Visiting ones family could be painful. Shakai pondered on those who would go back home to see their elderly parents and feeling deep sadness as more hairs turned to snow and the laugh lines around their eyes began to cover their entire visage. This was not the case for Shakai though he had barely seen his parents outside their ceremonial suits of armour he knew they would barely look older than himself their skin a perfect alabaster and their hair silver though more akin to shining metal than the chalk white of age.

It was the time of year when the elders would rouse themselves from their slumber in order to impart wisdom upon the world. Shakai had missed this the last 3 years as it scared him somewhat to see what was in store for him when he came to that stage in his life. Lost in his thoughts barely interacting with the outside world as ages passed away on the outside and everyone he knew died with only the spooks, spirits and gods enduring with him though the aeons.

This time he had forced himself to come however and even extended the hand of invitation to other who wished to be shown the way. The elders for all their glacial speed were wise beyond reckoning and could make predictions that were virtually prophetic. This was perhaps the least he could do for the village who had accepted and educated him. Putting back into the community that he had learned so much from.

Shakai leaned against a tree his large frame causing the trunk to groan with the weight. All he needed to do was wait and that came easily to him. Those who wished to learn the future would not be late to such an opportunistic meeting.

It was a subtle irony that the one who had turned up to seek the guidance of the elders was herself blind judging from the heavy wrappings concealing her eyes. Then again maybe not so strange as throughout history Shakai knew from his intense study scrolls and manuscripts those who had lost their vision tended to cast their senses far wider than the narrow confines of physical sight. In the barbarous and frozen lands of the west there were stories of a god who had sacrificed his eye in order to know all things.  But enough pondering on the subject there was a lady before him and he had not even introduced himself.

"Greetings milady. I trust your morning has thus far been pleasant? My name as you have correctly assumed is in fact Shakai and it is my pleasure to serve as your guide. However before we make haste I would inquire two things. Firstly your name and secondly if I may be so bold what manner of information is it that you wish to garner from my kin?"

This stemmed not from any form of suspicion towards Shizuka's motives but rather from curiosity towards the lithe maiden and her willingness to inquire into things mostly saved for jaded old wizards and sages. This was no fake fortune tellers hut that gave coy and sugar-coated answers to foolish adolescents inquiring after their would be lovers affections but an audience with beings whose humanity had in part slipped away along with their mortality. Shakai had been present at such hearings before and knew that the answers given to the questions would be true if somewhat cryptic and brutal in their honesty. No doubt the Kage had warned the pale girl of this and she had chosen to come anyway.

If nothing else she was brave.

Listen

Shizuka raised her blindfolded eyes and looked right at him, silently observing this stranger through the darkness.
He was certainly an educated individual, intelligent, sophisticated, polite; his careful choice of wording, the thoughts behind them and near eloquent undertones which were cleverly hidden beneath the deeper voice, spoke more about this man than any one glance could possibly offer even the most trained eye. It was clear the one she was dealing with, was older and had been through much training and studying to get this far, with a learning that surpassed that of what the academy could  provide...but even then Shizu knew that her understanding of this person would still be far from complete.
A tree groaning nearby, the stronger vibrations that tickled the earth beneath her feet; books and words were not the only form of training this person had endured. She had heard the whispers of this man's stature, the fawning and gossip of those that saw with their eyes. 

The picture had formed.....
He was someone she could look up to....Respect. 


"I would inquire two things. Firstly your name....."

"Oh, my apologies. My name Shizuka. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance" 

An easy smile pulled at the corner of the lips, and she bowed her head to the older male, her attention flickering from his questions to the day she had arrived in the village. She had spent years wandering the countries of this place, isolated and without words...... It was enough to make one forget their own name. 
If it had not been the small embroidered lettering, the silver word at the tip of the heavy black material which made up her blindfold, Shizuka would have lost that too, and then she would truly have nothing. But despite this evidence of her identity, the young girl still had to question if it was real. After all.....she died the day she had lost her sight. Her heart had stopped, her breathing had ceased but someone had brought her back.....

Brought her back to what though?  

....what manner of information is it that you wish to garner from my kin?"

