Chapter Text
There was once a time when the name Kaedehara was known by all citizens of Inazuma. A clan of samurai whose technique with a blade was matched only by the Raiden Shogun herself. Their achievements have been permanently etched into the history books for centuries to come. Yet between a prolonged era of peace and internal mismanagement, the Kaedehara clan’s influence gradually waned. Slowly shrinking until only a single heir remained to claim that name. If Kazuha were to be completely honest he cares little for his ancestors' claims of fame. For he is more interested in walking among people than standing above them. He was silently relieved when it became for him to inherit the title of clan head and that the title was all that remained.
Except there is one other thing Kazuha ended up inheriting from his family. For his swordsmanship is indistinguishably that which the Kaedehara clan has refined to perfection over hundreds of years. Having learned how to hold a blade before a pen, Kazuha is undeniably a master of the art of battle. The contrast between that and his youthful features has led many to underestimate the wandering samurai. Only realizing their mistake when it is far too late.
Not only is his skill unmatched, but his senses are also far keener than what could be considered human. So fine-tuned to the warning signs of nature and how to interpret them that some have questioned if he can see the future. Simply put Kazuha is a genius of the likes that has not been seen in generations. That is why it’s not too rare for Katheryne to push the more peculiar commissions that make their way to her desk onto him.
“Seirai Island…” Kazuha tilts his head to the side, trying to recall the history lessons he was given in his childhood. He remembers snippets of how long ago the population on Seirai Island was evacuated, and how it’s remained abandoned ever since, but not much else. “That is one part of Inazuma I have yet to explore.”
“Then this is the perfect opportunity to do so.” Katheryne smiles, all too familiar with the samurai’s adventurous nature. She can still clearly remember when he first began taking on commissions and how he’d specifically request to be given ones around places that are often left untouched. But now is not the time to reminisce, there is a pressing matter that needs to be taken care of. “There is a permanent storm cloud above Seirai Island and recently several fishermen have reported that it appears to be growing. I’d like you to look into it.”
“The change of the seasons is just around the corner, but you would not ask this of me if you didn’t have a reason to be concerned.” Kazuha leans his arms against the guild reception desk. That can’t be all there is to this commission. Not when she only ever specifically seeks him out for jobs she deems too difficult for the average adventurer.
“Seirai Island contains an unusually high concentration of Electro energy. It’s not to the extent of Musoujin Gorge but it is still high enough that any sudden changes that occur are worth keeping an eye on. Since the island is also a hot spot of monster activity we can’t send just anyone out to investigate.”
So that’s why she wants him specifically for this job. With how attuned Kazuha is to the flow of nature he will be able to identify any elemental disturbances far faster than anyone else. Although it’s the winds that love Kazuha and that he loves in turn. For the winds are the most expressive part of nature. The way it gently wafts through his hair to show the serenity surrounding him, or the heavy breaths against his cheeks that forewarn of rain. Lightning on the other hand is far more stiff. It is as brief as it is violent. That isn’t to say there is no beauty behind the bolts that strike down but that they are far more recalcitrant than what he normally works with. That doesn’t mean he isn’t willing to try.
“Is this a time-sensitive job?” It would be a shame to visit a new place and not be able to take the time to appreciate its beauty. A poet never knows when inspiration will strike after all. However Kazuha will begrudgingly put aside his itch to compose haikus if this job needs to be done swiftly.
“That will largely depend on what you find. For example, if the storm is growing because the concentration of Electro energy is destabilizing then it’s better to report back sooner rather than later.” Katheryne shuts the book in front of her, having relayed all the relevant information she has for this commission. “Otherwise feel free to move at your own pace.”
That is all Kazuha needs to know. He does a quick check of what supplies he has on hand which doesn’t take long. The samurai often travels light, much to the chagrin of his friends. He doesn’t feel the need to carry more than his katana, a few cooking utensils, a whetstone, a waterskin, and a few changes of clothes. Everything else Kazuha could ever need he can find out in the wilderness. Such a humble way of living suits him just fine.
