(D3, ME) Play... in the Rain

[Kitsu Murato]

"It may be potentially rude to say this, but there is a Seppun Unsei here. I only introduced myself but I could not tell if they were male or female, but seemed interested in a male crane as much as I could tell from observation."

[Kitsuki Hajime]

"Kitsu-sama is kind to point out this person." Hajime bowed in gratitude. "If there is something that I can do for Kitsu-sama, he need only ask."

[Kitsu Murato]

"Perhaps share a meal with me during the miai?" he asks with a polite smile. "While I am not actively seeking a husband, I see no reason why I should not get to know someone that may end up as such if the Shika guide things that way." He seems to honestly respect the belief that the Deer may know better.

[Kitsuki Hajime]

Hajime's cheeks colored again. He really needed to work on that.

"I would be delighted, Kitsu-sama. Perhaps tomorrow evening?"

[Kitsu Murato]

He nods his agreement. "I will send details when I sort them out tomorrow, Kitsuki-san. But dinner is tomorrow, for tonight we have a lovely garden and pleasant company. Tell me about your home? What temples and shrines are nearby?"

[Kitsuki Hajime]

Hajime smiled. "I may have to charge you for that information, I am afraid, Matsu-sama. I've written something like 8 cycles of poetry on the subject of the shrines in Lord Shunsuke's domain, and he might be somewhat upset to learn that he was missing revenue. But let's not let that worry us too much."

He waved off the issue with a flick of the wrist.

"Now...there's a particularly lovely Shinden on Black Swan Mountain. It's dedicated to the mountain's spirit, with secondary shrines to Konohama, because there are white flowers that can grow above the treeline on the mountainside. In winter and early spring, the mountaintop is covered in snow. But in late spring and summer, when the snows have melted, then the white snow is replaced with a thousand thousand white blossoms. From a distance, well, from my lord's castle, it seems as though the snow has never left.

And then there's the shrine of Fukurokujin at the edge of Seven Winter Lake--so called because it has only frozen over seven times in the history of the Dragon clan. The shrine is quite tall, with an arch that springs from two trees said to have been planted by Togashi-no-kami himself. It serves, as many such temples do, as a repository for gathered wisdom and research materials, though only three of the four buildings are given over to the library. The fourth has never been in use, but was partially sunk into the lake to suggest that the shrine melds waters and earth and continues under the surface."

He smiled at the memory. "Those are my favorites, anyway. There are some dozen others. We tend to go in for shrines, as a clan. I imagine Shiro sano Ken Hayai has shrines aplenty of its own?"

[Kitsu Murato]

"There are a good number, yes. Many dedicated to honored ancestors and heroes of the past," he says with a nod. "I have been to all of them enough times that I may be able to walk around them blindfolded. I find a great deal of peace and comfort being near them, as does Taiko-san," he says with a nod.

"Ahh... sorry, Kitsu Taiko-no-shiryo. He hangs around me most of the time," Murato clarifies. And then continues as though nothing seemed out of place.

"I am particularly fond of the shrine dedicated to Akodo Keiichi. It is built not too far from the Kawa Shishi-o. His story is an interesting one, but the shrine itself is designed to intentionally withstand regular flooding to honor his most famous military action. Young Lion bushi will visit there when it is known that a storm is coming to sit upon the standing stones for the duration of the flood. When it settles back down the students will leave their handprints in the mud which will dry and then last until the next flood. It's fun to visit and see how many students tested themselves during the most recent storm."

[Kitsuki Hajime]

"It sounds a wonderful place, Kitsu-sama. And quite a feat of courage to face a flood, even in a building designed for it."

He paused, as though weighing the propriety of his next question. "Is Kitsu Taiko an ancestor of yours, Kitsu-sama?"

[Kitsu Murato]

"He is an ancestor of the clan, but he died in battle before he had any children," Murato explains. "But I aided him by locating his long lost body so it might be laid to rest, and I took up his blade at his request. So now he hangs around and scolds me when I get into trouble and guides me with a stern expression during training. He's a good guy even if he's a bit demanding."

[Kitsuki Hajime]

Needless to say, Hajime was stunned. "A grand adventure...my goodness! My lord barely let me accept the invitation to Winter Court. I cannot imagine that he would let me seek a long-lost ancestor's body. Truly, you are very fortunate, Kitsu-sama. ...And a little heroic, besides."