The Abe house had been empty to begin with, and now its abject isolation washed over Akiko like never before. In her own home, in the hose of Fujiwara, there were occasionally days where she seldom saw anyone but her own servants. Even though the family members lived in different courtyards, she didn't feel isolated or lonely there. But the house of Abe was different... she had never felt so surrounded by the warmth of others. 

Everyday, she saw Masahiro off to the bureau, she helped out around the house here and there, and picked up a few new skills in the process. With Seimei's seemingly endless stories, time went by even more quickly, and before she knew it, Masahiro was home, and she greeted him at the door, daily and without fail. Sometimes, she would stealthly leave her quarters at night to see Masahiro off to his nightly patrol. But that life was a mere memory now.........

"Is Lady Akiko lonely?" Tenitsu asked without looking up. Startled out of her thoughts Akiko was quick to shake her head, yet after a moment, she looked away and then ever so slightly, nodded. They remained like this for a beat, the silence that stretched between them broken at last, by the sound of tears striking the fine woven mat. She yearned to see his face once more,... if only in dreams....

In the silence of the night, the hissing of the lantern seemed unusually loud, every hiss and gutter taking on a voice of its own. 

It was a minute before Akiko turned away, drying her tears with her silken sleeve.  "I apologize for this indignity." she said with her back to Tenitsu. 

Tenitsu only smiled sweetly. Her's was a gift of warmth and calm, her aura pervades like the warmth of spring, quelling the deepest of fears and calming storms of fury. Perhaps it the same gentle touch that inspired others to open up to her.

The book was closed with the bookmark untouched. 

Akiko stood. 

"It's late. Seimei will worry if I don't retire." She faced Tenitsu as she spoke, her eyes still glittering with tears, as she pulled open the door to the hallway. 

__________________________

A dark solemness pervaded the air, a forbidding, oppressiveness that only a cloudy starless night could inspire. Akiko sighed as she stared out into the moonless, starless night as she slowly made her way into the courtyard, 

"Hey! Lady!" 

The sudden voice seemed to echo through the darkness. Akiko started, looking around frantically as more voices piped up around her. 

"Lady! Over here!"

"Hey!"

"Over here! Look over here!"

Her gaze settled on the outer wall of the Seimei manor. There, at the top of the wall, countless small mononoke and spirits perched and struggled at its edge, craning their necks and waving their paws to capture her attention. Akiko stare in shock as one such small creature called out to her, " Hey! How about...." He trailed off as he slipped back along the incline of the tiles at the top of the wall, a flurry of scrabbling claws and a crackle of dry brambles announced his landing in the bushes outside. Seconds later, he was back again, pus.h.i.+ng and shoving the others at the top of the wall. "Can you let us inside?... Because ... out here...." and he was gone again. 

It was a second before he hopped up to the wall again. "Seimei's barrier starts here."

Gone again...... and back "We can't enter without explicit permission"

"Please?" 

"Please?"

The small crowd of mixed spirits and monooke continued to chatter and shout. Most people wouldn't have been able to see or hear them, to pa.s.serby mere inches away, they would be as calm and quiet as the night air. Akiko, however, found them hard to ignore. Should she invite them inside as requested? 

"Um....I... Uh... I have to ask Lord Seimei. "

"There's no need for that, If anyone causes any trouble, I'll see that they die gruesomely."

Akiko spun around in fear at a slight rustle behind her. The air s.h.i.+mmered as the tall figure of Suzaku appeared beside her. 

Suzaku cast an imposing look at the crowd of small creatures with his golden eyes, before he blinked in annoyance. 

"Tenki and I are present to guard the manor, but we need not trouble Tenki with such trival annoyances...." 

He paused as he suddenly turned to look back at the house, his voice losing its imposing edge as he continued. 

"...ah... um...well, you don't have to get up... you can ..uh... go sit over there."  

Inside the room, Tenitsu smiled as she once again took her seat. 

With that, Suzaku once again turned to gaze at the small spirits. 

"If you want to let them in, go ahead... We don't have the right to make these decisions, but the lady is not subject to these restrictions."

"Why?"

Was it because the s.h.i.+nshou, as the servants of Seimei needed express permission from their lord to act? 

Suzaku crossed his arms and took on a stern look before he replied.

"In time, Masahiro will inherit this manor. As one of the city's primary outposts for observing demonic activity, the spells and barriers of the manor will naturally also fall to his care. So, it's of no consequence."

'Of no consequence' ?!? What kind of logic was this? Under normal circ.u.mstances, only Seimei or Masahiro had the right to make these decisions.  

"But what about Lord Yos.h.i.+masa? "

"These decisions are to be made by Yos.h.i.+masa in the absence of Seimei and Masahiro. However, since we (the s.h.i.+nshou) are here, a decision from the lady will suffice as well."

__________________

Unable to muddle through Suzaku's bizarre logic, Akiko cast a troubled glance at Tenitsu through the open doorway.....but she only smiled back at her warmly.... perhaps she agreed with Suzaku? It was difficult to tell.

