The Day of Thunder

[Hiruma Naraku]

Four days had passed since Naraku had finally reached civilization but apparently civilization had not reached the Crab who had spent more than two weeks without taking a proper long bath. The benefits of an onsen could not be replaced by a cold bucket and a coarse cloth, no matter how much his father argued.

He sinks into the bath and lets out a pleased sigh. He had been lucky to sleep every day, albeit sometimes with the aid of shady drugs, but his body still strained at the constant scouting and investigation.

He looked at the roof. This moment would only be better if he could lit his pipe and drink a bottle of firewater.

[Jiyo Sora]

Sora, whose day was veering between completely fucking awful and merely hideous leavened with people he liked, had likewise opted to take a dip.

Clear his head.

Work out the order he wanted to strangle people in.

"Hiruma-san. Been a while. A day? Two?"

Time was starting to run together.

[Hiruma Naraku]

Naraku's eyes darted towards the gruff sage, who had just decided to join him in the bath. He felt like making a joke something in the lines that his charm had improved but the day had been an absolute shit show and he simply was not feeling it.

"Call me Naraku, guess after all that has passed, those in the camp are practically family," he sighed looking at the ceiling once more.

"If I could go to the past I'd slap the shit out of my past self for failing to see why Living in Interesting Times was a curse," he turns back to him. "How have you been doing Jiyo-san"

[Jiyo Sora]

"Oh, you know, blundering from disaster to disaster and trying to keep a brave face on it. Nothing too unusual for me."

He rubbed at his temples.

"Had a theory about Shinsei that I wasn't able to verify, and have spent the balance of my day feeling about as useful as a fine silk kimono in a hog trough."

[Hiruma Naraku]

His comment did make Naraku let a chuckle before nodding "I did not know the Little Teacher and I did not come here due to his summons but the first time I met him... he seemed exhausted."

He sinks a bit more

"An enemy that is intangible and that lurks in the corner of your mind," he scoffs and looks at Sora. "You do look more refreshed today though, guess no nightmares for you today?"

[Jiyo Sora]

Sora snorted.

"No, I had nightmares aplenty, but fortunately, the Bat Clan has sent people who can do some good for others."

[Hiruma Naraku]

He smirks at his comment briefly before frowning slightly.

"I had strange dreams today. I think I saw a Nezumi eating the corruption of Yume-Do. At least it looked like a Nezumi albeit slightly deformed and not as cute and bubbly as our new resident shaman."

[Jiyo Sora]

"A Nezumi? Deformed? How do you mean?"

[Hiruma Naraku]

"A Nezumi? Deformed? How do you mean?"

"Yesterday, Hisomu Reo decide to conduct an experiment," he looked at Sora. "He decided to use a herb at the recommendation of Enrou that would allow you to lucid dream."

The herb was clearly an euphemism for experimental hard drug.

"Himself, Ryoshun Nao and myself decided to meet at the house of Enrou and take the herb whilst Enrou made sure nothing went wrong."

"It was during time that I saw it, in the edge of the dream, a being that had short, stumpy legs with widespread toes, and a small nub at the posterior that someone might generously refer to as a tail. Coarse, close-cropped looking fur with a variation of stripes and spots lined a squat little body, terminating in an elongated face with beady little eyes and rounded ears. And a nose that...wagged? Certainly more than the tail did at least."

"It looked like a deformed Nezumi but might as well been another creature, maybe even one native to Yume Do. It seemed to enjoy eating the corruption."

[Jiyo Sora]

"It looked like a deformed Nezumi but might as well been another creature, maybe even one native to Yume Do. It seemed to enjoy eating the corruption."

Sora took in the description, and shook his head, chuckling.

"That sounds like a Baku, Naraku-san. Creatures of Yume-Do. They eat nightmares."

[Hiruma Naraku]

"Well that explains why it seemed to be relishing on the taste of the rot. Guess it was peckish for the corruption that was rotting Yume-Do"

He chuckles at the thought of Chuchu's face had he told her he thought the Baku was a deformed Nezumi.

"I did sleep fairly well, though I heard there were some troubling developments during the night yesterday"

[Jiyo Sora]

"A few. Some woke up to see needle-fingered creatures near them. The creatures all vanished, of course. I just had a nice, lengthy nightmare that left me feeling worse when I awoke than when I went to bed."

[Hiruma Naraku]

"Needle-fingered creatures?" he arches an eyebrow. "I guess your nightmares were more mundane than that?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"Just my own putrescent reanimated self coming to kill me."

[Hiruma Naraku]

He ponders on his words.

"Speaking of which, did you see the findings from the reconnaissance mission?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"No."

Sora fixed the Crab with a level gaze.

"No, I have not, because whoever the hell you reported to doesn't seem to feel like the Imperial Families need to know."

[Hiruma Naraku]

That made Naraku groan.

"I take that you did not receive any information besides what I penned yesterday," he looked around and then to the Phoenix. "We found a scroll that included troubling information. It had been encrypted with a complex cipher but... Togashi Satsuki and myself managed to break it."

He eyed the Phoenix to see if he wished for him to continue. He keep his wits on to see if there might be anyone eavesdropping.

[Jiyo Sora]

"I'm not surprised, you seem reasonably clever and Satsuki's got a good head on her shoulders."

A pause.

"Do go on."

[Hiruma Naraku]

He nodded and continued

"A ritual to bring a dream, a discreet unit of Yume-Do, into Ningen-Do and anchor it in our realm. Trap it so it can not scurry back into Yume-Do. Independently if it is an area of the realm or... a being"

He gauges to see if there is a reaction.

"I will make sure a copy of the translated ritual reaches your tent. You have more experience than all of us combined and then some more."

He lets a tired chuckle

"Normally I'd make this a joke about your age but... it hardly feels appropriate at this time. Everything is moving fast. Too fast."

[Jiyo Sora]

"If they can trap it here... then..."

Sora didn't let any excitement show, but...

"You touch Ningen-Do, Ningen-Do touches you. This realm teaches even the Kami mortality. It would be dangerous, of course, but..."