“Don’t stop until you’re on the ground Hiroshi,” - Jiro Yorisuke

Rei was summoned to a small island called Kokukan, just off the continent of Sasaki. It was still considered part of the empire, just a little island that the Emperor controlled. The island was also run a little differently in that it didn’t have a lord picked by the Emperor overseeing the island like the other areas had. It had a representative to relay information to the empire, but this person didn’t have any genuine power in the local government.

The village was on the larger side of what they could consider a village and well-kept. They cobbled streets with brick, and the buildings all looked new, even though Rei knew this was one of the first villages founded on this island. A few large pagodas marked buildings of importance for the government or shrines to various notable sumo wrestlers from here.

Rei walked and admired how well-kept everything was. A light dusting of snow on the ground didn’t show any tracks but his own as he walked. Recent snowfall; everyone else was already at the tournament, huddled together and keeping warm.

Kentaro had called him here to meet him, if the Father would. Rei obliged his children when he could, so he showed up. He enjoyed visiting the island this time of year. This was the birthplace of a sport and tradition known as Sumo.

Sumo was an interesting sport, and one that Kentaro enjoyed as well. He even used to wrestle in the tournaments they had here and later and in the Empire’s capitals. It was where two warriors, who were large in stature, would wrestle. The first to have a part of their body touch the ground or to move outside of the ring, lost.

The village was empty at the moment. There was a tournament going on. The first of the year, Rei supposed. Rei had left his apprentice some months back. He charged Aki to figure out what he was going to do and to find out some information that would help in the battle to come.

He approached the arena where the tournaments were held. A large building that could easily hold everyone in the town and more. Any visitors that visited could easily attend the festivities as well.

“Your ticket for admittance, sir?” came a smallish voice. A little squeaky even.

Rei snapped out from his mindless wandering and looked at the boy, giving him a soft smile. His eyes glittering like soft stars. The boy was smiling, but there was some doubt in his eyes. Doubt this old man in the old tattered robes even had a ticket.

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“Oh, I believe Kentaro is waiting for me? I believe he said he’d leave my name with the door so I could see him. My name is Rei,” he told the boy, still smiling gently.

The boy gasped and nodded his head so hard Rei thought it was going to wobble off of him. “Yes!” He exclaimed. “He is up in a private box with the other interested stable masters. I will show you the way!”

Then, without making sure the old man was actually following, the boy took off.

“Oh my,” Rei muttered and followed the boy as quickly as he could while keeping his disguise as an old beggar.

It didn’t take them long, around some back hallways and up a few flights of stairs until they were standing in front of an ornate sliding door. The door was wood inlaid with gold and ivory, a scene of dragons flying through the sky.

The boy bowed and slid to the side while sliding the door open. “He’s expecting you,” he said as Rei entered.

Rei heard the door slide shut behind him and looked around the room. The room was lavishly decorated with paintings and statues around it. There were four men in the room besides Kentaro. There was one smaller, almost scrawny man. The other three and then Kentaro were all larger men. Strong and beefy. They were each seated in large overstuffed chairs with their feet up.

Kentaro was seated away from the other stable masters. He was wearing robes, but not the sort of robes the cultivators wore on the mortal plane. These were the robes of professional sumo wrestlers. These robes were made of fine silk and wrapped around the man’s gigantic form. They were a deep blue color and had streaks of red in an abstract painting kind of way around the chest and back.

Rei walked up behind where Kentaro was seated. No attendant was standing next to him. A hand went to the war kami’s shoulder. Kentaro just gave a grunt.

“Some of these children have good sumo,” he informed Rei.

Rei nodded. He knew of the sport and watched it in passing sometimes, but he knew little about it. “That’s good,” he said.

Kentaro didn’t look up to Rei. Still watching the children in the dohyo wrestle, he nodded at the Father. “You know, I’m originally from this village,” he trailed for a moment and sighed. “Before everything.”

Rei nodded his head. “I do know. I remember,” he told him.

“I felt the power strike the earth, somewhere to the west. I saw the flashing of lightning.” Kentaro looked up and looked at Rei. His dark eyes gazed up at the man’s bald head. “Where’s your hat?”

Rei chuckled and waved that away. He then gave Kentaro a soft look of sorrow and nodded his head before explaining, “yes. Paimon is up to something. A young woman has found the very same scroll that you found.”

Kentaro gave a soft growl in response. Rei put a hand on the large Kami’s shoulders and squeezed it. “I have my best man on the job. Looking for a solution. Perhaps then we can also stop your spells of madness,” Rei told him.

To this, Kentaro just nodded his head. “It gets bad sometimes. Worse than it ever has,” Kentaro told Rei without looking up.

Rei nodded his head when Kentaro perked a little and pointed down at the ring. He seemed to have forgotten all about his ailments for the time being. “This boy, Hiroshi. He shows promise. Depending on how he does here, I may bring him into the stable I’ve built.”