At the other side of the wall, having heard the exchange, the spirits whispered amongst themselves.... 

"The s.h.i.+shou have acknowledged the lady and her place."  

"It's only natrual... she'll become his wife soon. "

"The wife is in charge of all domestic matters in the manor...."

"We've never been allowed inside before....But I'm sure the lady will allow us."

"She can see us after all."

"She's always been kind to us."

"I'm sure she would invite us in from time to time... perhaps offer us a some snacks and fresh fruits. " 

Though much of it was conjuncture and wishful thinking, the small creatures were still intent on entering, scrabbling at the walls and pawing at the tiles for purchase. 

Akiko hesitated for a long time, unable to reach a decision, then, she looked back at Suzaku and Tenitsu,... and nodded slightly. 

"There's too many of you, and all of you coming inside would be troublesome, so you and you may enter." She pointed randomly into the small crowd, selecting a small plump creature with a single horn, and a monkey-like creature with a three part mane. 

"WOW!!!"

The two creatures rejoiced as other looked on with envy. A flash of light at the wall as the barrier parted for them, and they landed in the gra.s.sy boundary of the courtyard with a crash. The scampered to the Lady and made their way onto the walkway steps to sit at her feet, patting at the steps to beckon her to sit as well. 

Akiko sat down on the steps next to them, as Tenitsu retrieved a fine silken robe from in the room, draping it lightly across Akiko's shoulders. "Take care not to catch cold."

"Thank you"

"You're welcome."

Suzaku and Tenitsu moved away from them, to sit in the shadows several yards away. The scene grew quite,...but at some point, Suzaku's sword appeared at his side. Without a word, he pressed his aura forward, pressing on the small creatures. Akiko couldn't feel it, but he made sure the creatures knew.... ever aware that their heads will roll, should the first thoughts of harm cross their minds. 

The creatures looked back at Suzaku with unease. Their eyes met and the creatures looked away with a shudder. Even though they had no intent of harming the lady, such a threat was enough to make them both fidget uncomfortably. 

"What is it? " Akiko asked with a sidelong glance. 

"Well, it's your sister that currently lives at the palace, right? " The monkey-like creature looked up at her. 

" eh?... um.... well... " Akiko was at a loss for words. It was a secret that could not be whispered. No one in the palace knew.... how could these spirits have known? 

At Akiko's suspicious look, the small one horned creature stood, pus.h.i.+ng himself up on his stubby arms, and throwing out his chest with a certain pride. 

"We all know,... it's because you're here!"

He paused before continuing.

"We have friends everywhere, in the city, and near the palace too. We were surprised when the "Lady that could see spirits" couldn't see any of us, yet her sister of the same age that lived in the Seimei manor had quite the sharp set of eyes. It would be obvious to anyone! "

"It's common knowledge, even to the humans, that the lady of the Fujiwara family is gifted with eyes that see spirits."

"So that's it.... that's where the fatal flaw lies." Suzaku murmured as he emerged from the shadows. Beside him, Tenitsu nodded solemnly at her palefaced companion, her gaze settling on his sword. 

Suzaku's blade, the blade of flames, held the power to kill s.h.i.+nshou. While she had no knowledge of the events that had transpired when she was unconscious, she had heard of them from Tenko.  

Suzaku followed Tenitsu's gaze, his own eyes settling on his sword. At that time,....the blade of flames, having served it's purpose had returned to his side. That was the beginning of March. Suzaku would never forget that time.... it was when Tenitsu had emerged from the dark abyss and seemingly returned to life.... and through his sword, Suzaku had come to understand everything that transpired. The determination of Masahiro and Touda's final moments etched into the keen edge of the blade. When the sword returned to his side, it had been different. The restlessness of the living flame that once pulsed just beneath the bright metal was gone. Perhaps it had accomplished it's mission,..... and returned to it's place.....or.........................

Suzaku's eyes grew distant as he thought about it, at his side Tenitsu laid a hand on his shoulder. Off to the side, Akiko continued to chat with the creatures. 

"Only the humans are in the dark about this."

"Your sister in the palace seems to fall ill quite easily."

"Eh? " Akiko looked up in surprise. It was news to her. Suzaku and Tenitsu, however, seemed unsurprised. 

"You see..." the creature continued

"The lady that was to replace you originally had a lot of preparations for her entry into the palace.....but now she spends much of her time in bed...... she doesn't get up much anymore. "

"We heard it from the spirits that lived near the palace....."

"Since you guys are sisters, we thought we would be kind and relay the news to you......"

"We thought you might be kind enough to repay us with some delicious treats......"

"We like rice cakes... especially the kind with filling."

"Those are delicious........."

At the mention of food, the spirits outside chattered in excitement. 

Akiko was speechless. Behind her, Suzaku frowned as Tenitsu turned at the distant sound of foot steps.