Surely he had heard the stories. As much as they wanted to keep her arrival on the quiet, people still found out about her. A glimpse of the tattered clothing, the smell of blood at her finger tips, the heavy cloth that bound her eyes, keeping them hidden from the light of day....
It was hard not to notice the girl getting lost at every turn. 
Thankfully, these people were not the type to judge. Whispers every now and then, quiet hummings around her but no one said anything.
They all just knew....they knew and watched and waited

"I am looking for someone....Actually I have reason to believe there are two of them. I've come along way to find these people but the trail has gone cold. I cant hear the whispers anymore.
I....I don't even know if they are alive.  I need to know.... if they are still out there. I need to know where they are"

Them.

For those five years she spent with the old lady, Shizuka did all she could forget them. Taking medicines to induce amnesia, self hypnotherapy...she had even tried taking her life to get those images to fade away. But after the incident, it had become clear. Remembering was a gift. A gift dealt to her by the fates and she would use it to seek justice on the people that had killed her, robbing her of the identity she once thought was so set in stone.
But first....she would find them. 

"Is there anything in particular that you are searching for? If you don't mind me asking"

Word count: 1544

Revenge.

Shakai had not heard the rumours that had circled the town. His long hours of study and academic work had not integrated him into the local gossip circles but there was no mistaking Shizuka's tone. Others may talk about how revenge was a futile errand and warn at how taking such a line of thought could become all encompassing. Shakai would not preach to his companion so. He was not a Bodhisattva attempting to save the world from its own sins and indeed Shakai suspected that there were things that could never be let go and would only pass through resolution. Better that the young woman get the process over as soon and possible and then learn to live her life afterwards.

Hearing Shizukas question the large ninja nodded slowly replying as he did so.

"I wish to find where I am needed. A part of me feels as if I owe the village of Konoha somewhat of a debt for taking me in, wanderer as I was. Without their patronage and resources I would be much poorer in my knowledge and understanding of tactics both on and off the battlefield. As a way to repay the charity they have bestowed upon me I feel that some altruism of my own is merited."

Shakai lifted a hand and motioned to a path in the woods before them. The way was cool and shaded with ferns and branches creating a canopy that broke the sunshine into a myriad of smaller rays piercing the foliage. Stretching his back the silver haired man began to take several slow and easy steps towards the trail.

"The sun seems to have reached it's zenith indicating noon. lets be on our way before the mosquito's and other swarming pests descend upon us in droves. Fell free to ask me anything about our destination as I know the place quite well. Oh and before I forget have you had any prior experience with the beings known as yokai......?"

"Huh.....interesting"

It was kind of ironic really.
As he had just said, this man was here, now, because he needed a way to pay back the village for all they had done. All the training and lessons as well as taking him in as one of their own. While she, on the other hand, was sent this direction because the village felt that they needed to pay her back, for what they had put her through.
The difference was, Shizuka didn't feel it necessary. She had appeared with no words, no name, only the blood on her hands and kimono could speak of the events that had taken place of the past months. Not once did she blame them for acting as they did. The way they locked her up and treated her as their prisoner, keeping her isolated from the rest of the village people.
In her plagued mind, there was only one person who was to be help responsible for causing her such misery....and those would be the people that she was looking for now.


Suddenly....movement.

The young Genin's head followed the sounds that echoed all around her, watching blindly through her heavily covered eyes.
The groaning of the tree as the weight was suddenly freed from the strained trunk, the soft thuds of feet across a lightly moistured grassy ground, the sound of a hand, whipping pulling through the air to point in a direction unknown to her. Usually so much movement would put the young female on edge.... but not today.
Today, Shizuka was determined to earn these people's trust and to finally realize the answers which had brought her to this village to begin with. Why she had come here.....and why she had yet to move on from here, like she had done with every other township she had come across his her fruitless search.

'Why here? What is so different about this place?'

"....lets be on our way before the mosquito's and other swarming pests descend upon us in droves....

Insects. Bugs. Spiders.

It was like someone had suddenly flipped a switch in the pale female's mind, causing her persona to shift suddenly.
With her muscles coiling up, visually tensing at every sound, the young female's hands found their way from her opposite wrists, to her waist, wrapping her arms about her lithe frame almost defensively....
And yet.....she made no sound of discomfort nor did she voice her fears. Despite the smile dropping away from her refined features, Shizuka made no complaints about the buzzing around her sensitive ears as the insects that started to slowly come out from their unseen nests, taking advantage of a predator free moment. No, as much as she was uncomfortable with the flashing of heat to cool against her skin and the occasional prick on her relatively flawless flesh, Shizu kept her thoughts secret. Her pride would not allow her to trouble one who was so kindly guiding her to the first step in to her future.