Making sure his few possessions are in perfect condition is easy. Figuring out how to get to Seirai island on the other hand is a bit more complicated. It’s an island that boats don’t regularly dock on. In fact, it seems the only people that venture there are either adventurers or people of questionable nature. Through a bit of negotiating Kazuha is able to acquire a small boat. He’s no expert at steering a boat through the open sea but the waters are calm enough that the ride is relatively smooth.
There’s an invisible line out in the ocean. The only reason Kazuha became aware of its presence is because a jolt shot down his spine the moment he passed it. The tingle of Electro buzzes against his skin. Weak enough to be harmless but strong enough that it’s difficult to ignore. The samurai gazes up towards the dark clouds circling the island. They swirl in on each other, converging onto a single point. Thunder angrily rumbles against Kazuha’s sensitive ears. Each beat of the drum is shortly followed by a purple streak that arcs across the thick plumes. It’s so loud. Kazuha can’t recall a thunderstorm that’s ever been so deafening. If the storm had a will of its own, he’d say it’s screaming right now.
The current helps push his boat onto the beach. Once Kazuha’s feet touch the sand he drags the boat completely out of the water. Just in case the tides rise he tugs it all the way up to where grass sprouts out from more solid ground. He notes how the grass is a different color from Narukami island, while the leaves on the trees bear a purple hue. No doubt influenced by the static buzzing in the air. Yet as far as Kazuha can tell the Electro levels in the area don’t seem to be dangerously high.
He kneels down and grabs a fistful of dirt. Letting it sift through his fingers. The samurai fully expected it to shock his fingers. Instead it feels relatively normal. He moves back across the sand to the water’s edge to dip his fingers into the ocean. Likewise he can’t detect anything out of the ordinary from it. It seems the high density of Electro energy is only present in the air and nothing else. That’s a good sign.
Walking farther inland Kazuha finds an old path. It’s gradually being overtaken by weeds but still intact enough for him to follow it with relative ease. It leads him down to where a village once flourished. The buildings that it was once made of have collapsed onto themselves, their rotting wooden frames unable to support their weight. He can make out what must have been a farm. The crops have completely overgrown and broken free from the fences. There is something fascinating about seeing the fate that befalls man-made structures when there are no people left to maintain them. How they break down and are slowly reclaimed by nature.
Between the beats of the roaring thunder, a quieter shuffling through the underbrush reaches Kazuha’s ears. He turns back towards the overgrown farms to see a patch of leaves shifting. From the foliage a round head emerges. Orange fur contrasts heavily with the cold undertones that make up Serai Island. The cat stares up at the samurai with it’s wide amber eyes.
“Hello there.” Kazuha kneels down and offers his hand to the surprised feline. “You must be strong to survive in a place like this.”
The cat curiously approaches him, sniffing his fingers. When it deems he is no threat it rubs its cheek against them. Kazuha scratches behind the cat’s ears. Of all the things he expected to run into here, a small friend was not one of them. This must be the descendant of a housecat that once belonged to a resident in this village. It’s actually pretty sad to think about. When the island was evacuated not only were the people forced to abandon their belongings but their pets too. Did they understand why their humans left? Were they afraid as they braved the disaster that consumed this island? Whatever the case is, they managed to survive and thrive on their own. The fact that there is a cat here now is proof of that.
The orange cat chirps, drawing Kazuha out of his musings. It bounds away from him and at first he thinks the cat is leaving. Instead it stops before turning back to look at him, tail raised. Getting the message the samurai pushes himself back onto his feet. The cat happily mewls and continues down the path, leading him to an unknown destination. They pass under a torii gate, the paint covering it chipping away yet it still stands tall. Further down is a second one with two more cats lazing against it. They lift their heads as he walks past them.
The first cat continues to lead him forward, across where the water is only ankle deep and towards an isolated little corner of the island. Just like when Kazuha was sailing towards Seirai Island he crosses an invisible barrier. Except this time the Electro energy tingling his skin disappears. The grass covering this isolated plateau is a more normal shade of green while the trees bloom with pink petals. A shrine stands proud having managed to survive the test of time.
