said it merely in good humor, but Daisuken was not so sure; he gauged her, then laughed heartier and longer than she thought a man as often serious as he could. "I would be a fool to doubt you," he said. "You have the spirit of the White Tiger in you, I know it."

            Following the acrobatics, a series of true combat matches took center stage; first hand to hand, then blunted weapons. The crowds cried encouragement for the fighters representing their prefectures. Daisuken often conferred with Masuro on the merits of the combatants. Ayaka forced herself not to look away.

            The boken competition had its turn next.

            "This is what one should pay closest mind to," said Daisuken, his hand close to his mouth, as if to pray, or readying to strike something. "The rest is frivolous showmanship in comparison. A man who can wield his sword as extension of body, with awareness of spirit, is man with the makings of a Phoenix samurai."

            While the swordsman faced off, Ayaka was reminded of showdowns between cats; first half-crouching, tensing while remaining fluid, calibrating every minutia - then launching with a sudden slash or flurry of strikes. The wooden cracks of bokens' resounded before the swordsmen pulled back just as quickly, regrouping, and measuring anew. Ayaka was thoroughly impressed with the level of skill.

            "They are worthy," Daisuken commented, "but I know men who would make short work of them. The Swordsman from Sora-yama, for instance."

            Ayaka nodded. Watching the competition, she was reminded of uncle Tayori's lessons. He had explained that even the women had to be prepared to defend the kingdom. Thus she spent long hours honing her skills with sword and bow. She thanked the gods she had never had to use what she learned.

            Feigning greater interest in the duels than she really had, appeared to fool Daisuken. The prince, intensely focused on what unfolded in the center of the gridiron, clenched a fist each time a favored warrior dealt a blow, or was struck; he and general Masuro expressing both disdain and praise.

            Ayaka reminded herself, with a certain wariness, that in the prince here was a man who long ago had moved beyond practice, fighting not with wood, but steel katana sharpened to demonic degree. She shivered. Who could deserve to die in such fashion? Only in a fallen world was such even a possibility.

            After another hour the competition concluded. Daisuken and Ayaka bid Masuro farewell, and boarded the carriage. The next stop was the Teikoku Tavern. There, exquisitely arrayed maikos treated them to the finest cuisine of the South, while musicians sang and made their instruments hum and croon. Mid-meal, Ryusako and his retainers entered, chancing upon them. Daisuken stood to exchange greetings, placing a hand on Ryusako's shoulder. Wearing that easy smile which seemed to be an immutable part of his nature, the prince of Shinrin hailed them both. When sitting at a table near by, Ryusako and his men raised their cups full of rice wine:

            "To Daisuken and the Kasainotora family," said Ryusako, "And to the alliance between our kingdoms."

            Daisuken returned the salutations. Ayaka drank too.

            The sun hovered near the eastern horizon as the carriage transported them down Tenshi-nobara Street - the second longest and busiest thoroughfare in the city, and also known for its thousand cherry trees. The entire trajectory was lined by the cherry blossoms. The sole difference was that instead of white petals, a soft-pink variety bloomed here. At this hour the canopies were likened to beholding clouds in the midst of sunset.

            "It is so wonderful," said Ayaka, leaning out the carriage. She sighed. "It's too bad I will have to leave soon."

            "Perhaps you will stay?" Daisuken suggested, leaning toward her.

            Ayaka withheld a response. Despite the whisper of a doubt, the Blue Mountains, and the spring-source of Seishin-yodo beckoned, as it had all her life. She merely smiled at his words, looking outside at the sakura, roaming by.

            When twilight hushed eventide they went to the palace. Daisuken left his guards at the door. Together they strode the ancient halls. Much of the palace was empty on account of the festival. The few daiymo present honored Ayaka with a respect she'd seldom received before. Further into the dynastic keep, the prince spoke to her of the heirlooms and relics they passed.

            As night deepened beyond the windows, Ayaka thought it time she return to the inn. However, Daisuken said, "Come, there is one last thing I wish to show you."

            Holding her hand, carefully taking his time, he guided her up a staircase ascending fourteen floors. Kami-no-goza Tower was the tallest structure in Shenobi - raised on a hill where the city had first been founded, the rise at its base added to its zenith over the surrounding buildings.