"....Oh and before I forget have you had any prior experience with the beings known as yokai......?"

"No. I don't think I have. Not that I can remember anyway....
My memory has been a little...patchy of late"

As she spoke, Shizuka would follow him, foot step to light, bare footed, footstep, keeping in time with him so she would not get lost for the second time that day....
But the further they walked on, the more disturbances she was getting. With bugs buzzing around her ears distorting the sounds like a broken phone call, and with the vibrations of animals as they hopped around chasing each other through the cover of the longer grass; it was getting exceedingly hard to follow where he was going. So...silently as to not draw his attention to where she followed behind, Shizu's hand slowly formed in to the hand signs which she had been practicing for the years before whilst in the company of that old lady. Then, just as she had been taught, the Shizu allowed her chakra to slip with her consciousness, out on to the ground around her in a circle that would encompass everything in that radius...

One step. Two step.

Everything. Every animal, human, every living, breathing thing along the ground in that area would be caught in the radius net of Shizu's Genjutsu. But with a choice of any creature here, she chose to focus her clan's jutsu on him. But this was only the beginning.
Slipping in to the darkness of his mind, like a thief on a stormy night, provided he had not stepped out of her range or tried to counter, she sat there amongst his thoughts, besides his consciousness and waited for those split seconds it took for her to register where she was. Though as soon as this was put in to place, her second justsu took in to affect....and the world in front of her burst in to the myriad of colours. Rewarding her the sight of this individual and showing her the path of where the rest of her body had to continue to walk.

It was always a strange feeling like this.
Having her sight a step ahead while still feeling the rest of her body as it lagged momentarily behind. It didn't matter how many years she had practiced this technique it still struck her as difficult. But  despite this, she kept going, following him step for step as they walked in silence down this half illuminated path....through the trees and the light beams that danced through the holes in the golden, green leaves.
But then...... she stopped.  Something in the corner of his eye, flashing past so fast, she had almost missed it. She had not heard anything, she had not felt anything. What was going on?

"What....was that just now?"

Word count: 2477

It was an odd sensation having someone else slide mental tendrils into the cracks of your mind. Such an interesting use for genjutsu - far less invasive than those meant to alter the perception of the user. As a method of gaining sight it showed a level of ingenuity that would serve Shizuka well if she ever took to a battlefield. If she had this kind of power over animals such as hawks she could be as dangerous a scout as a member of the Inuzuka clan if not more so.

Shakai allowed the probing consciousness into his body. The sensation was not so different from one of the more complicated summonings that involved reaching out and pulling the entity in through this case was entirely under Shizuka's own power and all he was required to do was permit entry. That was when the Azuki-Arai flashed past in the distance. It was only for a second but he was sure that Shizuka had witnessed it through his sight. Normally humans would have trouble discerning such a creature without either special tools , specific doujutsu or the entity willing it so. Shizuka however had seen through the eyes of a half breed. Now she was even in a tiny way connected to the otherworld she could now sense the presence of yokai. They would sense her as well but it would not get stronger unless she chose to actively push it.

"That was an Azuki Arai. I guess the best way to describe it is a species of goblin. They are attracted to tragedy and can sense it from miles away. It's probably headed for the nearest river where it will begin to thresh beans and then wash them. It's written that murderers who hear this noise go insane with guilt but I think it should be quite harmless to us. It may follow you distantly  however as it seems to sense something about your history"

They were getting closer to the elders residence. In a few minutes they would arrive at the dwelling. Aside from the elders and their servants there would be little welcome for the pair and they would most probably have to let themselves in. It was no problem however Shakai still knew the complex well and Shizuka would be able to guide herself with his gaze.

"Yes there's not far to go now"

Shakai spoke true and the trees began to fall away giving rise to a sprawling manor house of the kind occupied by Daimyo in years long gone by. The building itself had an air of abandonment and neglect with vines and creepers trailing the walls and tiles looking as if they were ready to drop out of place at any second.

