"Sen!" Yuzuha jumped up when he entered the guest room and quickly grabbed him by the shoulders, "Are you okay? Where in the hell did you run off to?"

"Watatsumikome's tomb," Sen supplied, prompting a concerned look from Emi.

"In this weather? Are you insane?" The nun quickly stood up and placed a hand to his forehead. "Thank the kami you don't have a fever..."

"Do you have a fever?" Naoyuki asked without ever standing up as he looked at Maru.

"Uh... No?"

"Then I don't care."

Nobuhiko slowly turned him and frowned, "Why are you always like this? I am happy that you're alright, Maru."

Naoyuki slowly turned his head to Nobuhiko with a half disgusted look, "Suck up."

Avery stood up and walked over to Maru with a smile, "Glad you're back."

Maru smiled and patted his arm before he turned to look over at Sen's group. They were all huddled around him and peppering him with questions about where he was and where Hashi was now, and part of him was reminded once again of his days in Kai. The closest he had been to that was his own happy little group, and frankly, he appreciated their concern.

"Maru," one of the voices drew his attention to Sen's group, and he saw Emi smiling at him. "Thank you for watching over Sen."

Maru wasn't particularly expecting that, but Hachirou also smiled and nodded at him as well. Yuzuha was glaring at him like usual, but he felt like it was lacking its usual bite. He smiled back with a small nod of his own before he joined his friends on the floor. It was when he was looking at the group that he realized that Aoi was missing. "Where's the old man?"

Nobuhiko spoke up first, "He went to speak with Lord Otomo and his father. He needed to speak with him about things that we apparently don't need to know."

"If Aoi feels like we don't need to be privy, then I trust his judgment," Emi chimed in with a nod.

Sen felt like all of the energy was leaving his body. He slumped against Yuzuha with a small groan, and she turned to look at him. "Hey," her voice softened as she turned to look at him, her hand going to the cheek that wasn't slumped against her shoulder, "are you alright?"

"My head feels like someone hit it with a mallet," Sen grumbled as he righted himself to keep people from staring at him. "That and... I'm tired."

---

Maru awoke the next morning to find everyone up but Sen. The quiet man was conspicuously absent from the assembled group the next morning, and even Hashi was still gone. He joined them sitting down to see Emi sitting next to Avery, drawing out images on a piece of paper and saying words after them like she was teaching a child to read. He saw Yuzuha propped up on a stack of tatami mats as she sharpened her naginata, and Nobuhiko sat nearby polishing his own sword, occasionally looking over at her to talk from time to time. She didn't seemed too impressed, but he also noticed that she wasn't trying to attack him either. Naoyuki was sitting just beyond the door, eyes locked on the stormy sky above as he stood on the veranda overlooking the estate grounds. Maru joined him, peering up from under the overhang to look at the rolling dark clouds above.

"Maru, I'm going to be honest," Naoyuki spoke without ever looking down from the clouds, "I'm not a super superstitious person, but... I genuinely think there's something going on on this island."

"You really believe the story about the bead?"

"Listen..." Naoyuki dropped his head and shook it before he looked over at Maru, "it's... It's just... I don't know. You don't think this is all weird? The magatama gets stolen, then umibozu show up, yokai come back... That's a lot of coincidences."

"It's just a storm, Naoyuki," Maru turned to look back up at the clouds, but even he was beginning to think that something was going on. Before the whole incident with Sen, he figured that he would have felt differently. Now, though...

"It's not the first time Sen has had visions," Naoyuki's voice startled him. Maru looked over and saw him also looking skyward, his arms folded over his chest as he continued, "And yesterday seemed more intense than what his friends have seen."

"You got them to talk?"

"After Sen bunked down, yeah. The nun told me everything. Maru... I'm having a really hard time not seeing the threads connecting things right now."

Before Maru could find a way to reply, the door to the room slid open and Sen appeared. He looked like hell with dark rings under his eyes and his skin looking clammy, almost like he had a fever. Maru was about to ask what was wrong when Yuzuha jumped up and went over to him immediately. "Sen... by the Kami, you... you look like shit."

"I feel like shit," Sen grumbled as he trudged past her and sat down beside Emi, whose hand immediately went to his forehead.

The truth of it was that Sen felt like someone was beating on the inside of his head with drumsticks. He had quietly hoped that sleep would have helped, but nothing had worked.

"You're burning up," Emi placed both hands on his jaw and furrowed her brow. "Maybe you should go back to sleep for now."

"Where's Hashi?" Sen asked as he looked around. He hadn't seen him since last night, and he was starting to get worried. "Did he ever finish with Hoshiga?"