            Ayaka had often wondered what it would be like to stand atop the tower. But when she came nigh the uppermost landing, apprehension stayed her from stepping outside.

            "I've never been anywhere so high up," she said.

            “There is nothing to fear,” said Daisuken. “Trust me.”

            With their arms linked, Ayaka and the prince emerged atop a roofless square landing rimmed by a low wall. Cool wind swooshed, and the night revealed countless stars. Daisuken guided her, until she lost her breath and gripped the ledge. The city sounds were far away. Below, the topmost tiers of gabled roofs edged the tower, yet if she looked skyward, she was adrift in the heavenly vaults.

            Ayaka breathed to steady herself. On all sides, spread out like thousands of suspended fireflies, were the Shenobi's gold-amber lanterns. North and west, silhouettes of hills dissipated into the night. East were rolling forests. Mountains northeast. South, across the waters of lake Seinaru, a pearl-white path undulated with the reflection of the waxing crescent moon.

            "Is this the tallest building in the world?" asked Ayaka, lost in the view.

            "I cannot speak of such scope, though as far as I know, there is no tower that exceeds it," Daisuken said, "at least none on this side of Isodoro. Some claim Amatsu in Sora-yosai is taller." He scanned the lay with her. "It feels like being atop the entire world, does it not?"

            "Yes." Fear had subsided, leaving Ayaka in wonder. This must be a taste of what the Celestials saw when they looked down from their cloud-swathed mountains in the sky. Against the ledge, she mustered her courage and spread her arms out. "I've forgotten the world is so big!"

            Cupping her hands around her mouth, Ayaka shouted many hellos over the city. She pointed out certain streets and places, and the prince confirmed the locations' names. He put an arm lightly over her shoulder. If he embraced her, she would not resist in anyway. She peered across the night-shrouded lands, as far as vision could take her - first towards Gurinhiruzu, then north and east. In truth she knew so little of Isodoro, and couldn't help wonder what mysteries roamed in the unknown.

            Gazing to the eastern horizon, she recalled Daisuken's words. The distractions of the festival had made it easy for the matter to fade. Up here though, with an encompassing perspective, the foreboding had suddenly returned. Shenobi was so small compared to the darkness beyond. Nothing but a jewel glowing in an ocean of night.

            “I wonder what will become of everything,” she ventured. "With the East, and the South."

            Daisuken's arm slowly fell from her shoulder. He leaned, his elbows on the ledge's rim. "I cannot say." For awhile the prince stared toward Fumei-noyorou, then across Shenobi's fortifications, until his vision fell, like a leaf, to the palace grounds.

            "But my hope is that the houses are rising from this age of division. It has been too long. I pray the Southern Kingdoms will be resurrected to ancient glory. That we be united, yet free - not as the Shogunate would dictate." He looked to the horizon again, more hopeful. "And in so doing, we might usher in a new era, likened to the Shinseina Heiwa period, ... and consign this age of Warring States forever to the past."

            "That is the worthiest ambition, Daisuken-sama," Ayaka said. "A new golden age. I have faith it can, ... that it will be achieved."

            He regarded her, smiling faintly. When he turned back to the shadowed mountains, he spoke, "I believe in your faith, Ayaka Soranoyume. Just think, once there was peace throughout Isodoro, and Shenobi and Fumei-noyorou were brother-kingdoms. Two halves of the same glorious power." 

            Ayaka knew the history well; nigh everyone in he South did. The Shinseina Heiwa period ended when the Tekahiro and Azusaga families entered into a power struggle resulting in civil war, and the subsequent collapse of the Isodoro Empire. In the chaos that ensued, the Shogunate grew greedy, seizing the opportunity to break ancestral ties - abetting the Southern Kingdoms' enemies, and shattering the South into so many houses and clans. That had been over a thousand and a half years ago, howbeit standing here with the prince of Shenobi, Ayaka had a vivid realization of how what had taken place then continued to reverberate in everything unfolding now.

            "Perhaps what I yearn for is little more than a dream," said Daisuken, wistful. "Fumei-noyorou betrayed us long ago, and attempt to deceive us now. Morning cannot come when night yet holds dominion in Fumei-noyorou. The Shogunate is the greatest obstacle to Isodoro's rebirth."

