Ichitiro was taken aback for perhaps a fraction of a second by what the hanyou said.

He was unused to being addressed in such a manner save from perhaps his siblings, and even they seldom dared.

Had any of his servants attempted to speak even a word in the same tone, he would have made their suffering last for years, perhaps longer. As a result, it wasn’t a great surprise to him that his first reaction was to strike down this creature, reduce it to the base atoms that were unfortunate enough to be chosen by the multiverse to make up this bastard offspring.

Energy gathered around him for a moment, but then he dismissed it as another thought took hold. He should have been angry beyond belief. If anything, his dislike for Midnite had turned to outright loathing at knowing she’d sired this, the lowest of the low. But instead, he found himself strangely amused.

And why shouldn’t he be?

This hanyou, a creature who couldn’t even aspire to being a human ape, had spoken to him in a tone of challenge. This suggested an ignorance that even the most dimwitted of his servants couldn’t hope to match.

Besides, he knew this insect somehow held the Taiyosori, confounding the weapon by virtue of its tainted bloodline. His victory was so near that he could taste it with his pointed teeth. If this half-breed wished to challenge him, so be it. Destroying it would fulfill one of the tenets for obtaining the Taiyosori. For the hanyou to initiate the battle would ensure that none of the weapon’s bothersome defenses might be inadvertently engaged. He could not have asked for a better scenario.

Ichitiro considered the youkai standing alongside the girl. It would be no effort at all to destroy him. There was nothing to stop him. If anything, Shitoro was in direct violation of the edict.

Not that Ichitiro cared either way. Once the Taiyosori was his, the edicts, wishes, or pleas of the council would be meaningless to his ears.

He decided to allow Shitoro to survive. Someone should bear witness to his ascension. That it would allow the youkai a chance to tell Midnite the tale of her offspring’s demise would simply be an added bonus to make his victory all the more sweet.

He smiled, baring his double row of teeth to the two insignificant creatures before him.

“Is that a challenge I hear, little hanyou?”

♦ ♦ ♦

Ichitiro’s response seemed to cause the world to once again slow down around Kisaki. She now knew what it meant, though, and in that knowing came anticipation. She was about to step into her father’s shoes once again, draw strength from his experience, which would, in turn, further empower her. Best yet, it might give her some insight into him. He was a part of her, and knowing she could truly experience a small part of him gave her comfort.

The world greyed out around her, replaced by another life through other eyes. This time, however, it was different. She’d sensed the visions had been growing more powerful, feeling more real each time they happened ... perhaps a result of her mind gradually adapting to them. That seemed to be the case, for this time, she not only saw the sights from those days, but she began to hear the sounds as well. They were faint, almost as if listening to them from over a great distance, but she could just make them out.

She wasn’t in a battle this time, but a classroom of sorts. She sat at a desk, not entirely dissimilar to those she partook her lessons at. She was surrounded by others, men in uniform, also seated. There was a man standing at the head of the class saying something. Kisaki strove to listen, looking down as her father took notes on a sheet of paper.

“No matter how outgunned you are, no matter how badly the enemy has outmaneuvered you, never forget that half the battle is fought up here.” The man giving the lecture raised a finger to his temple. “Win this war and you can overcome nearly any advantage the enemy might have over you.”

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The scene abruptly changed, something else new to this vision, and she found herself standing on a scarred and pitted beach.

“Hey! What are you two doing?”

The voice was deep, filled with authority – something the two men, soldiers in uniform, who appeared in front of her did not seem to possess. It was with some delight that she realized the voice had come from her ... or the body she possessed anyway.

Beyond the two men was another figure, a woman dressed in a simple kimono who...

Kisaki gasped, or would have had she any control over her father’s body. Save for the hair and complexion, the woman’s face was the same she’d seen staring back at her in the mirror for nearly her entire life. For a moment, she was confused, but then realization hit.

There could only be one explanation, for there was only one other face like hers that she was aware of.

She was looking at her mother, in the guise of a human.