Shizuka seemed troubled though Shakai didn't know if it was due to worries of what the oracles may tell her of her future or if it was the painful memories of the past stirred up by their shady follower. Shakai slowly placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"I can't grasp the exact nature of your pain though from what you have said I can surely guess but be strong and follow through. It is better to see things to the climax then let them fester. For what it's worth I think you made the right choice by following the proactive route and striking out for yourself."

As they approached the manor door Shakai took his hand off and slid the screen away to reveal a reception room. The interior was dark and though it still looked archaic it was meticulously clean and totally devoid of cobwebs and dust. A servant in white garb appeared to the pair and bowed low.

"The masters will see you both"

Down through a narrow corridor and past portraits of seemingly abstract things that appeared to swirl and twist and statues of fantastic beasts that were almost ready to spring from their plinths. It was no surprise to shakai that they walked for the best part of ten minutes though the house was on the outside no larger in size than an average warehouse. Distance was highly relative in the otherworld and the mansion was located right on the border between realms.  He hoped it would not disorient Shizuka too much as this could be highly confusing to those experiencing such distortion for the first time.And at last they emerged. Into a grand hall bare of all things bar tatami matting and two figures sitting knees first in the manner of a polite host awaiting guests.

Shakai bowed.

"Mother, Father"

Though no part of the elders form was visible under the heavy suits of armour that covered their bodies it was easy to discern which was which. Shakai's mother's armour was a light pink shade adorned with precious stoned and engraved with gold weave and gilded roses that trailed up the plate. The other figure being Shakai's father wore much more bulky armour with a blue hue sporting arcane symbols and sharp edges and emphasizing the great amount of muscle hidden beneath.

Shakai's mother was the one to speak first.

"Shizuka - we have been waiting for you. Come forth and we shall impart what we know"

"What.....is this place?" 

The young female barely registered the words as hers, as she took in the scene before them. 
It was like someone had torn a page from a fairy tale book and painted it in to reality, using only the finest detail. The way the vines and climbing plants, curled around the morbidly dark stones, peeking in to the cracks and holding together the walls as if the very forest was worried it would fall apart. The way the plants extended it's reach on to the cracked tiled roof, urging the ancient structure to become one with their surroundings as it slowly started to cover each surface...If Shizuka wasn't seeing it through his eyes then she would not have believed this type of place still existed. Then again....until today, she had not even believed the stories of the Yokai, and yet she had seen one herself and experienced the memories that surfaced when it had come closer. Needless to say....she had not expected this when she first heard the knocking on her door early that morning. 

".....I think you made the right choice....."

Choices.

Had any of this been her choice? 

Shizuka couldn't help but wonder as they slowly stepped closer to the grand, crumbling establishment, if any of this was indeed done by choice or if it was somehow already decided for her and all she was doing, was following the path set out for her by the fates.
After what she had seen in what could have only been a couple hours, it wasn't so hard to believe. After all....she could have gone to any country, but the pale skinned female found herself in Konoha. A place only known to her from the stories told by the old woman. The old woman who just happened to be looking for her. The Hogake thought of only her when he extended the invitation to her and the very person who would guide her there, was an individual as intelligent and honest as her parents had been all those years ago....

Fate? Destiny? How could this not be so? 

The politely quiet voice sounding off somewhere before her, was enough to startle the female from her thoughts and draw her attention to what he was seeing once more.
The reception area was not what she pictured. Immaculately clean, well kept with no dust or signs of the age that had been so clearly portrayed on the outside. Not even the white attire of the being in front of her showed any signs of being anything other than sterile purity. The importance was lost on the Genin and she couldn't but feel like she didn't belong here. Out of place, out of sorts.
To still be allowed in here with her blackened feet and causally neat dress ware....was beyond her little understanding of this kind. 

"The masters will see you both"

Another deep breath

And the questions on her lips faltered once more as she settled to following Shakai, and the oddly servant down the deceptively long hall way, painfully aware at how loud her heart was beating from within the anxieties in her chest. But as they walked, the young female couldn't help but notice the works of art, lining the walls, decorating every step they took. They were master pieces for sure, the way they seemed to sneer and snarl, twisting and turning away in the corner of their eyes like they were alive and reacting to the presence....it was somewhat terrifying to her naive perceptions....
Shizuka found herself edging slowly closer to her larger companion as they continued down in silence, her steady hand resting against his arm....until the point where they reached the ground door where she pulled away without so much as a glance to his reaction....

