An elemental rhapsody had been constructed, played upon rooftop and earth alike in a serene whisper of sweetly falling rain. The sun had been blotted out in the paper of the musical writings, smudged without clarity while heaven’s tears continued to pour and stain the roads with a ghostly sheet of floating mist. Tasuke had made his way to the usual place to dine and meet with Aki, the corpse of the previous night removed and not a drop of her blood upon the land. Minor mentioning of the murder had made the news and chatter of the folk upon the street, but as far as he knew, no one had the slightest idea of truth; there was a very good chance that the trained imposter was none other than a pawn built up for such a meaningless death, yet another notch upon Retsuya’s belt of manipulation and massacre.

Kneeling at the usual table with swords at his side, he raised a cup of his favorite sake to his lips and swallowed. The delicious elixir soothed his throat and mind, its warmth a welcome distraction from the current busyness of his days. He set the cup upon the table and took the jug into his right hand to pour another, but hesitated once the contents had been poured, instead gazing down at the glassy, opaline liquid. Aki remained diligently distracted with the folks of the establishment, unusually few in number for such an early hour.

His thoughts drifted. He began to think of the girl with cerulean eyes and fragrance of jasmine, and the reasons why Retsuya had told him to seek her out. Other than possessing useful information of important members of the Shogunate, he saw absolutely no use of her. But it was her words that stood out the most, suggesting that their, he and Shisuka’s, gander was not in precisely the right place; Shisuka wished to begin the assassination of the Shogun in only a day, and it would be useful to meet with her at a time before that. It would reduce the chances of her getting overly anxious and emotional, allowing her to think rationally so they could correctly plan their next move.

Unfortunate you are so driven by the melody of revenge…I hope you listen to reason.

The front door of the tavern slid opened and allowed the voice of the shower to sing in, just as a closed parasol pierced the space and the very girl in question stepped inside. Clothed of the same red kimono of the previous night and without a tear of sky upon her, she leant the umbrella against the wall to the right of the door before her eyes found him quickly. Her objectivity had not diminished in the slightest, for it was obvious she had come for business as usual. She held her hands together before her lap and walked toward him with the aesthetes all but lost among the common women of Japan, a gorgeous formality that concealed the deadly tiger beneath the surface. Shisuka elegantly kneeled opposite him, her ferocity so awing that he could not so much as bring himself to drink the sake he had poured. She appeared vehement, wroth, and prepared to strike. Such energy threw Tasuke’s normal easiness aside, seriousness its replacement while he asked, “You do not look happy, Shisuka. Perhaps you could tell me what’s wrong.”

She reached her slender right hand into the front of her obi and pulled from it a folded letter, the parchment placed upon the table and wordlessly slid toward him.

He took the note in his hand and began to read.

~To you, who wishes for rebellion, for revolution, know you are not without a watching eye. The voice of the wind carries your words, and lest you wish them not to reach a curious ear, seek the Wind Reaper.~

Just how much of this have you actually planned, Retsuya?

Tasuke chuckled with amusement, mildly annoyed by Retsuya’s inconspicuous methods. The intoxicating desire to run his katana through her belly swelled beyond measure, even far greater than at the previous night. Such an arrogant bitch she was.

Shisuka called him to attention. “Can you tell me what this means, Wind Reaper?”

He nodded firmly. “This is from a girl named Retsuya. She is a murderer with a strange infatuation of me, and she is keen to our activities. I actually wish to converse with you regarding that.”

She didn’t show an outward interest, but he could see her curiosity through her piercing gaze. “Go on.”

He collected his thoughts quickly and said, “I don’t think we should kill the Shogun. There are other ways to accomplish our goals, without causing a terrible catastrophe.”

She pursed her lip with anger. “You’ve abandoned this endeavor?”

He shook his head. “No. I simply do not wish to destroy the Shogunate. I do not wish to lose our traditions to foreign powers, but wish to keep them and establish a true peace in our country. We can do this with some powerful persuasions that do not need to utterly eradicate the Shogunate.”

She didn’t even laugh. “Shut up.”

Tasuke shook in surprise, staring intently upon her as she continued.

“There is no other way,” she followed. “Those in power will not listen to reason and justice. They will be deaf to our mouths and words.” She sighed in displeasure. “We have been through this. Something must have happened to change your mind.”

“I can’t lose you, too.”

Aki’s words rang in his ears and brought a soft simper to his lips. Never had he been told those words out of love rather than use. He had been a tool of murder, useless in any other way. Death would be the reward for his insurrection, and the shattering of that tender girl’s heart. He caught a glimpse of her as she tended to her duties about the bar, dusting the floor with her broom in a smooth series of educated motions. She looked genuinely joyful, beaming with a radiance she must have restrained until now; to rob her of that would be a crime without excuse.

“You’ll die, you know.” His words shattered the calm atmosphere of the establishment, though did little to fracture the resolve upon Shisuka’s unshaken expression. She had obviously chosen to die.

Shisuka remained silent and looked upon the smooth wood of the table. Glinting bangs of obsidian masked her lowered face, but he could clearly see the grim line her lips formed. They quivered as if tears yelled their stampede, but she did not weep. She only said, “I have nothing but revenge…If I can taste blood for my mother and father, I will do so in death.”

Shisuka…your life means more than that.

“You have me,” he calmly replied.

Her face snapped up in wonder, eyes sparkled with teary gems. Her voice shook with mild tremor, a loose thread of slowly selected words. “What can you do to quell my hatred…” The water in her eyes began to spill over and streak down her cheeks, her face a portrayal of misery and heartache. “I can never hear my mother laugh, or feel my father’s hand through my hair…they died for nothing, and the Shogunate is responsible!”

The terrible anger and pain in her voice stabbed into his heart with a hot knife, cutting in glee like a salacious child of sadism with his foot upon the ants. He knew her anguish better than perhaps anyone else, for Aki’s forgiveness of his murder of her beloved Aoi was proof enough that the heart can heal through any tragedy. Shisuka had become blind, just as he had, to the cycle of vengeance, and she needed to be sure she knew what she was saying. “So kill them all…and then picture their families when they hear the news. They may seek blood as you have, and cause more death. It is a perpetual cycle…spiraling endlessly.”

His words had reached her. Already her resolve had crumbled while she lifted her fists and slammed them into the table before burying her face in the palms of her hands. Sharp sobs followed in-between muted phrase, but he could hear her well enough. “What am I doing…I’m not better than them…” Another series of hard jolts followed before she slowly recovered the pieces of herself, albeit minus a few of the unwanted portions. She dropped her hands and exposed her red face, strained from the tears as she took a deep breath and regained composure. Returning to her formal position, she weakly asked, “What am I—are we to do now, Tasuke?”

He almost chuckled and finally took the warmed sake in his hand while crushing the letter in the other, drinking and setting the cup atop the table before he said, “We find Retsuya, and kill her before she decides to talk to the wrong people if she has not already. And for that I have a plan…”

I can’t wait to see the look on her face.

__________________
Armies lay in waste, their corpses strewn along, an all-too-faint breath of death, a shallow little song.

With my sword I kiss the wicked, and bring them to their knees, with this sword their evil is answered and heaven is well pleased.

Those who spread the tainted seed, who know that they have sinned, will feel the icy steel I swing like a whisper in the wind.