บท 30: Budding Chaos

For a prisoner, Eichi sure looks awfully peaceful as he sleeps.

It's artificial, of course. If he knows that I'm standing in front of his cell, he'll probably be snarling all the while. But he's asleep now, courtesy of the 'Sleep' Ofuda I plastered onto his back. He won't be waking up in hours.

I myself am standing at the end of the small room, leaning against the wall and waiting for the one door in the room to open. If everything goes as planned, then Hanezu should be here soon.

My stance on the man remains the same. His desire to bring down the Five Principal Clans is favorable, but the end goal of his contradicts mine. He wishes to end all of the Five Principal Clans. He doesn't care about the fact that there are genuinely good people that are trapped in circumstances beyond their control. He just wants to destroy it all.

I don't blame him. I just don't vibe with it completely.

Still, it does mean that there's an avenue I can pursue here. A possibility I hadn't considered, but now seems so tempting that it physically pains me to wait.

But I do. I stand there vigilantly, the 'Invisibility' Ofuda on my arm buzzing away as the clock ticks on.

Then, the door creaks, and the fabled target comes in.

Himejima Hanezu. He's a tall man, with broad shoulders and impressive muscles, all kept beneath a fine business suit. He enters the room, seeming to scan his surroundings for a good moment before his eyes land on the sleeping Eichi. He walks towards the bars, and stares in contempt.

Swiftly, I bring out a 'Silence' and 'Domain' Ofudas and slather them onto the wall behind me. The slips of paper begin to glow, and an invisible barrier surrounds the entire room.

Unkindly, Hanezu stomps against the metal bars, but Eichi remains asleep. He tries again, and again, and he progressively becomes angrier as Eichi continues to sleep.

"He won't wake." I say, ripping the 'Invisibility' Ofuda off my arm. My form shimmers into view, and Hanezu recoils as he quickly backs towards the door, only to find a massive growth of roots and vines have broken through the stone floor, covering the door like a massive gate. "At least, not until I say so."

"Who are you?" He asks carefully, discreetly reaching for one of the enchanted knives in his coat.

I snap my fingers, and more roots burst from the ground beneath him, wrapping around his hand before he can take hold of his knives. "Do keep your weapons away." I say, smiling blandly. "Lest I tear that arm off."

Of course, if this was a sudden encounter, I wouldn't have been able to do what I'm doing now. It's only because I've spent several minutes hiding seeds and grafts in the soil below that these roots and vines can grow so quickly.

I keep my eyes on him, the glow around my eyes visible. I can see his thoughts laid out before me, full of suspicion and aggression. It takes a full minute before he finally decides against attacking me, and I let his arm loose. The roots and vines fall away, falling limply onto the ground.

"Good." I say, before I make a shallow bow. "I am Hyoudou Issei, disciple of Yasaka and Nurarihyon." I narrow my eyes. "A pleasure."

He remains quiet, thinking over whether or not I'm lying. "I certainly am not." I say, and he flinches, bewildered by how I'd known what he was thinking. I smile. "Your thoughts are an open book, Hanezu-san." I say, and he grits his teeth, now realizing who it is he's standing before.

"...you are not human." He says.

I continue smiling, both because he isn't completely wrong and because I'm doing my best to weather the growing headache I'm feeling.

"Why are you here?"

"Should it not be me who asks that?" I counter, purposely increasing the glow around my eyes. "You trespassed on private grounds, and you still have the confidence to ask why I'm here?"

He stays quiet. "I am under no obligation to allow you to leave alive." I say. He tenses. "However," I continue, pushing myself off the wall. "There might be something you can do for me."

"And that is?"

I point at the sleeping Eichi. "You came here to abduct this man, didn't you?" I say, smiling slightly at his growing unease. "To further your cause at bringing down the Five Principal Clans from their unrightful thrones."

His unease skyrockets. His shoulders are taut, and I can see his fingers subconsciously trying to reach for the knives he's keeping.

My smile grows. "I find that commendable."

I do, in some aspects. He's played the long game for years now, starting his plan from the very moment the Himejima Clan cast him out of the family. I can respect that at least. It doesn't excuse the things he's done, but at least I can see why. That, and it isn't as if others in this world are better than he is.

This world is a cruel, unfeeling place.

He blinks, all sense of unease temporarily forgotten. "I'm sorry?"

I tap my knuckles against the prison bars. "This man intruded into Kyoto with the intent to kill me." I say, smiling thinly. "He was ordered by the head of the Himejima Clan to find who'd slain Himejima Suou."

My words ring in Hanezu's head for a moment, and I can see the moment the realization hits. "You are-?"

"Yes. Yes I am." I take a step forward. "You see, the Five Principal Clans have made a great slight against the Youkai. A centuries-long pact has been broken, and they dare act like they've done nothing wrong." I take another step forward. We're only inches apart now. "Our goals align, you and I."

And finally, a calculative glint enters his eyes. "What do you propose, then?"

I let myself grin. "Those artificial beings of yours—Utsusemi, you call it." I begin. He frowns, though no longer surprised about my knowledge. "Capable of possessing humans. You first created them to search for Sacred Gears."

"...yes." His brows furrowed. "What are you-?"

A growth of roots surges around us, hovering behind me menacingly. "I don't think you're privy to that, Hanezu-san."

He grits his teeth. My eyes can see the assumption that's quickly building in his mind. A mind-reader, he thinks I am. I mean, he's not wrong, it's just not something I tend to do most of the time. And for good reason; the ache in my skull continues to ring painfully.

"That aside, there's one flaw, isn't there?"

