She slid into his room, and in the absolute darkness crawled under his futon. A gentle kiss on his lips awakened him, followed by the pleasure coming from her fingers slowly massaging his shaft. It was immense, and before the brain could even react, his hands reached for the full and ripe breasts.

Even in the absolute darkness, Reiko looked stunning. Her soft, pink lips were so inviting, like fresh, sweet raspberries.

'Wait… How can I see in the darkness?' The question that appeared in his mind woke him from the dream. "Fuck," he whispered, cursing himself as he realized she haunted his thoughts again. 'I want her. The heart wants what it wants, and this will keep repeating until I do something or go mad… I need to speak with Mirai. I don't want to lose her, but I can't simply ignore Reiko… I can only hope that she meant what she said… I'm taking Reiko as my second wife,' he finally made a decision.

Then, he heard a gentle knock on his door.

"Please come in," he said as he rose from his bed. He suddenly realized he had an awkward situation to deal with, as he was sporting a massive erection. He needed to act quickly to avoid making things weird between him and Sora. She appeared in the dimly lit corridor, carrying a tray of food.

He immediately turned his back to her, pretending to open the window to let in more light. He did it slowly while thinking, 'Think of something ugly! Trash cans! Trash cans! All you can see are trash cans!' He hoped this would help his arousal subside.

His tactic worked, and when he turned around, there was no sign of his previous boner.

"Good morning, Sora," he greeted the girl with a warm smile.

"G-good morning, big brother," she replied, lowering her gaze. His sudden cheerfulness made her feel shy.

She placed the food on the floor as she knelt. Ren joined her, quickly cleaning up the dishes. Once he was done, she picked everything up and left. He followed her for a short distance, but their paths soon diverged as he had an appointment with the old saishu in the meditation room.

She was already waiting for him, sitting on the floor in the dimly lit chamber filled with smoke. At this point, Ren barely noticed the scent in the air.

"Good morning," he said, taking a seat on the floor and preparing to meditate.

"Good morning," she replied. "Let's start."

He nodded and, with the sword on his lap, closed his eyes. The quietness of this spot within the temple, along with the incense in the air, helped clear his mind. The visions came soon and began with the sound of birds chirping in the canopy of two nearby trees.

They grew on the side of a dirt road, somewhere between Hikarimura, visible in the distance, and a nearby village, which was also easy to spot. Two men were walking along this path, heading to the city. Their dark blue kimonos indicated they were members of the Tachibana clan, and the swords by their belts made it obvious they were warriors.

One of them was clearly a teenager, probably around fifteen, while the other was much older, appearing to be the teacher. Their faces were once again blurred.

Running behind them was the Hearteater, who was now older than in the previous visions, likely a late teenager. His clothes were dirty and patched, indicating poverty, yet he exuded confidence. He still carried the same wooden sword by his belt.

"Stop! Please… Stop, please!" he called after the two, prompting them to halt their walk and turn around.

"What do you want, peasant?" the older one asked.

"Are you both samurai?" the ghost asked, taking heavy breaths in between.

"Yes," the younger one replied. "Can't you see we are carrying swords? Those peasants are so dumb," he added, almost whispering.

"Then I challenge you to a duel!" The Hearteater called, straightening his back and pointing at the younger one with his index finger.

"Dream on, you fool. We don't have time for beggars like you," the teenager responded, immediately turning back to head to the city.

His teacher remained in the same place, causing the student to stop and look over his shoulder.

"A warrior's honor doesn't allow him to decline a duel," said the man.

The teenager sighed. "There is no honor in beating up a dumb peasant," he complained but grabbed the handle of his sword to draw it. "Fine! I accept your challenge!"

This information brought a smile to the ghost’s face as he drew his own weapon. He pulled it from behind his belt, making the teenager sigh. It was the same old wooden sword.

"This fool doesn't even have a real katana, teacher!" he complained again.

"Then finish the fight quickly and give him a lesson he will remember for the rest of his life," the older man replied.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The younger one nodded and immediately rushed forward, slashing from above. The ghost was ready for such a simple attack. He blocked it, positioning his wooden weapon at a perfect angle for the blade of the real katana to slide on it, redirecting the cut. Then he stepped forward, hitting the young warrior in the face with his elbow.

The attack was sharp and brutal, enough to make the teenager stumble, creating a wide opening for the Hearteater to finish the fight with a hit to his opponent's neck, knocking him off his feet.

The young Tachibana landed on his rear, and the peasant pressed his wooden sword against his neck. "I won," he said, clearly proud of himself.

The teenager looked at his teacher with a pained expression.

"No, you didn't," said the man, stepping in.

The Hearteater jumped back, fearing an attack, allowing the adult warrior to draw his katana. The blade was covered in a thick layer of shinryoku, making it shimmer.

The samurai rushed forward, slicing from above, similarly to his student. The ghost tried to block it, but the enhanced steel cut through the wood with ease, despite the correct angle he positioned his weapon. This forced him to let go of his wooden sword in an awkward attempt to dodge the cut.

