章 20: New work.

3 years passed, and now I'm 8 years old.

"Finally, freedom" I said while exiting the shrine for the first time in 2 years.

'You really had me waiting, I wanted to see Inazuma, and for 2 years the only thing I saw was that damnable shrine' Guizhong grumbled.

'It's not like I wanted to stay there' I replied.

That was the punishment I had to face, 2 years in the shrine training and studying.

I learnt mostly politics as Yae couldn't help me train my ability.

Yes, you heard that right, I'm calling her Yae.

At some point the pink woman thing got boring.

'I remember the last time you crossed this arch. You were a lot smaller back then' she laughed.

'I'm still small. I don't think I'm going to be as tall as Morax' I replied. Miyuki told me that I was handsome for a kid my aye. My black hair and attractive face helped me, but what attracted more attention were my shining purple eyes. I had a lot of fun scaring people at night in the shrine. They always screamed when they saw to glowing purple orbs floating in the air.

'Of course not!. Nobody is as good looking as Morax!' she shouted proudly.

'Your illness has been getting worse. You will have to wait a few years though, I don't think I will be able to leave Inazuma for a while'.

'Don't worry, I can wait. And I'm not ill' she denied.

I'm not so sure about that.

'Where are we going?" she asked me.

'Going to visit a friend'.

'Is that other kid?. Ayato if I remember correctly'.

'Yes, he lives in the house near the shrine'.

I arrived at Ayato's house , only to see some guards nearby, who looked warily at me. Do I have to do this again?.

I put on a noble demeanour and prepared myself to humble them, but Ayato's voice was heard.

"Just come in, I don't want to face more complains from the guards. 2 years ago it was all we got" he also grew up a bit, but he still looked the same serene kid. "If you see this guy coming, just let him in. The danger he poses comes from his mouth" he added.

"Yes, Ayato-sama!" they all straightened their back and nodded.

"You have taught them well" I commented. 2 years ago I had to convince them.

"It's my duty as the Lord of the Kamisato Clan" he said with tightened lips.

Yes, he is the Lord, his father died a year ago. From what I learned, it was a suspicious death, some think poison was involved, but it was never proved.

I wanted to leave the shrine to be at the funeral, but Yae didn't let me go out. I am not stupid enough to think she did it out of spite, the normally calm mood of the shrine had been somewhat prickly this last year, there is something brewing.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I always offered him my help, my position in the shrine must count for something.

"No, thank you" and he always refuses. "It's enough what you did for my mother. Let me take you to see her".

We arrived at the same room we once barged in. Why am I feeling nostalgic when I'm 8?.

"Mother, Kenshin has come to visit" Ayato said as we entered the room.

I saw a beautiful woman sitting on a desk and reading some parchments. She looked fine, a far cry from the sickly appearance she had 3 years prior.

Ayato told me that sometimes she felt a bit weak, but it didn't impede her life. From what he told me aunt Kayo's illness was so serious she would be dead by now.

"Kenshin, you have grown a lot" she smiled and hugged me.

"And you no longer have a baby in your belly" I greeted her in my own way, returning the hug.

"Ugh, I forgot that talking to you always gives me a headache" she grumbled.

"Want some pills for that?" I asked seriously.

".....no" she muttered and went back to her work. "I have a meeting now, so I need to leave. Ayato, take care of your sister" she instructed and left with a tired sigh.

"Where is the previously eaten baby?" I asked curiously.

"Don't talk about my sister like that!" Ayato jumped. He was a very gig 'sis-con', a term I learnt from Yae's books.

"Don't be an ass, you know it's a joke". If this guy doesn't tone it down I will make him. He is in a hard situation so I will cut him some slack.

"Whatever, please leave, I need to study" he grumbled and left me alone.

'This is not good. How can I have fun if my only friend is too busy?' I thought.

'You need to understand his situation. His house must be facing pressure from all sides, and he can only watch how his mother overworks herself' Guizhong gently explained me.

'Oh, I have an idea'

'No'

'I don't care about what you say'

'Please don't'

'Like I said, you have no voice in this. You are literally my backpack'

'Don't call me that!. The next time I'm eating all your food'

'Then even Morax wouldn't want you'

'....'

Yes, I was using this seal to put all my stuff. Over these 2 years I had been hiding nice things. Now I have food for another year there, in case I get lost.

'What is you bright idea?' Guizhong asked with sarcasm.

'You know, I'm feeling tired in the shrine, obviously. But Yae is always telling me not to go near the city, and that is irking me'.

'You know why she did it. Honestly, you shogun is nuts'.

'Probably. And then we have Ayato's problem. We have to problems, and we can solve them in the same place'.

'Please don't tell me...'.

