The Day of Thunder

"Not at all," Akutou replies. "Riverboats're easy. Current goes one way or t' other, an' land's right there if'n y' need it. An' there's only s' deep a river gets."

"If you say so."

She didn't sound convinced. "So after riverboats, you came to this mountain village. Are you also here at the bidding of Rock-Sensei?"

"No, ma'am," Akutou replies. "Just my sensei."

"Oh? Who might that be."

She inquired, splashing idly with her hands, seemingly keeping them busy to burn off nervous energy.

"I am still trying to understand this gathering - it is unlike any I have ever seen before."

"Seppun Dawei, ma'am," Akutou replies easily.

"I do not know him, I fear I should, but my knowledge does not spread far from these foothills."

Her cheeks were red, probably just because of the heat. "Is he a friend of rock-shinsei? Or of you, honored elder?" The latter directed to Sora.

"Dawei is one of the best men I have ever known. He was one of the group of us who went into Jigoku with Hantei to rescue Hisomu. It was him, me, Old Man Yamadono, and White Moonrise of the Nezumi."

He sighed.

"One down, four to go."

Akutou nods at the praise to his teacher.

An' I picked th' man's pocket, he thinks.

"Went into Jigoku."

She wasn't sure if she should be incredulous, but somehow she believed him.

"I am sorry I am not able to meet him. I feel someone like that may be the sort we really needed for this festival."

Rather than someone like me.

"Y' ain't th' only one'd like t' see 'im," Akutou says.

He looks around meaningfully again.

"He does excel at keepin' folks f'm doin' just that, though."

"He was- and apparently still is!- a sneaky bastard, it's true..."

Sora chuckled.

"... but you kids need to remember, none of the four of us who went with Hantei were out to become heroes or anything, we just had a job to do. Hell, I was amazed when Shinsei picked me for the expedition, I was just a foul-mouthed killer from the mountains only five years before that, and hadn't changed all that much in the time since..."

"I suppose we have some things in common, Jiyo Sora, Resident Codger."

She smiled faintly. "Though I do not know that I would consider myself foul mouthed. Still, whatever happens, it seems Rock-Sensei likes to choose unlikely candidates to invite on his missions."

"Unlikely choices that seem inevitable in hindsight."

"There's some good in checkin' your back-trail," Akutou puts in. "Both so others c'n follow if'n there's need an' t' see if anythin's comin' up behind.

"Speakin' of, I'd heard some talk o' this Harbinger as got mentioned, but I weren't where it happened. Were either o' y'all?"

"Yep."

Sora sighed.

"It was hiding inside of a Crane I'd never liked very much. Shredded her apart to pop out and basically tell us its plan, then pop out like a candle being blown out. Not the finest hour of the Imperial Palace's security detail."

"Parasites. Nasty."

Akutou makes a face.

"Fact o' life, but nasty."

"Wasn't exactly a good day for the Crane in court, that one."

"Hiding inside... how horrible."

Yukara shook her head. "I have never been in court. What is it like, when women are not turning into monsters?"

Akutou leans in, having thoughts of similar questions.

"A lot of people we say are important standing around in expensive clothes trying to get the Boss to agree with whatever they were saying. Oh, and talking to each other, cutting little deals here and there, usually with all the subtlety of a boot to the throat. And a few events ranging from the scholarly to the artistic, which I was absolute garbage at and paid little mind. Still."

He sighed.

"My kids had fun. There was a snowball fight at one point, but that was more... after court than in court."