He made it, but barely, as the tip of the katana cut across his chest, drawing some blood. Losing his footing, he stumbled and fell on his ass, but the samurai clearly was not going to let him go just like that.

He went after the peasant kicking him straight in the face and almost knocking him out. Then he put the weapon back into the saya, while the ghost tried to get back up on his feet. It was a futile attempt, as another kick to the stomach made him collapse.

The samurai then grabbed him by the hair, raising his head.

„You will never speak to anybody about this, and pray to all the gods that I never see your face again,” he growled, then let go. „If our paths cross again, you are a dead man,” he added approaching his student.

Then the vision morphed. The surroundings first blurred into a complete mess of mixed colors, only to transform into shapes.

Ren was now in Hikarimura. In the familiar place he already visited in his mental journeys. It was the entrance to the district of Tachibana clan. Even the time of the day seemed to be familiar.

He looked around, quickly spotting the Hearteater who stood in the same allay as he did when this place appeared in the previous vision. He looked slightly older than during the duel on the road, and there was no trace of the injury he received, although there was probably a scar underneath his clothing.

The Hearteater moved, approaching the gate as soon as a few young women emerged from the other side. The guards walking on top of the wall briefly looked at them, which made the ghost hesitate, but as soon as he saw an opportunity, he rushed after the group.

They clearly headed somewhere, busy engaged in a loud conversation with one another. Some were even laughing.

„Hey, wait!” the Hearteater called after them, making them stop.

Then Ren noticed the same young woman as before. Back then she was a kid, but now she was much older, and just as he thought back then, she turned into a stunning beauty. Plumb pink lips, small nose, rosy cheeks, and bid hazelnut eyes with long lashes.

With faces twisted by disgust, many of them immediately left, but this one stayed, and the ghost approached her.

„We meet again,” he smiled. „I have a favor to ask… I challenged a samurai of the Tachibana clan and won, but nobody can testify to it.” His gaze dropped to the ground.„The master who saw us fight attacked me and told me to never speak to this, but I can’t. I won,” he looked at her again and there was iron conviction in his eyes.

She was clearly stunned by what he said, and there was a mix of emotion displayed on her face. She smiled awkwardly pushing them away. „Hi...” she said quietly. Her lips moved slightly, indicating that she wanted to add something, but then clearly resigned, staying silent.

„I want to ask you to speak with your clan. To arrange a proper duel for me. One where everybody will be able to see the fight. I… I want to become of your clan,” he said with iron resolve. „Please…I beg you. I already waited for so long here to meet you… Please.”

„I… I’ll try?” she said it almost as if it was a question, as the awkwardness returned, then she took two steps back, before turning around to leave.

„Wait!” The Hearteater stopped her. „You… I… I’ve never seen somebody as beautiful as you, and your heart seems to be so kind,” he said as blush covered his face.

As she turned around to look at him again, her eyebrows wandered up her forehead. „That's very kind of you,” she bowed slightly. „Thank you for the compliment.”

„Please… Will you be my wife? After I win and become part of your clan?” He asked.

She was completely stunned by this sudden confession. Her eyes went wide, and another awkward smile appeared, but the complement clearly worked as her pale face started turning red.

„I…Please, ask me again, after you become a Tachibana,” she said, bowing again, then stormed off, chasing her friends.

They were stealing glances from time to time while walking away, but they didn’t wait so the distance slowly grew.

The ghost stood there for a moment, watching her, before he decided to leave, and the vision faded away once again.

Ren awakened in the dimly lit meditation room, surrounded by the thick smoke. The saishu sat on the floor in front of him, observing in silence.

„Let’s talk after we eat,” she proposed then started to get up.

„Yes...” He agreed before following her.

Like many days before they embarked on a journey through the temple, heading for the cafeteria, but on the way Ren once again spotted Reiko and Sora, cleaning another part of this massive building.

„I’ll…. I’ll join later,” he said to the old lady, then ran to help them.

She stopped for a moment to watch him with a smile on her face. „Good man,” she deemed, then resumed her walk. „We need more hands to work… There are not enough people. Not enough hands...” She muttered.

The atmosphere from the start was awkward. The saiin was peeking at him from time to time as he joined them, but she didn’t try to speak with him. Sora on the contrary. She attempted some small talk, but Ren was too distracted to make it work.

He desperately wanted to speak with Reiko but without the kid around. He waited patiently until they finished, and as they began leaving to wash before going to eat, he stopped the saiin.

„What?” she asked with a hint of anger in her voice, but then she noticed that Ren was waiting for Sora to get further.

The girl looked over her shoulder at the two, but it was quite obvious that they wanted to speak alone, so she didn’t stay. Instead, she walked away carrying the buckets by herself. With three of them mostly filled with water, it was quite a challenging task.

„I… I want you,” Ren said as soon as Sora was far away enough to not overhear. „Reiko… I want you to become my wife.”

She didn’t answer, instead took a step forward, and planted a kiss on his lips.