'Yes, we are visiting the unstable and possibly psychopathic God of Eternity'

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I enjoyed the trip a lot. It took me eight years to see anything other that the shrine, my parent's house and the Kamisato Clan. Setting aside Liyue of course.

'I still don't think this is a good idea'.

'Didn't you want to see Inazuma, here you have it'.

I like Inazuma a lot, and this city is not as crowded as Liyue Harbor, making it feel a lot bigger, The sakura trees were gently swaying in the wind, and the tantalizing smell of food being cooked in the nearby restaurants was making me drool. But I'm on a mission, and it will come first. Also because I have no money.

A part of the punishment was that I wouldn't be able to get any money from my business in Liyue. I don't even know if it was still standing, Yae told me she hired some people to take care of it.

I arrived to the biggest house around, and saw that the 2 guards here were looking at me with a frown.

"Well met. I come from the shrine carrying a report from Guuji-sama". My friends are important, that's what my mom told me and I'm sure Yae agrees.

"Show us proof" one of them said angrily. These guys are stupid, if I show proof they will apologize?. I still have to be nice, I can slap them later.

"Can't you see my hakama?. The one that only the shrine personnel can use?" I said in a calm tone.

"Let us see the report and we will take it to the head of the Kujou Clan" the other said with a demanding voice.

Ah, that explains it. This Kujou Clan are the most cumbersome people in existence. They are always belittling the other citizens and clans, and they are probably the ones causing Ayato to stress out.

Bad luck for you, I don't care about that.

"That is not for you to read, lowly curs" I answered with a smile.

"What did you say!?" he shouted in outrage.

'K-Kenshin, maybe you should tone it down'. Guizhong, you are so old, and yet still a coward.

"Did I stutter?" I asked them with a raised eyebrow. One of them grabbed the neck part of my clothes.

"Do you even know who we are?. We are from the Kujou clan!" he shouted at me.

"And?. I'm the personal assistant of Guuji-sama" I said, making him release me. "I will explain it to you clearly. The Great Narukami Shrine has an entirely different chain of command than the army. You can't order even the girl cleaning the shrine on Mondays. The only person that can order even the most unimportant person from the shrine is the Shogun herself". They looked a bit apprehensive hearing me mention the Shogun.

"And even then, I'm the second most important person in the whole shrine. Even the Lord of the Kujou Clan himself can't stop me, what makes you think you can do it?".

They looked chastised enough, so I left them there and confidently entered the premises.

'What a disappointment. To see such a beautiful city marred by such incompetence'.

'....'. Guizhong fell silent, and I know why. Liyue had it's own problems, but this kind of abuse of authority wasn't one of them. The fact that the Shogun was actively working gave these runts legitimacy.

The more I walked the angrier I felt.

'K-Kenshin, calm down. Don't do anything you may regret'.

'I never regret anything I do'.

I finally arrived at the giant doors that a lot of guards were guarding.

"Move, I come on behalf of Guuji-sama. I already scolded you 2 friends downstairs, don't make me do it again". Maybe my eyes were glowing or I grew horns, because they looked scared.

I opened the doors and walked inside, only to see the purpled haired woman sitting in seiza at the middle and a lot of people sitting on both sides. Aunt Kayo was one of them, and looked me in dismay.

"Who are you!?" shouted one of the guys here. Sitting beside him was a girl with short black hair looking at me in shock.

"Shut up old man. Based on you belligerent attitude you must be the Lord of the Kujou Clan. You should stop worrying about me and teach you goons about politics" this is the man whose soldiers are annoying everyone.

"How dare you!" the girl behind her stood up in indignation. Hmm, I see.

"Shut up. You are a half youkai, why are you even here?. There are no youkais any more, and even those don't mess with politics" I promptly ignored her.

She looked at me in surprise, followed by mortification.

"Who are you". This time I couldn't ignore it, it was the purple woman in the middle. I sensed aunt Kayo looking at me in dismay.

"Huh, you saw me before, don't you remember me?" I asked her. My anger was clouding my reason.

'Kenshin!, what are you doing!'.

'Shut up, I'm too angry to think'.

"Indeed, you are the child who interrupted my reunion with the Head Miko 3 years ago" she nodded, not looking away from my eyes.

"Yes, though now I'm her personal assistant. I came to give you a report, but 2 guards from the illustrious Kujou Clan had the gall to stop me" I looked disdainfully at said 'Lord' of the Kujou Clan, who looked even more incensed.

"I will punish them" he quickly complied, sensing the Shogun's gaze directed to him.

"No, you won't". I will not let get away with it that easy. "They offended the shrine and the shrine will punish them. Is that okay?" I asked the Shogun.

"Yes" she agreed readily. "Now give your report".

"The amount of curses in increasing over the last 2 years. We don't know the cause, but it's a fact".

