Kyuden Shika

Soyokaze took the cup. "I have to be careful, I have a blade to forge...and Ishioka has nefarious plans for me later I think." The words a mixture of sarcasm and dread.

"Oh, ol' rumblethroat huh? What's he got you doing?" he asked after sipping. "He's not asking you to forge a blade he's going to kill your cousins with, is he?"

"No the blade is for another. He is hosting so kind of party and the sake house and is twisting my arm to go. So I can meet new people. And while i am there doing nothing I fully expect Murato will be somewhere romantic with Bai-san."

He shrugged. "I understand the worry, but if you can't enjoy a simple moment out of jealousy and fear, it isn't Kaito-san you should be concerned with."

"I don't know what I'm doing or should be doing." His words rang with defeat.

"Go there, be polite, be kind, don't complain", he said. "If you can do that, you're ten steps ahead of just about everyone else." He drank. "Kaito-san will take care of herself, she doesn't seem the type to put up with someone's crap."

"You make it sound sooo easy Hikimasu-san."

"Who said that was easy?" He asked the Crane. "People will push you, make you uncomfortable, then blame you when you make your feelings on it known." He put his cup down. "How is that easy? I'm not suggesting you do something easy. Easy is running away, easy is just going along with something you hate to avoid a fuss, easy is complaining instead of fighting for something."

No point of this has been easy even the parts that should have were failures. Just my gift-giving to Shika-sama and that stupid kemari event have gone well for me. I am of a mind to approach Doji Oharu-sama and ask him if this is all a joke."

"Hasn't been easy for a lot of people, how do you think Seppun Yuzu-sama feels?"