In a way it feels like Kazuha had just stumbled across an oasis in a desert. Except in this case it’s a patch of land free of the rampant Electro energy that plagues the rest of Seirai Island. Here the thunderous roars from the clouds aren’t anywhere near as deafening either. It truly is a sanctuary. A safe haven guarding the shrine built in the shadow of an old sakura tree.
It’s also home to dozens of cats. Some of them fearlessly walk up to the intruder while others cautiously watch from afar. They all seem to be well-fed for a group of strays that live on a monster-ridden island. Actually now that Kazuha thinks about it, they’re also surprisingly friendly for supposedly not having encountered a human throughout their short lives. Could it be that someone has actually been coming here and feeding them? Kazuha can’t think of any other way they’d be able to thrive in a place like this with these numbers.
“Oh? What’s this?”
A voice that sounds surprisingly close reaches Kazuha’s ears. No matter which way he looks he cannot discern where it came from. That is until he chances a look down. Among the cats crowding around him a black one with bright golden eyes calmly sits. There’s an air of what he can only think to describe as divinity surrounding this particular cat.
“It’s been long since a human visited this shrine.” The voice sounds again and at the same time, the black cat’s mouth moves along with it.
The samurai feels his brows shoot straight up to his hairline. A talking cat. It sounds like something straight out of a novel. Then again it is said that the kitsune could speak once upon a time, back when the Kitsune Saiguu still walked among men. Perhaps this is similar to that? No matter, this is an opportunity to learn more about this place. Kazuha gets down onto his knees to be closer to eye level with the cat. Bowing his head as he does so.
“My name is Kaedehara Kazuha, it is an honor to meet you Lady…?” Kazuha trails off both because he does not know the cat’s name and if it’s considered polite to refer to a talking cat as “lady”. He just sort of institutionally did it, a habit he never shook off from his days among the shogunate.
“This one is called Neko, provisional Head Priestess of the Asase Shrine.” What a cute name for a cat. Neko returns his bow with her own. “Kazuha human, since you are here this one would like to ask for your assistance quite urgently.”
“That depends on what you want from me, and only if you are willing to give a favor in turn.” Contrary to what many might think of him, Kazuha is not the type to blindly agree to help others. Especially under circumstances as strange as this.
“Very well, a favor for a favor.” Neko stands up and trots up toward the shrine.
Kazuha follows behind her. The shrine is not in anywhere near as poor condition as the abandoned village is but it could definitely use a few touches. Like the torii gates the paint on it has almost completely chipped off. The floorboards are covered in leaves, cat fur, and possibly other substances that are better left unnamed. Neko hops onto the counter where a shrine maiden would be stationed had this place not been left to slowly rot away.
“You see humans used to come to this shrine every day and give mora to the offering box but now no humans come.” The cat settles down against the faded wood. She looks like she’s right at home here. “They stopped coming when the box became damaged, so it stands to reason people will start coming again once it is fixed. But mine paws are unable to accomplish such a task. So that is where you come in.”
Ah so Neko wants him to help her restore the shrine back to its previous glory. Although her logic seems to be, to put it politely, flawed on several levels. It’s not as simple as cleaning the place up. Nowadays Seirai Island has a reputation of being an inhospitable wasteland. Which is not something that Kazuha will be able to change. He supposes he could try relaying Neko’s wish to Katheryne once he’s done here.
“I can fix the offering box but it will take more than that for people to return.” First Kazuha needs to make sure this little lady understands that her wish will not come so easily.
“And what else needs to be done then Kazuha human?” Neko’s ear flicks as she gazes up at him. Though her face is not as expressive as a human’s, he can still make out her eagerness.
“The rampant storms are what’s scaring people away and they’ve recently started getting worse.” So long as the danger of the rampant Electro energy remains, these lands will never be inhabited by humans again. Until that is dealt with, there’s no point in fixing the shrine. “Would you happen to know anything about that?”