That was true, Yae didn't want to report because she thought that this was something the shrine had to take care off. Well, she was planning of reporting tomorrow, so she won't mind if I report now.

"I see" the Shogun nodded. "Why did she not report it earlier?".

"She needed time to confirm it and to try to search for the reason. She planned to come herself tomorrow" I laid the bait.

"Why did you come instead?" she asked.

"Of course, I wanted to talk with you. With the Shogun I mean. The last time we met I thought you were a secretary or something like that" I admitted. I was feeling a bit calmer now that I was going to punish those 2.

"How brazen!" the annoying guy jumped again.

"Shut up, I'm talking with someone important, way more than you" I dismissed him, making him angry again.

"What do you want from me?". I don't know the reason, but she is always calm. Knowing what I know, that's not a good thing, but I will charge forward anyway.

"I wanted to talk about the Kamisato Clan. My friend Ayato is worried about her overworking mother and from the shrine I know that they are facing a lot of pressure. I wanted you to help them". I laid it in the open. Aunt Kayo was grateful and worried at the same time. She looked nervously at the Shogun.

"Is that true?" the Shogun asked. Aunt Kayo was about to answer when I slipped up.

"Why are you asking?". I wanted to punch myself, but what's done it's done. "You are the Shogun, how can you not know the relations between your vassals?" I asked in a tone that expressed how unbelievable this notion was.

In Liyue the Qixing frequently organized meetings with the representatives of all kind of business. Clothing, food, art....

How can you lead a country you don't know about?.

"Why should I?" the Shogun asked me. Is she serious?. This woman is even dumber than Ganyu when she was worried about her horns. I was going to explode, but aunt Kayo started talking.

"You Excellency, we are indeed being pressured. We are being asked to give up our position and vacate our house. We have been attacked 3 times in the last months" she used the opportunity I created. Good, now..wait what?.

"What are you talking about?. You were attacked?" it's my first time hearing this.

"Do you know the assailant's identity?" the Shogun asked calmly.

"I have some suspicions, but there is no evidence. Since my husband died.....".

I saw something from the corner of my eyes. A slight tremor, not a physical one, but one I could see nonetheless. It came from a guy that was near the Kujou guy. And I know what that means.

"...so even if we don't have-"

"Why are you nervous?" I was looking in astonishment at the guy.

This guy looked at me with an affronted face, but I was not looking at him. His soul was trembling, and during this last years I know what this kind of tremor meant.

It was fear.

He was yapping about something, but I didn't care, I was still studying his soul, and how it reacted.

The more I looked at him the more it trembled, proof that he was getting nervous.

"What are you implying?" a quiet voice silenced everything. The Shogun had spoken, and the rest of us needed to listen.

I hesitated. It was a risky thing revealing my ability, but...would I able to look at Ayato's face if I let this asshole go?.

I don't know what this guy is scared about, but I need to push as much as I can so this is resolved. If he is innocent, I will beg for forgiveness, and everything it's okay.

If after investigating everything, he knows something, I hope the culprit can be found.

"Kenshin, don't do it" aunt Kayo told me with a cramped smile. So she knew about this too.

"That he knows something" I answered the Shogun.

"Show the evidence" she demanded me with a serious face.

"I can't" I shook my head.

"Are you mocking us!" Kujou guy jumped, yet again. This guy, as much as I want to hit him, didn't show any trace of fear, so he is probably unaware of all this. I could accuse him too, but I would lose all credibility.

The Shogun just looked at me with a serious face.

"I have the ability to know when a person is lying or feeling nervous. When the matter of aunt Kayo's husband was mentioned, he felt fear. Under my accusation, he felt even more fear" I explained, glaring at said guy whose face didn't change, but inside he was screaming in anxiety. "I am not accusing him or anything, I just want this to be investigated.

"Do you have a way to prove it?" the Shogun asked for proof once again.

Haah, I didn't want to get in trouble the first day after finally earning my freedom, but it is what it is.

"Yes, Guuji-sama should be able to confirm it" I bitterly said. I'm getting punished again.

The Shogun nodded and sent someone to call for Yae. While we were waiting, everyone was silent.

Everybody here knew that depending on the Guuji's words, an investigation was going to take place.

"I am here. What does the Shogun need...from....me" Yae entered the room and saw everyone with a tense face, and me at the table, in the opposite direction from the Shogun.

I muttered a sorry under my breath, and he looked angrily at me.

"This child said that he can detect lies with his ability. Is that true?" the Shogun asked Yae calmly.

"Yes" she nodded. Lying here would make no sense.

"No!, they are lying, that boy is friends with the Kamisato Clan!. They are colluding against me" the guy suddenly jumped.

"You will participate in the investigation. Leave for the Tenryou headquarters" she instructed.

