The Day of Thunder

She bowed deeply. "Thank you, Togashi-sama. I will pray for his mercy, then."

She straightened, eyes wide. "No! Absolutely not!"

She shook her head, gripping her cup tight. "I... I wouldn't wish the fate coming on almost anyone, never mind you."

"People will always think what they wish. It doesn't change what needs to be done," she said with a shrug. Chouri rose and bowed. "Of course, Togashi-sama. It was my pleasure." "Ah, one last thing. It's a favor, so... do with it as you will, I suppose. If it's possible, though, could one of your peo...

"Until the seal is broken, same as it," she said, staring down into her tea. "I'll be there with the Champion and a dream version of this village and its surroundings."

She does her best to maintain a calm facade, but it's clearly cracking.

"If you would like, you can write them down." She nodded. "I am glad that no one else has to do it. I know it's a distant wish, but at the end of all this, I hope everyone can go home."

"The scrolls I made... The story in them needs to be read by someone once the Champion is weakened," she looked toward him and smiled sadly. "The person who reads it will be bound, as well. It's... not a fate I would force anyone else to endure."

She considered what to say before finally starting to speak. "... I recognize that the better thing to have done is to accept my death when I was a child. At the same time... regret is a sin, and I don't regret making the decision I did now that we're at the end," she said. "She would have gone for ...

Chouri gave a dry, empty chuckle. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. You're wonderful, Zhe." She paused, took a sip to gather her thoughts, and replied. "I'll... be heading up there with you. I... I won't be leaving."

She accepted a cup of tea, nodding and looking down at it. "Me, too. You should go first."

She tilted head head. "It had a lot of lines like, 'want to forget, just let me live inside a dreamland, I know we can create a new world.' It's a good baseline for what they've heard. It's an appealing line to people who don't feel like they have a place in the world. All they knew was that there i...

She came out to join him, as was her own growing habit, her own news to give. She kissed him on the cheek as she sat down.

Chouri chuckled. "I suppose coming from me, it doesn't help to say that I find you reassuring."

She nodded. "Yes. A lot of good-sounding stuff about "creating a new world" where they could live happily and other vague stuff. Combined with completely mundane manipulation tactics. She wanted her sacrifices to be willing, pure, and largely ignorant." "There was a song played during the feast on t...

"She - the Harbinger when she possessed me - did the speech making. I try to be kind, but I'm not especially charismatic, so I handle the day to day running of the village," she replied, taking a sip of her tea. "Doji Tsubaki as she was then was the one who promised to stave off my death when I was ...

"I hope not as well, but if there's no avoiding it, it is what it is," she said with a shake of her head. "They don't. She presented them both in an idealized light, and refers to Yume-Jigoku simply as "the Dream." I barely knew what they were until I drew the metaphorical short straw of people who ...

She tapped the side of her head. "The Harbinger influences people's minds. If their conviction isn't firm, she can get in, talk them into sacrificing themselves. Ordinarily they know better than to throw themselves at people carrying around extremely long, sharp objects, but suicide by samurai isn't...

"Wu Zhe, Shiba Kumori, you two, Ryoshun Yukara, Yoshitsune Ayako," she said, tapping each finger in turn. "Any of them."

She nodded. "Yes. Both are obviously going to be deviations from the standard. We'll see how they take that."

"Not that I'm aware of, outside of Bitchface and whatever nonsense she comes up with," she said. "There's no way she will be idle tomorrow, though. If I had to guess based on what I know of her, you'll have your work cut out for you."

Chouri nodded. Looking to the side, as if to look through another screen, she said, "The last thing anyone needs is more turmoil than there already has been. I am simply glad to be free in my last days." She turned back to Satsuki and smiled. "I am grateful to you all for that." She shrugged. "Besid...