“The storms?” Neko looks out into the horizon, up at the dark clouds circling the island beyond the borders of this small safe haven. Her tail flicks rapidly behind her as a realization hits her. “Bah! I should’ve known it was that brat’s fault. This one would give him a good scratching if he wouldn’t make this one’s fur all tingly.”
“And who would “he” be?” Kazuha subconsciously reaches for his blade. If a person is making the storms grow worse then that complicates matters significantly. Katheryne had only asked him to investigate this issue so he technically does not actually need to confront that person. But she also did tell him to handle that investigation however he feels is best.
“The god that watches over this shrine.” Neko’s words crush the fighting spirit sprouting within the samurai. “He is called Kunikuzushi. Those purple, tingling, hair-raising things are his doing.”
Kunikuzushi? As in, country destroyer? That is an extremely worrying name for a god to have. It’s also a deity Kazuha can’t say he’s ever heard of before now. He doubts Katheryne or the guild knows about this either otherwise she would have warned him. Rather this no longer seems to be the type of issue that can be dealt with by a mere adventurer. This is an issue that needs to be brought to the attention of the shogunate.
And yet, curiosity pulls at Kazuha. He has heard many tales of gods throughout his travels, of both the Inazuman deities and those of other countries, and how closely tied they are to nature. As someone who considers himself to also have close ties to nature, he has always wanted to meet one such god. However they are all secluded creatures. Fickle and impossible to track down. Inazuma’s very own Electro Archon lives in the capital city yet none outside of those allowed within Tenshukaku can claim to have ever seen her. In fact, now that Kazuha is thinking of her, shouldn’t she have done something about this other deity by now if he is a threat to Inazuma?
“Kunikuzushi must be a fearsome god then.” Kazuha decides to wait and see for a bit longer before coming to a decision on how to proceed.
“Hmph, no matter how strong a brat is still a brat. That one has no sense of respect. Why every time he stops by, he picks this one up and calls this one humiliating names.” Neko’s ears tilt back and her tail wags angrily behind her. “But this one supposes it is a small price to pay for his protection.”
The description she gives makes the samurai think of one of his friends. How he would always have to stop and coo whenever they came across a stray whenever they travel together. It doesn’t sound like Neko is on bad terms with this god. There must be a reason why he is cloaking the island beneath his might.
“Do you think he would be willing to speak with me?” If Kazuha can come to an understanding with this god then that will make things simple. If not then he’ll figure something else out.
“Kunikuzushi often says harsh things but he does not shy away from chatting.” Neko shifts to a sitting position. She lifts one of her paws and points it out toward a crop of mountains. “Between those spiky rocks is a lake. That is Kunikuzushi’s home. The purple-tingling things are much stronger there so this one can’t go to it. Since you have a glowy orb you should be fine.”
“When I’m done talking to him I’ll come back and take a look at the offering box.” Even if fixing up the shrine won’t bring people back it also wouldn’t hurt to do either. Especially if that will make its furry residents happier. Kazuha also wants to talk more with its caretaker.
“While you’re there, tell Kunikuzushi it would make the children happy if he came over to play more often.” Neko waves the samurai off, settling back down to nap while she awaits his return.
Kazuha bows to the Head Priestess before turning around to head off. Though outwardly he’s managing to keep a calm disposition internally his heart is hammering in his ears. The samurai doesn’t know if it’s from fear, excitement, or a mix of both. What he can say is that whatever the case may be it makes his nerves twitch with the urge to move. To run and leap from tree to tree, to dive into the water just to feel the cool liquid against his skin.
Kazuha has not been this restless since his distant childhood when he was still confined to the area surrounding his clan’s estate. No matter how hard the handful of servants tried, they could never keep him from exploring the surrounding woods. They did however convince Kazuha to not stray too far. Each time he would gaze out past the invisible line they had drawn. Feeling like a bird trapped in a cage, waiting for the day he could spread his wings and fly. What Kazuha is feeling now isn’t the same as that but it carries the same weight behind it. It’s telling him to meet this mysterious god while he has the chance. So that’s exactly what he’s going to do.