            "But Kage-maru cannot stop the South any longer," Ayaka said firmly. "You ended those ambitions when you led the Hiryu into the Misuto Forests."

            Forlornness hazed the prince's visage. "Again, I am compelled to be straightforward with you, Ayaka Soranyume," he said, overlooking the vista. "Therefore, though it shames me to do so, I must confide my fear that I have misled the people of Shenobi. The treaty is little more than a stop in a damn whose only outcome is to shatter, perhaps sooner than most foresee."

            "That is not possible." Ayaka shook her head. "Why would the Shogun ratify any treaty unless he saw no other choice?"

            "To gain time. Nothing more. If the treaty wins anything for us, it is to delay the Shogun's strategies a few seasons. Any act of diplomacy in dealing with the Wolven Devourer is meaningless. In the end, the future will dictate. And many do not fathom it, but the days quicken." His eyes met hers, unwavering. "War will come, Ayaka Soranoyume. Reserve no doubt. The Age of the Warring States has not yet run its end."

            Taken aback by the prince's honesty, and what his words signified, Ayaka felt a great weight upon her, and she failed for words. These were not things she wanted to hear, and they were not things she could confide anyone. More than what he said, the way he said it disturbed her, for his voice rang of little hope. She wanted to respond, to disprove such an inescapable fate, yet she knew not how, and stayed silent, staring into the immensity of the besieging night.

            Daisuken ruminated for long while before standing to his full height, steeling himself. "Worry not, Ayaka Soranoyume. No one should. My oath as prince and Sword-Arm of Shenobi is to keep this kingdom and her allies safe, no matter the cost. I promise you, I shall not rest until the Southern Kingdoms are united, and the Shogun has relinquished his campaign of subjugating the free realms of these isles. This I swear by the eight million, million kami and deities of Isodoro."

            His presence of command reassured Ayaka. She dipped her brow in accord, in part because the pledge had been given to her. "Yes Daisuken-sama. You must always hold onto those noble aims. Let them guide your actions. My kingdom may be small, but I will also do what I can so that a golden age can be reborn."

            The prince appraised her, admiring her spirit. "If only there were more houses as honorable as Gurinhiruzu, and women as valiant as you."

            A current swished from the north, sighing over the roofs, billowing Ayaka's hair. Daisuken rested with his forearms on the ledge, and glared eastward. "What I know not is whether we should take the fight to Kage-maru before he brings it to us. My lord father believes striking first too high a risk." His voice grated. "I should have continued east and ridden their hosts into the ground. And I would have, but Kodai-Otosan forbade me." He shook his head. "My father, ever the believer diplomacy will win out. Though we are not of one mind, that does not mean I do not trust my his acumen. While I pray he is right, I fear he does not understand how formidable our adversary is. The Clan of the Black Hand grows bolder too. Regardless of what I said at the banquet, I believe they are aligned with the Shogun. One more reason that our defensive hunkering back could prove costly."

            Ayaka remained quiet for a spell. Despite the warning in her heart, she refused to surrender an inch to her fears. "You are a strong, brave man, Daisuken-sama, as are the samurai of Shenobi. I trust fully in the South, and in you.”

            "I am grateful for your words. They strengthen me." Below the tower, the oblivious din of the festival continued: shouts, drums, bells, and songs, swirled by the wind. "I confess that now that I am faced with the oncoming seasons, I realize a part of me has long grown weary of strife. Ironic perhaps? All my life I have adhered to the path of bushido, believing the most honorable end was found in battle. But no longer. After witnessing years upon years of brutality, and losing my two brothers in the violence, I wish now for a kinder fate. Though I am a samurai, I long to set my blade on its rack forever. Kage-maru I fear, will permit no such respite."

            Pity turned in Ayaka's heart. This was a man scarred and tortured by storms, forced to prepare to spearhead a counteroffensive into the greatest typhoon yet. Following an intervening silence, Ayaka put forth hesitantly, "How many battles have you fought?" Despite her reservations, she added, "How many enemy have you had to kill?"