These people.....they were his parents?
Who....was he?

The questions remained as thoughts as the soft, clearly female voice, laced with years of wisdom and knowledge echoed through the desolate room, beckoning her closer.
Without so much as a hand sign, the younger female slid out of the male's mind. Dropping away like a leaf falling from a tree, before being retrieved and returned to the darkness of her own consciousness.

One. Two. Three.

Shizuka counted the steps to the one he called 'Mother' before carefully kneeling down, her head bowed low to listen. 
They had expected her here. They had been waiting for her. How was this not fate? How was this not her destiny telling her she was where she was supposed to be? A gentle smile painted her expression and she took another of those deep...calming breaths, suppressing the need to ask all the questions they would already know. 
Where are they? Are they close? Are they here? What should I do now, I am so lost without her, I have always been so lost. Please...please tell me they are not gone. That they are not dead. Please tell me that I can keep going for them....for her?

Silence.

"Please....I need to know. Are they still alive? 
I need.....I need to know where they are"

Now it was the larger figures turn to address Shizuka.

"Know that the spark of life still dwells within your quarry. The flame will not be extinguished until you set your own blaze against theirs. Track them into the north and pursue until ground meets sky, whether it ends there or not depends on luck, fate and an unyielding resolve."

There was to be more but the being that had given birth to Shakai cut in.

" Sweet child I implore thee listen not to my husbands words or my sons council. Though it may pain you to do so put the past behind you and travel not to the mountains. Instead break the cycle of bitterness and lay this to rest. The fruit of evil is rotten and putrid to the taste so do not let yourself become a carrier for these desires."

Her husband held a hand up to silence her.

"This girl has come to us for advice. She has been wronged and what you suggest to her is cowardice. A blood debt must be paid or the spirits of her family shall never rest peacefully. You would have her disgrace her ancestors?"

The woman in the gilded armour shook her head. For a moment the light of the room seemed to illuminate the visor of the suit and display the features of the one under it. Some believed that the reason for the Nemiteru's suits of armour was to hide their horrific visages withered and skeletal but this was not the case. Skin of a flawless hue almost too perfect to be natural with long white hair the colour of pearls framed the face of what appeared to be a young woman of around Shizuka's age. In a different time and setting one might spot the two and think them a pair of maidens taking leave from one of the noble academies. But that was not to be and instead they faced each other covered in both blindfold and armour .

Shakai's father spoke again this time to his son.

"Set out for Kiri. A warlord of chimes is attempting to bring the village to it's knees. He has already begun to trail his marionette strings around the arms of the inhabitants and soon they shall be pulled tight. Warn and assist them as a representative of your village and you will have repaid you debt to Konoha.

One final crimson glance was shot between Shakai's mother and Shizuka. More was left unsaid but the beginnings of sleep were about to come onto the elders and the white clad servant appeared again to lead the two from the room.

Shakai turned to Shizuka.

"I apologise for my mothers words. Though in her youth she has a brilliant mind for tactics she remains far to emotional and forward."

The great wheel of karma spun and those who were caught in it danced like puppets.Avoiding ones fate was something only those who had broken free of this circle of suffering could achieve. Shakai though intelligent was no bodhisattva and when he spoke to Shizuka it was with words of encouragement.

"I would be honoured if you were to permit me passage with you on your journey. Your enemies may bring all manner of cowardly tactics to bare should they learn of your presence and I would love to test my wit against their low cunning. My task would be to facilitate your vengeance as I would not dream of depriving you of such an important undertaking rather giving counsel when it is desired."

Shakai had put the offer forth and indeed Shizuka's plight did intrigue him. She burned deep inside and this undeniably drew him like a moth towards a flame.Perhaps it was his dual nature or maybe simple curiosity as to how this would end but he desired to see more. First however he needed to go Kirigakure where danger had been foretold. Perhaps a report to the Kage was in order before any other action was taken.

"I think it best that we inform our kage of some of what has been said here. The more personal details I think can be left out but the information in Kiri would probably be most welcomed."