Yuzuha watched him briefly before she shook her head and Hachirou took over, "He's been with him all night. Neither of them have left that back room. Lord Otomo is getting concerned for both of them, but he apparently can't get in. The Gyoubu has the door sealed shut."

"Whatever they're doing seems pretty intensive," Nobuhiko nodded from where he sat. "I wouldn't worry too much, though. The Gyoubu has quite the reputation. I'm sure he'll be able to find out how to help Hashi."

"I'm more worried about you," Yuzuha placed a hand to his forehead again and frowned. Sen closed his eyes, happy with how cool her hands felt against his burning forehead, and leaned into her hand. "Sen, what exactly happened yesterday? You've been a mess since then."

"Let him rest for now," Emi stood up and took him by the arm before turning with a nod to Yuzuha. "I'll take him to his room."

Maru watched as the nun led him away, and he briefly glanced in Yuzuha's direction. For as rough as she could be, she certainly seemed to have a soft spot for Sen, if no one else. She looked genuinely upset as he left the room and promptly and pointedly returned to sharpening her naginata. Nobuhiko shot her a glance before clearing his throat, "I'm sure he'll be-"

"Shut up," Yuzuha growled as she kept her attention focused exclusively on her weapon.

---

Sen laid in the darkness of the room after Emi had left him. There was a bowl of soup she had made laying beside him when his appetite returned, but the only thing that returned was the sharp ringing and the clamoring of whispers in his mind. Something was there, pounding behind his eyes like an animal slamming against the bars of its cage. He tried to ignore it and let sleep take him, but no matter what he did, he couldn't. Voices overlapped inside of his mind, one over another, and he could make some of them out.

 The Lady's magatama...

A gift from the Dragon King...

He's just a child...

A demon spawn...

Sen, you have to try to stop it-!

Let me out, Wolf.

Sen, the voice sounded so much like Myugou, you have to fight it!

He faded again into blackness and felt like he was falling. Only this time, it wasn't into sleep.

---

"There's been an attack!" Aoi started when one of Tsukiyoru's men burst into the room bleeding from a large gash on his forehead. "The Sayonakidori attacked Lord Ashimatsu! We think that they're getting ready to attack the estate!"

Tsukiyoru jumped up from his seat and swore quietly as the man bolted from the doorway. "Lord Aoigahara, might I request your sword arm and that of your companions? We'll need all the help we can get."

"Of course, my lord," Aoi stood up with a nod and sprinted from the room. He heard the sound of feet slamming into the wood as warriors scrambled all across the estate, and the sound of a horagai was heard across the compound. He slammed the door to the room where his companions were resting open, startling every single one of them, and whistled sharply to get their attentions, "We're getting attacked by nightingales. Get your gear. We're helping!"

Everyone sprang into action at once at the call to arms. "Emi and I will remain here to ensure the safety of the staff," Hachirou nodded as he grabbed his naginata. "Call for me if I'm needed, and I'll be there."

As everyone made their way to grab their weapons and armor, Maru paused when he stepped out onto the veranda and caught sight of someone stumbling down the nearby stairs out from one of the guest areas. At first, he wasn't sure who it was until they reached the outer wall of the estate when he finally recognized the sword the figure was holding. He watched as Sen stumbled out of the small servant's entrance, odachi in hand, and he glanced back over his shoulder at the group. Tsukiyoru was going to need all the heavy hitters, and he couldn't ask them to drop the defense. He was fast, he could be stealthy, and he knew what was going on with Sen better than just about anyone else. Without a word, he slipped out of the back door and took off after Sen, who had somehow managed to put a decent amount of distance between himself and the estate. He was moving surprisingly fast for a half dead man, and it took Maru a small amount of time pushing his way through the sparse woods to finally catch up with him. When he did, he was more than a little stunned at what he found. 

He saw Sen standing there in nothing but his kosode, feet and legs covered in mud, and his odachi held limply in his hand. He had found the Sayonakidori camp. How, Maru had no idea, but moving out of the tents and the old forgotten storehouses were several heavily armed members of his order. The sect on Kyushu was heavily armored and heavily armed, with Maru seeing each member outfitted with no fewer than three weapons each. There were six of them total. A rear guard, Maru guessed as he hid partially behind a tree nearby to see what was going to happen.

"Hey," one of them called out as they approached, hands going to their kusarigama as they closed in on Sen, "who in the hell are you?"

"The magatama," Sen's voice sounded different, and at first Maru wasn't even sure that it was him. "Give it to me."

Another of the men laughed, "Oh, great. It's another one of those."