Her father seemingly had a similar reaction, for she could feel his intake of breath as he gazed upon her.

The scene continued to play out, more words being spoken, as she took this all in. The two other men had weapons trained upon her mother, not knowing how foolish a move they were making. Her mother, however, had taken no action against them, seemingly as transfixed by her father as he was of her.

“Your buddy ain’t here,” she ... her father snapped. “I am and I don’t like what I was hearing.”

The discourse continued, her father’s tone becoming heated. Despite the two men before her being armed, she could see the indecision in their eyes as he spoke.

With some amusement, she realized her mother noticed it, too.

“Get your asses back to your squad before I have them handed to you.”

One of the two soldiers seemingly looked to challenge her father. “With all due respect, sir, you army grunts can’t just...”

“Do you want to test that, soldier? Because, if so, I will look forward to seeing your ass in irons before the day is out.”

She stared hard at the other man and, within seconds, he lowered his gaze and shook his head. Her father had won despite their superior numbers.

“What was that?” she asked in her father’s voice.

“I said no, sir.”

“That’s what I thought. Now double time it and maybe I’ll forget what you two look like.”

The two men left in a hurry, leaving Kisaki’s father alone with her mother.

With no small amount of panic, she wondered how long this vision would last and exactly how much of their fateful meeting she would witness, but then, just as quickly as it appeared, it faded around her and she once again found herself staring up at Ichitiro.

♦ ♦ ♦

It seemed that nearly no time at all had passed. He was just closing his mouth after asking his question. Incredible! No matter how often it happened, Kisaki doubted she’d ever get used to it.

“I know who you are,” she replied in a calm voice, “and I know what you are, Lord Ichitiro. Yet, despite that, it is I who will offer you a chance to leave this place in peace. Scoff if you will, but know that I promise only one thing: whatever outcome this day holds, you will not soon forget it.”

Shitoro turned to stare up at her, the look on his face suggesting he thought she’d gone insane. She remained calm, though, allowing that cold logic to suffuse her being, taking stock of her opponent despite knowing he possessed powers beyond her ability to understand.

Kisaki felt a pulse at her side. The quill. She’d heard it speak to her, acknowledge her as its master. She couldn’t know if that was true, nor whether it would make a difference against this creature, but she refused to allow that doubt to show on her face.

After a moment, Ichitiro spoke. “You have the fire of a daimao, even if your blood is thin and tainted. I shall give you that, but no more.” He held out his hand. “One chance for a painless death, only one. Give me the Taiyosori.”

“Kisaki,” Shitoro warned, but both would-be combatants ignored him as if he were not a factor in these matters.

“I shall not gift you the sword,” she replied, holding the great demon’s gaze. “Nor can you inherit it. Therefore, if you want it, you must win it. My challenge stands, but only if you give your word to leave this planet in peace at the conclusion of our battle.”

Whatever amusement the daimao had seemingly felt toward her evaporated. He stood up to his full height, not quite Crag’s size, but towering over her nevertheless. “You would dare offer me conditions. I could rip the Taiyosori from your corpse in an instant.”

Kisaki, however, thought she could sense doubt in his eyes. He knew the conditions for winning the blade, perhaps far better than she, and he desperately wanted it. That much was obvious. He could almost certainly make good on his threat, but if she refused to battle him, there was a chance, however slight, the blade might not accept him as its master. The lust in his eyes told her he would not risk that happening.

“I could do that and more,” Ichitiro continued after a beat. “But I will accept your conditions. Consider it deference toward my dear sister, your mother, so that she might know you died with at least a modicum of honor.”

“Shitoro?” She looked down upon him questioningly. “The daimao, they are honorable when giving their word, yes?”

Shitoro shrugged, but then apparently noticed how Ichitiro bared his teeth at him. “Of course, my lady. A daimao’s word is law.”

It wasn’t much to go on, Kisaki noted with a silent sigh, but it would have to do. “So be it.”

“Yes,” the great demon replied with a predatory grin. “So be it, indeed.”