            The prince lowered his brow; his expression verging on a grimace. “I would not have wished to speak to you of such things," he answered. "But because something in you bids me to shed all pretense, I will tell you.” He upturned his vision, searching memory in the sky. “Thirty-one battles. If you tally the skirmishes and duels, then more. And lives?” He closed his eyes, as if presented with an impossible conundrum. “A precise number eludes me, but I daresay it is the hundreds, at least.”
            He looked doubtfully to her. Ayaka sensed she was being measured. “Does this frighten you?" he asked. "Does it make you see me differently, …as a monster?”

            “No,…," Ayaka mumbled, shaking her head, "Of course not."

            Daisuken bowed his head, shoulders slumping, yet his powerful arms flexed, and his hands tightened on the ledge as if to crack it. "There are things I have done in defense of the realm for which I am not proud, ... things I try not to think on, ... But always, it has been the good of Shenobi that has commanded of my actions ... Everything aside, ... I will kill again, as much as necessary to guard what remains of the Southern Kingdoms. If blood must be spilt, so be it, ... I shall do my part..."

            A lengthy quiet descended between them, a rift traversed solely by the winds. Only after she had done so did Ayaka realized she'd taken a few steps back. Daisuken shifted slightly away as well, to veil his troubled demeanor. She told herself that everyone the prince had slain deserved it, but she knew such judgments could never be so clearly cut. She wanted to step further away from this man. Another side to him existed that she had not perceived save in glints, as embers from a fire which crackles in the deep, growling, slashed by fangs and claws. Daiymo or no, he had been born and trained to be a killer. While Daisuken glowered eastward, Ayaka perceived the warlord smoldering in him.

            “I never wanted things to be this way," he said, as if chewing on something tough and bitter. "Death is not a thing I wish to ruminate upon. Though bold in battle, I have endured fears, ... and oft felt alone, what no one wants to be."

            Although Ayaka senses his pain and thought she must say something, she faltered.

            "Perhaps it is my karma?" Daisuken asked the night. "The Shining One teaches that men are not to kill - yet this crime I have committed time and again. I hope you believe me, Ayaka Soranoyume, when I say the violence on all sides has wounded me, and ever I mourn the lost. Their shadows and broken dreams haunt me." He closed his eyes, gripping a thought. "Yet I have no choice but to strive against the weight of it - day after day."

            Ayaka could stay remiss no longer. Whether she wholly believed what she said did not matter. "You only did your duty, Daisuken-sama. The purposes for which you fought could never have been avoided."

            "Perhaps that is the truth. Yet I would exchange all my efforts for true happiness, whatever that is." He added with gritted resolve, "But never at the cost of abandoning my people."

            She had wanted to step closer, to reach out in consolation, however, the lingering fierceness in him stayed her.

            Daisuken turned to Ayaka, looking at her as if from afar, steadily, and humbled by her presence. "Regardless of everything, with you are the longest moments in which I forget the shadows of this life, and am instead reminded there is still much innocence and beauty in the world."

            He granted her too much; uncertain what else to do though, Ayaka nodded lightly. All he revealed shocked her. She had believed him to be a fearless man, suited with an invisible armor nothing could pierce. Such impressions she now saw, were woven from the legends she grew up with. He was mortal, like anyone, except he'd been born to a station unlike anyone's. The prince of Shenobi was not just a leader, or warrior; he was a man bearing the weight of kingdoms on his shoulders. It could crush a person. And an emptiness dwelt under the aura of armor she'd envisioned, an emptiness through which the wind sang its lament - a suffering she vicariously experienced the edges of. She could not deny her empathy. Was she the only person with whom he’d lowered his shield of invulnerability? The only one who had seen this embattled, disconsolate side of him?

            Daisuken continued brooding. Surely he hadn't wanted her to see his wounds and failings. In venting however, the intensity in him ebbed away.

            "Everyone has a different path," Ayaka said. "You have done your best with what was given you. A time will come when you can finally lay down your sword."

            She stepped forth until she stood beside him again, and placed her hand - small and pale in comparison - over his swarthy, brawn-knuckled hand.

            "Despite everything, you are still good," Ayaka assured. "That can never be lost."

            She accompanied him thus. The currents washed over them, undulating their robes.

            "Look Daisuken-sama,” she said a minutes later, “the fireworks have started again.”

            He raised his brow weakly. In the distance, bursts of bright green, blue, pink, and gold scintillated over the city.