As she walked down that unearthly hallway, Shizuka could feel the softly roughened surface of old worn down floorboards beneath the exposed soles of her feet. It felt cool and secure and they masked the gentle pitter-pat of her footsteps as she followed the transparent trail back to the entrance in which they had come in.
The pounding in her chest had seized to be nothing but a constant, gentle drumming while her breathing had settled to a meditative state of calm. The anxieties she had before....the nerves. The worries that all hope was lost....was nothing but a suppressed thought and without this weighing on her mind those master pieces....the arts of work that threatened to pounce of their pedestals, the paintings that reached out from their frames to drag her back in to fear and doubt. They no longer scared her anymore.  And despite how tired she had suddenly become, the pale skinned female was steady on her feet.

Tired....
Shizuka was utterly exhausted.

It started off as a perfectly average morning really. She had slept as peacefully as anyone who preferred the cover of darkness could, and only woke up when the noise of day dwellers broke through the haunting memories of her sleep time world, bringing her consciousness back to the other side of darkness. The messenger came, the messenger left and only once she had stepped through that front door on her way to this stranger place, did her stable, comforting routine start to twist up and distort like the time in this subtly strange place.
  Not many were brave enough to speak to her. Fewer dared touch her and yet the little girl did so without any reservations, taking her to where she needed to go without having to tell her. Such an innocent mind, with such potential....it was almost.....sad.
Still, she had been lead right to the capable guidance of Shakai. One of the most unique individual's she had ever met, yet the most down to earth, so to speak. He didn't judge like the others did.
Shizuka didn't need to see to know that this one would respect her for who she was and was indeed, a powerful ally.

The doubts started when she had left that area.
The static peace of her mind from before, slowly slipped by, left behind in each footstep as she grew closer to their destination. Even when she settled in to the mind of the other, it wasn't enough to distract from the fears that welled within her consciousness. It built and built and built up until she found herself kneeling down in front of those wise, unearthly beings. Two individuals who she would have given anything to see. To look in to the eyes of those that would grant her enough hope to be able to walk out of there with a clear mind and a new confidence, pinned to the inside of her blindfold.
So much had happened that day.

So exhausted....

It would be different....

"I would be honoured if you were to permit me passage with you on your journey"

She stopped. There, in the middle of the hallway with all the time alterations pressing in around her, looking up through the darkness to picture to one who took he here. Her thoughts stilled, her voice trailed off to the winds as she replayed the words in her mind to make sure she had heard them correctly....if she was still awake. Alive.
Every time she had imagined that long journey. The inevitable steps to take across an unknown to find the one's she was looking for, Shizuka had always imagined herself to be alone. But here he was, offering to go with her and help her in any way she needed.
Was this fate stepping in the way of her destiny again? Did they wish for her to accept this man in to her life long goal? Was this meeting really another message which she had failed to read?

"You would really come with me? All that way? It wont be easy. There are.....people that may wish to stop me and I feel at one point we may be seperated. You would take that risk for a stranger that you have only seen once?"

That was right. He had only just met her. He had only seen her this one time and she was yet to see him at all. And yet, he would set aside his own fate to accompany her to the north on her own personal mission of Justice....of revenge? This sort of kindness was beyond her naive comprehension, and yet.....And yet a new set of anxieties built up in her chest. An excitement that she had not felt in a long time.

"Shakai....As long as you are sure. The honour would be mine to have you accompany me on my journey.
In the mean time....I am afraid I cannot return the favor. The village hidden in the Mist is a long way away and I would only hinder you on this quest. However....I will wait for you. I have much to learn before I leave this place so when you get back. Come find me"

The light hearted smile returned as she turned back to face the direction of the place she had learned to call home. With one trusting hand, placed lightly on his arm and a new confidence straightening he shoulders, the younger female walked with him back the way they came. They had much to do between now and the time destiny would whisper that it was time to go.....but for now they would visit the Kage and tell them of his findings.
The rest was their little secret. As far as the physical world knew, she had learned nothing today from the elders.

The spirits would keep their secrets.

One of the marks of the warrior was to never disgrace oneself in battle. Shakai would not be perturbed by those out for Shizuka's blood. That this was the first time he had met her was inconsequential for should his life not be ended in conflict the lives of all in Konoha would be but the blink of an eye to one such as himself. The villages themselves would turn to dust and be blown away in the wind before a crease lined his brow. So he had internally vowed to savour the time with his friend new though she may be.

Shakai's response when give was not in plain speech but verse. The Tanka form of poetry was not as well known as the famous Haiku but it shared more in common with the pieces crafted by the sage-generals of yore.


And Shakai spoke no more.