"Shogun-sama, wait a bit. I need to talk to you about other thing later, but it will be helpful if I could show how my ability works. Why don't we conduct the investigation here?" I proposed. I'm going to show everyone here that this guy is involved. Judging by his position near the leader of the Kujou Clan, they are allies, even if the Kujou Clan's head is innocent. Making this pompous bastard lose power is only a good thing in my book.

"Very well" the Shogun nodded.

When the investigator in charge arrived, I made him some questions to make sure he wasn't bribed, and he passed. Then the investigator started asking some questions about the time, the place, etc.

My patience was nearing it's limit.

"Are you stupid?. Hey you, is there any proof that you are involved in Ayato's father murder?" I asked the guy in question.

"No" he answered calmly. Heh, you can't fool me.

"Lie. Is the proof in your house?"

"No"

"Lie. Is it in your room".

"N-No"

"Lie".

Like this we finally knew the location of the evidence. The Shogun sent someone to retrieve it and voila!. A culprit has been found. I thought he would only be an involved person not the culprit himself, but that's even better I guess.

"...." the guy knew he was caught, and had a dismayed expression. The other's guys faces ranged from outrage to apprehension.

Aunt Kayo was crying, I guess it was hard to meet the murdered of your husband almost everyday and not being able to do anything.

"Anything you need to say?" the Shogun asked while getting up, but the guy didn't answer. Then a flash blinded me, and the guy dropped dead. Just like that.

"What did you want to talk with me about?" she questioned me. The coldness with which she killed that guy and stood like nothing happened was chilling. Well, I won't miss that guy. I looked around and saw everyone looking at the pile of ashes in awe. And fear in some cases, probably those who had something to hide.

I felt Yae's soul trembling, and I didn't know why, but I decided to trust her.

"I only hope you can make a statement to protect the Kamisato Clan for at least 10 years. Let the future Lord grow free of danger. For example, the Yashiro Commission will belong to the Kamisato Clan for the next ten years, and even in the case of the Kamisato Clan, that won't change". With that Ayato should be able to grow and consolidate his power. Ningguang was leading Liyue at 16, I think Ayato can do the same.

"Yes, that is a good plan" the Shogun said, making aunt Kayo feel relieved. With this they will be safe, at least for a while until Ayato can stand with his own 2 feet.

I looked at Yae, who looked at me and nodded. We knew we would need to talk, but for now I didn't gave away my ability's true power. I started walking towards the exit when I hear the Shogun's voice again.

"I have not finished" she said to me. I turned to look at her, but she only had her usual calm expression. "You will start working here".

"How and why?. I am 8 years old, what can I do for your Excellency?" I said with a bit of irony.

"In case this doesn't happen again you will assist a number of meeting from here onwards" she instructed, ignoring my sarcasm.

"Isn't making sure this doesn't happen again you job?. I won't wipe your as-".

"He agrees" Yae hit me in the back of head and spoke for me

"Good, now leave and let us continue our meeting" she instructed. "Take this, you will answer only to me" she gave me a strange purple medal.

On my way out, I discretely gave my middle finger to the Kujou guy, and he looked incensed, but maybe a bit worried. Suddenly this job isn't as unappealing as it was before.

"We will talk in the shrine" Yae informed me coldly. I don't regret anything, so I don't care about the punishment. I caught a murderer, so there was no way that what I did was wrong.

"Ah, stop for a moment. I need to punish 2 guys" I said, leaving behind a confused Yae. I walked towards the 2 guards, who had angry faces looking at me. Maybe they didn't see how the Head Miko was watching everything.

"What do-".

SLAP!.

"Hey, what did you do to hi-".

SLAP!.

"You 2 are incredibly stupid" I said, taking out the medal the Shogun gave me. They paled seeing it.

"And you" I said while looking at the guy who grabbed my clothes. I kicked him in his formerly most virile parts

"...." a mute scream was all that escaped his open mouth.

"No one touches me" I said with a cold voice. I returned to Yae's side with a refreshed smile.

Yae, as the intelligent woman she was, didn't ask anything. We continued our travel to the shrine, leaving behind us a surprised crowd, who looked in disdain at the guards.

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I would write this in the author's notes, but I think it's important.

This is the most cringe chapter I ever wrote, and I apologize for that.

In cannon, Ayato and Ayaka's parents are dead, their mother dead because of an illness, and I have no clue about the father. Considering that Ayato said in his trailer that he had been facing assassination attempts during his life, I thought of this.

I wanted Ayato to be the leader of the Kamisato Clan, but with his father around, it was going to be difficult.

And the only way I could think to get Kenshin in those meetings was impressing the Shogun enough for him to be 'forcibly inducted' into them.

Again, I apologize for the cringe, but there is nothing I can do. I wrote chapter 96 already, and correcting every single one of them is something I have no time for.