"Get out of here," one of the women spoke as Maru saw her unhook the kusarigama from her hip. "Last thing we need to be doing is killing more of you stupid locals."

"Give me," Maru stepped out from behind the tree as he saw Sen unsheathe his naginata, the other man's voice a low snarl, "the magatama."

"Sayu... What's wrong with his eyes?" The first man turned to the woman, but before any of them could respond, Sen lunged forward with a speed that was almost inhuman.

He swung his odachi with one arm and sliced off the woman's arm holding the kusarigama before catching the blade of the second man with his bare hand. "What in the hell-?" Sen jerked the man towards him and slammed himself into him, wrenching the blade away from him while still holding it by the blade. He drove the katana into the woman's chest before swinging the odachi completely around and slicing the man's head off in one smooth motion.

Maru ran forward to try and do something, but Sen was cutting the Sayonakidori down one by one with a speed and strength that was almost inhuman. He eventually had the first man pinned down on the ground, the tip of the odachi hovering just over his neck. "The magatama," Sen growled as Maru sprinted up to him. "Give it to me."

"I-it-it's in the box in the back! Please!" The first Sayonakidori held his hand up, but rather than let him go, Sen slammed the odachi down and stepped over his corpse. 

Maru watched him vanish into the old storehouse and heard a series of crashing noises before Sen remerged and he saw his face for the very first time. His eyes were glowing a bright amber like that of so many yokai he had seen. Blood trickled from his nose in sticky rivulets, and there was a look on his face that genuinely scared Maru.

"Sen?" Maru asked hesitantly, stepping slightly forward before Sen pulled his lips back in a near snarl that made him stop. "Sen? It's Maru. Listen, the estate is under attack by the Sayonakidori. We need to get back."

A look of confusion briefly crossed Sen's face before he grimaced, and then, when he shook his head and reopened his eyes, Maru saw his eyes change back. The golden glow faded away, and that look in his eye was gone completely, now replaced by a look of genuine surprise. He collapsed to his hands and knees, chest heaving and blood dripping from his nose as Maru stood before him, utterly dumbfounded by what he just saw. Sen snapped his head up to look at him and saw Maru take a step back. "Whatever you do," he spoke as he crawled towards him on his hands and knees, unable to stand, "please, don't tell my friends." He reached up and grabbed ahold of Maru's hakama, "Please..."

"Sen... What in the fuck did I just witness?" Maru gestured to the dead Sayonakidori scattered around with a shake of his head. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Sen snarled out as he shut his eyes tight, attempting to block out the ever creeping memories of what happened to Hamu that came crawling back into his mind. His breathing picked up as he opened his eyes again, "I don't fucking know! I wasn't ever supposed to let this happen again, but I couldn't..." 

Maru saw Sen's hand tighten as he began to hyperventilate on the ground below him. He had no idea what to do. He dropped down onto his knees and took Sen by the shoulders, "Sen, Sen, look at me." At the sound of his voice, Sen raised his head, and the look on his face spoke of frustration and... terror, of all emotions. "You're okay. I won't say anything, but you need to calm down. You have the magatama. This is all over."

Sen looked down at his hand and, sure enough, clutched there in his palm was a magatama of the most beautiful blue he had ever seen. The texture was smooth, but he could feel where it had once been rough from small pockmarks on its surface. Beads made of old stone and bone hung from the metal chain which held them all together, an old rusted thing that was barely holding together. It hummed and pulsed in his hand like a beating heart, and something about it put him at ease even as the whispers passed by his ears. Thunder still rumbled loudly overhead and lightning snapped through the sky like a bright whip, cracking and sending shudders through the old wooden buildings as it went, but the only thing Sen could think about was how that magatama was the same one he saw in his vision. It had to have been hundreds of years old, but it felt so alive.

"We need to get back," Maru spoke as he hefted Sen to his feet and gestured for him to wipe his nose. "The others are going to be worried sick about you, and I get the feeling that the Sayonakidori aren't going to let this slide."

---

Maru paused when the estate was back in sight and looked down. For grabbing the blade of that sword like he did, Sen only had a small cut across the heel of his hand. He had seen Masakage perform a similar feat before, and the older samurai had casually said it was all about how you grabbed the blade that mattered. Maru figured that there was more to it than that, but he never got around to asking. He hauled Sen with him back through the servant's gate and soon found the group battling it out around the massive tree in the heart of the compound. He hadn't expected them to get so deep so quickly, but he honestly wondered what the hunters were looking for.

He propped Sen up against the wall and reached for his sword, "Stay put. If anyone come at you..."

"Stab them," Sen grunted as he readied his odachi. Maru had to give him credit, for doing whatever he did before, he was pulling through it remarkably well. Sen was nothing if not resilient.