Hanezu is quiet for a good moment, before he relents with a sigh. "Yes." He says. "The clans are capable of detecting foul spirits and Youkai. The Utsusemis are no different."

"That's right." I say, before I pull out an 'Invisibility' Ofuda from my pocket. He eyes it, and I smile as I place it onto my arm. Immediately I disappear from his view, and he quickly looks around, using his magic to try and sense where I've gone. But he can't, even though I haven't moved an inch.

"You can't find me, can you?" I say. He takes a step back, his sensing magic running on overdrive. "Don't bother, you won't find me." I continue. I walk forward and give his shoulder a tap. He turns and tries to grab me, but I've already walked. "Your magic is nothing against mine."

I rip the 'Invisibility' Ofuda off. My body appears once more. "Hello." I say. His eyes snap to me. That previously forgotten unease he felt is back.

"What do you want?" He finally asks through grit teeth, finally realizing that he won't be escaping unless he bows to my demands.

My smile grows. "That is but one of my abilities." I bring out another Ofuda. 'Conceal' it reads. "Activate your sensory magic again." I command. He follows, and a magic circle of light forms over his stretched palm.

I place the Ofuda on my arm. The characters glow.

His eyes go wide.

"I…can't sense you." He admits, fascinated.

My smile grows even more. "Now imagine; what would happen if you implanted an Utsusemi in, say," I turn to the sleeping captive. "Eichi-san, over there? And what would happen if you then command him to return to his clan and slay the head, all while with this Ofuda plastered on his body?"

The realization hits, and a wide smile lifts his lips. "Then it'd be treason."

I grin.

There's a reason why Akeno and I have stayed put, despite having grown as we have. We're liaisons of the Youkai now; our presence holds weight. If we attack the Five Principal Clans, there will be consequences. We might have a reason to do it; they did break the pact first, but that'd still taint our image to the rest of the supernatural world.

If the Five Principal Clans just happens to 'mysteriously' disappear overnight, then that'd bring questions as well. Kyoto just so happens to be the closest to the village where the Five Principal Clans live, and there'd be suspicion cast on us, no matter our reasons and circumstances.

But what if, say, a certain Himejima Eichi returns to his clan, bitter over his lack of acknowledgement, and eventually begins fighting against his leader.

Well, that wouldn't be overly strange, would it?

Of course, it won't be that easy. The head of the Himejima Clan-, no, the heads of the Five Principal Clans are strong. Someone as weak as Eichi won't be able to do anything, even if he's enhanced by the Utsusemi possessing him.

We'll need something else. We'll need something more.

A 'revolution', from all manners of servants and members of the Five Principal Clans. Those unsatisfied with the treatment from above will rebel, and it'll be an all-out civil war against the heads. Or, at least, that's how the story will go.

That won't be enough, of course. Just having a 'revolt' is far from enough to bring down the high-ranking members of the five clans, let alone the heads. And that isn't even putting into consideration the divine beasts they control, the blessings they received from the gods, and the various monuments and totems that turn their village into a fortress.

But those are issues I'll be dealing with. Hanezu is there to act as the smokescreen. He'll be the excuse, and I'll work as the hidden blade.

For all this, we'll need a massive amount of resources. But it isn't as if Hanezu and his group are lacking in Utsusemis, and if I put my mind to it, I can probably make hundreds of Ofudas in a single day.

And if this does succeed, then there'll be no evidence linking the downfall of the Five Principal Clans with the Youkai in the slightest. Simply the 'revolt' of the oppressed catalyzed by the plan of one Himejima Hanezu.

The caveat though is that I can't let Hanezu win either. If he gets his way, those innocent will also be killed in the fight. And besides, completely destroying the Five Principal Clans will be harmful in the end.

The clans need to be remade from the ground up, not bulldozed.

And that isn't even mentioning all the people he's keeping locked up for his experiments.

But I don't worry about that. I have hundreds of ways to make sure Hanezu won't fully accomplish his goal either, ranging from the mildly unpleasant to the morbid.

"It's much more fun, isn't it?" I ask.

He turns to me, still unsettled, but now determined. "It is."

I smile. "Well!" I clap my hands. The roots hovering behind me fall limply onto the ground. "Here is what you must do: I will hand you a list of figures you must discreetly kidnap and implant with those artificial beings of yours. And once you do, you will present them all to me in a location I will soon reveal."

I raise a finger. "You must bring to me as many of these people as you can, and it must happen in five days." My smile turns sharp. "And on my mark, you will let these people loose on the Five Principal Clans, and we will watch the chaos." I extend my hand forward. "How does that sound?"

Why five days? Partly because having a large number of people disappear for too long will be suspicious, and partly because exam season will end in four days. This will be a pivotal moment for Akeno, and she's not going to miss it.

He smiles back as he shakes my hand. "It sounds like a deal."

I laugh, and let my smile turn just a little sharper. "Good! It means I don't need to maim you in the slightest right now."

He lets out an uncertain laugh at my 'joke'.

We spend a few more minutes discussing some minute details about our plan, and once that's over, Hanezu gives me an unsettled farewell as he takes the still sleeping Eichi with him and leaves.

And soon, the room descends into silence. I take a deep breath as I stare into the ceiling. It's just about dawn right now. I have about half an hour before I need to get home for breakfast.

I smile tiredly. Yasaka's awake right now, and I need someone I can talk to.

Knowing her, she'll probably enjoy everything I just did. She might be responsible for an entire hidden nation, but she's still a Kitsune. Pranks and chaos are her schtick.

So, giving my fingers a good crack, I leave the room.