            "It’s beautiful." Ayaka said. "Every night is beautiful, ... especially atop this tower.”
            Gradually, the oppression lifted off the prince, until a tinge of softness returned to his eyes. Though still worn, he was soon again the man Ayaka had come to know these past days, the one with whom she learned to feel secure. She kept her hand over his as they watched the fireworks, and listened to the notes of celebration in Shenobi's streets. 
            “There are so many wonderful and worthwhile things in this life,” Ayaka affirmed. Taking it all in, she sighed. “Eeee. I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the festival. I wish it would never end.”
            Daisuken looked her, a bit surprised, and smiled. “Remember your love for the sakura, Ayaka Soranoyume… There are things fleeting, and that is what makes them all the more special - to be cherished."

            Her vision met his. "Yes Daisuken-sama, it is true, but there are some things that must last, no matter how much time goes by."

            "What is one of these things?" He stood before her, closer.

            For a breadth she was lost, looking into his eyes. "The dream of Shinseina Heiwa, of a new dawn," she said.

            "It is a dream we both share." He held her hands. "And I swear it shall never be lost."       

            Ayaka nodded, unable to stop gazing at him. She knew it was true that they would always share this dream.

 

*           *           *

 

           At midmorning the next day the breeze was cold, and except for brief rays of sunshine, grey clouds veiled the sky. The crowds on Hanibara Street were as plentiful as ever though. Accompanied by Harumi, Ayaka stood on the street of a thousand cherry trees, under branches laden with rich tufts of white sakura. She came to behold the festival’s closing parade - the departure of the Celestial Dragon. Daisuken was supposed to meet her here, but had not yet arrived. While waiting, Ayaka sat on a bench with Harumi, and watched the colorful crowds. 

            That morning, before leaving the Bathhouse Inn, Midori and Akemi had come to see her. Through secondary sources they learned she had been spotted with the prince. Since it could no longer be hidden, Ayaka divulged everything. 

            “What?” Akemi gaped. “So it was Daisuken that invited you to the banquet?”

            Midori was astounded too. Ayaka had been afraid they might be jealous, but by the end of their meal they became accustomed to the idea of the prince courting her, and were happy for her. It probably helped that Midori now received the affection of prince Akihiro, and Akemi that of Tazeki.
            "It's a good thing we let you stay at that play," Akemi remarked.

            “You know, I am not surprised Ayaka-chan,” said Midori. “I mean, why wouldn’t the prince chase after you?”
            “That’s right, I've always told you that you’re lovely, neh.” Akemi gently squeezed Ayaka's cheek. “Maybe now you’ll stay in Shenobi with us, and we can drink tea and eat mochi and namagashi everyday. There are so many other fabulous festivals to enjoy." She clasped her hands in excitement.
            Ayaka gave no direct answer as to what the future held. She loved Shenobi, but what of her vision? Besides, she needed to return to Gurinhiruzu, sooner than later.

            Before leaving, her friends hugged her. Ayaka felt they were congratulating her, and bestowing their blessing. Sitting on the bench along Hanibara Street, and reflecting on the past days, Ayaka didn't know what to make of it all.

            By and by the crowds swelled to numbers comparable to the inaugural parade. No one wanted the festival to end; unfortunately since that’s just what it was going to do, everyone that could had come to get their last fill and say goodbye to the celebrations.

            To the notes of conches, the Celestial Dragon disembarked from the golden doors of Tengokundoa Temple. The parade would move through the city to the Jade Gates. Preliminary marchers, drummers and masked and costumed dancers opened the way.
            “It's coming!” Harumi pointed.
            The dragons Ayaka saw the first night had been impressive enough. The Celestial Dragon surpassed her imaginings. Its head alone was the size of a large hut. A creation both terrifying and beautiful. Its body was uniformly white, interwoven with starry gems, gold, white-silver, and jewels that refracted like prisms in the pale clouded sunlight. The body extended for blocks, coordinated by hundreds of people concealed within, moving like a slow, white river.

            It was the dragon that balanced all the powers of the Seishin - the dragon of transcendence. It saddened Ayaka. The other dragons had been vanquished. Even the frightening Dragon of Fire and War. All in order that they become one. Now the Celestial Dragon had to leave the city, and fly into the sky, beyond the clouds to journey around the world, until it returned the following year. 