Maru jumped into the fray, and Sen was more irritated than anything that all he could do was stand there and watch while his friends fought off the intruders. His eyes found Yuzuha first. She was managing to fight two men off at once, but she didn't see the third slink up behind her. "Yuzuha!" Sen pushed himself up off the wall and ran as fast as his shaky legs could take him, swing his odachi wide to hit the man, only to stumble forward himself and land on his knees. 

Yuzuha glanced over her shoulder and saw him and the now dead Sayonakidori, and she quickly dispatched the other two before turning to him and hauling him to his feet by the arm. "Sen! Are you alright?"

"Alright enough!"

"Stay behind me," She placed herself between him and the enemies with a spin of her naginata as she widened her stance again. "You're not well enough to do the heavy lifting."

A loud crack from the roof made them look up to see Naoyuki reloading as another Sayonakidori dropped in front of them, and a loud crash heralded two of them flying through a nearby door as Hachirou appeared and slammed the shaft of his naginata into the wooden walkway with a mighty roar. Sen looked around and caught sight of Nobuhiko and his spear alongside Tsukiyoru and Aoi, the three of them absolutely dancing circles around the demon hunters.

That was, until an insect like clicking noise filled the air.

"The shinchu!" One of the hunters shouted before the clicking noise became a tremoring shriek.

The Sayonakidori froze, and Sen saw their eyes become riveted to the tree behind them. When Sen turned, he saw what it was. Climbing down the tree on six massive legs was a shinchu. It's body was almost human, but on its back were mottled moth wings and glowing antennae sprouted forth from its forehead, emitting a faint glow of dust as it stalked down the tree. Its body was wrapped in what seemed to be a hard outer carapace, and its vaguely human head opened into a wide mouth complete with mandibles and rows of sharp teeth. Thick hair hung from its head, and when it spoke, it did so in the tongue of yokai that Sen vaguely understood before it changed to speaking in human speech.

"You come to my land," its voice resonated through the space as it continued down the tree, dropping heavily to the ground before rising to stand on two legs, "you endanger my people, and you refuse to stop Namikionna. Interlopers, you will find no mercy from me!"

Maru recognized the voice, however. "Hoshiga?"

With a shriek, the shinchu lunged forward at speeds so fast that it appeared no more than a blur before it plunged down onto one of the Sayonakidori and but down hard on its neck. Sen watched as the woman's body caught in the yokai's jaws began to shrivel up into a mummified husk before it was dropped to the ground. Some of them launched talismans at the yokai, and though they slapped onto its multi-jointed limbs and seemed to burn, the yokai continued on its rampage. It tore through the ground, biting and sucking the very life from each of the hunters in turn, sending those who tried to help their comrades flying away with great flaps of its pale green mottled wings. One by one, the invading party fell to the mighty shinchu until not a single one of them was left as little more than dismembered bodies and dried husks.

"Hoshiga!" Tsukiyoru dropped his sword and rushed to the main courtyard, where the shinchu paused with great breaths and turned to look at him.

The yokai shifted back with a grunt, its wings wrapping around its body to become clothes, and soon what stood before them was not a shinchu anymore, but a man. The only thing missing from Hoshiga's ensemble was his zukin, and soon, everyone saw why he wore it. When he turned, what faced them was a man, but the sides of his mouth were cut wide back to accommodate mandibles that covered a thin line of his cheek back to just before his ear. "Forgive me," he sighed as he touched one side of his face with a frown. "My glamour is capable of hiding much of my body, but I fear that my mouth is the one thing it cannot disguise very well." Indeed, it was the only section of his body that hinted at him not being human that Sen could see.

Tsukiyoru rushed past them and took his diviner by the arms, "Hoshiga! Are you hurt? I saw the onmyodo..."

"I am fine, my lord. You needn't worry on my account. Forgive me for causing you worry," Hoshiga dipped his head ever so slightly in apology before Tsukiyoru produced his Zukin and began to place it back on his head.

Sen saw him pause before Tsukiyoru replaced the face veil and bring his hand up to rest it on the yokai's neck. "You mustn't throw yourself so carelessly into harm's way. Bushin needs you..." The lord paused briefly before he seemed to meet his eyes, "I need you."

Hoshiga smiled and brought one hand up to place it on Tsukiyoru's wrist, "And I won't ever abandon you. You know this." He lowered Tsukiyoru's hand and reattached his face veil before nodding turning his attention to the group, "I do believe that we have much to discuss, particularly with what I discovered in my session with Hashioni. There are things that I would classify as rather urgent."