            “Good day, beautiful swan.” 

            With the drumming and the parade, Ayaka had not noticed until prince Daisuken had ridden right up next to her, astride a strapping back charger. As on the first night of the festival, when he led the Hiryu regiment back into the city, the prince was arrayed in full armor - red, lacquered and iron studded, the lightening bolt kabuto helmet in hand; double samurai blades at his waist.

            "Daisuken-sama!" Harumi blurted in welcome and salute.

            "Hello little Harumi-chan." He smiled at the nomin girl, then addressed Ayaka, "Forgive my lateness. Unexpected circumstances delayed me."
            “Are the Hiryu to parade behind the dragon?” Ayaka tried to make sense of his drastic change in attire.

            Daisuken's expression was grave. “Not today." He looked about, unsure. “Ayaka, I must leave Shenobi.”
            “What?” She said. “Why? When?”   

            “A division of the Hiryu has already assembled northeast past the Sukai River. We depart this hour. I came to say farewell.”

            A latent dread tightened her words. "What has happened?"

            “We received tidings in the hours of midnight. A carrier pigeon from Katakana Castle. The Shogun does not override the treaty. Instead, he has shifted the campaign against lesser rivals. Not just Katakana. The House of Chisan-mori as well."

            Their talk atop the tower echoed prophetically. He tried to assuage her. "They are not allies, therefore it is improbable we shall intervene militarily. All the same I must convene with Shinrin and Eruku, and if possible hold council with emissaries from Fumei-noyorou."
            “But, ... you don't have to go. You shouldn’t have to do everything yourself.” 
            "I cannot leave the realm's security in the hands of others. Never. If Kage-maru takes Katakana and Chisan-mori, we will be cutoff from the houses farther east, should we ever need their help. I know it is planning far ahead, but we cannot cede strategic ground so easily."

            Ayaka scarcely noticed the festival. The menace from which her premonitions stemmed seemed to be taking shape.

            She looked up at him. “Be careful, please. You can't trust any of Kage-maru's servants."
            The prince had to rein the black stallion in, which bucked, eager to be off. “You meant to return to Gurinhiruzu. I cannot say how long I shall be gone. Weeks, perhaps even a month. However, I shall regret it always if I do not ask if you would wait for my return.”

            Ayaka opened her mouth, and recanted. She stood on the border of a profound mist again. What paths did the mist conceal? Wasn't it better to turn away, to instead answer the intuition that had always called to her?

            "Perhaps you needn't leave so soon?" Daisuken suggested.

            "Yeah, Aya-chan," Harumi said, "you can stay."

            It was true. Nothing had to change. If she postponed her departure a few weeks, she'd still be able to go afterwards. But you don't know when he will return. Amid the uncertainty, the vision lost in her dreams beckoned. She also yearned for the verdant hills of Gurinhiruzu. Ayaka considered Harumi at her side, how she'd be leaving the little girl too. Then there was the east, where hordes gathered like fleets of clouds, readying to advance out of the Shogun's domain.

            Enzen is wrong. I don't have a gift. Nothing can be foreseen.

            Should she wait for the prince's return? The mist threatened to separate them. Daisuken waited, as if he were reaching a hand through the fog, hoping she would take it before they turned away and became lost forever. Step away now, or walk into the unknown. Ayaka prayed she was making the right decision.

            She nodded. "I will wait for you, Daisuken-sama. I promise."

            The powerful stallion pulled and neighed. Daisuken held the reins tight, keeping the steed at center.

            "Then I shall return, for you." From his saddle, he gifted her a purple iris. Ayaka received the flower and contemplated it.

            The prince of Shenobi rode away, the charger's hooves thudding down a side lane. After he was gone, Ayaka looked down the street of a thousand cherry trees. The Celestial Dragon writhed ponderously through the Jade Gates, half its body already outside. On the breeze a scattering of sakura petals fluttered across the street.

            Things great and small were being set in motion - akin to a giant wheel that had begun to creak, and would not be stopped until it had run its course, for good or ill.    
            Nearly everything was unknown to Ayaka. But she knew she had not wanted Daisuken to leave, and that she would offer prayers everyday until the samurai prince returned.