I don't own Kateyou Hitman Reborn!

(_ T _)

'This chapter is dedicated to the rumors, history, and current welders three swords that were forged to be used by those Youkai that are of Kirin Nature in either both the Body and the Heart or of Body/Heart. These three swords' names have been passed from one welder to the next and they are Kirin no Ikari, Kirinzuresuto, and Reijingukirin. At the time of this book, Kirin no Ikari rests within the Hibari Clan, the current welder is one Hibari Kiman while Kirinzuresuto is passed from one Grandmaster of the Nakamura Sword Style to the next. As for Reijingukirin, the last known welder had been one Sone Chuya, who had been sighted in China battling a horde of Monsters native to that land, which had been, at the time of this printing, over a hundred years ago.

The names of the original welders of these three swords have been lost to time, the same with the other forty-two who fended off the invading Youkai from China during their human's own attempts to conquer Japan.'

The light he'd been reading by gets blocked and he's already resisting the simple urge to sigh. Yoshi had managed to read the previous six chapters of this book in peace, he didn't see why he can't finish this seventh chapter in peace as well. For such a supposed bastion of civility, I haven't experienced much of it.

Not that Yoshi doesn't get why he's given the bare minimum when it comes to hospitality. It's just depressing that it's due to having been born to a family of farmers in a remote village. Without the 'right' connections or training in this particular field, he might as well be a farmer who didn't 'know' his 'proper place'. That he's also a Tengu in Body and a Kirin in Heart doesn't matter given how lacking he ultimately is in a political sense. Which isolates him from those around him, even those who possess dormant Youkai Natures are better respective then he, more due to who they are related to then their own merits, he might have once been sympathetic but their treatment has long since cause him to feel rather numb to their 'plight'.

"I didn't know you can read. Did you learn it from your parents?" Nara Toshiko asks in a very fake inquiring tone. She's dormant but her father, Nara Yuu, who's an Orochi, is the Steward of the current reigning Tengu of this hidden Spirit World, it's called Imori, it's clear it was a Kitsune Youkai who set the foundations of this Spirit World with a name like that. He'd known she'd never have her Youkai Nature surge forth the first time he'd met her, which had been a month into his stay at this Spirit World.

It had taken a second encounter to learn how bitter and resentful she was. Upon learning of his humble origins from a remote village, she's lashed out at him, first verbally and then slapped him. Yoshi flared his Tengu Wings and his Kirin Mane, falling into the trap she'd set. She'd played the victim but, as he hadn't touched her but she him, she'd been scolded about provoking an 'ill bred' Youkai. She's been hostile to him since.

So, when face with her once more, he merely tunes the thirteen year old brat out along with the echoing sentiments that the eleven to twelve year olds parroted. It's more likely just the same old taunts and Yoshi finds it tiring, in the end, of hearing them. He's been in this Spirit World for six months, before he'd been working at an inn that caters only to Youkai, and before learning of the hidden society of Youkai, he'd tried to find work at the Capital, it took him almost a year before he left due to... things. He learnt through experience just how well deserved the caution Youkai are regarded with.

He's going to be eighteen come the spring and Yoshi is finding just how similar Youkai Natured humans are to simple humans, as in all of the wrong ways. He's already considering where to head next as he don't plan to stay in this Spirit World any longer. As far as Yoshi is concerned, none here have earned any kind of right to him and he's rather glad of that. It's so tiring... They think I'm so easily bought? That I'm still an ignorant farm bred idiot?

Yoshi ignores the group of six as he draws upon his Heart to get around the issue of how little light there is for him to read by. He does his best to keep it under his skin, his Body helps ensure that nothing shows as he goes back to reading the book. When the book gets slammed on him and the Nara brat demands, "Are you even listening?!"

"You were talking?" He inquires as he looks up at her, tilting his head just so. There's a few giggles from the other five children while the Nara brat's faces goes crimson and she tries to kill him with her eyes alone.

They don't leave and he can't have his Youkai flaring visibly, Yoshi also knows he's unable to take the book out of the library but it's clear they won't let him continue reading. He refuses to retreat, it's only made the Nara brat bolder and he gets snide remarks about finding a mere child intimidating, never mind that they wouldn't follow through with their own suggestions due to who her father is and his position in Court. She knows she can't physically touch him, that would give him the excuse needed to flare his Youkai Natures out, and as long as it's just flaring but not doing anything else, he'd get away with it.

His face should show how bored he is before he picks up the book, he walks to another table, being sure to walk at a slow but confident way. The fact he just, turned his back on them, it shows that he doesn't feel threaten in the least. As he's about to sit down after putting the book down first, it's then that he hears a cry of frustration and anger.

Something gets slapped on his back and his Youkai Nature flares as he fights against whatever it is that's trying to dig itself into his body. Yoshi isn't sure what is it that he fully did, he dimly recalls something sticky upon his fingers, there's screams, and shouts of anger that became pained screams before going silent. Not that he's aware of what he's physically doing as he's far too busy fending off an Enenra's attempts to hollow him out. There's hints of Yato-no-Kami along the edge but between his Body and Heart, he does manage to keep up a good defense, even pushed it back but, well, he'd been unable to do anything about the weight on his back, that's allowing this Youkai access to his body and attack him.

So, when something slices it, it takes Yoshi a bit to realize he's not in the library along with the various smells. He slowly blinks then a bit more until his vision clears. It's then that he realizes that he's got blood on himself, particularly his hands. Holding them up, he tries to think about why he's got blood on his fingers, on his hands, although it looks like his nails seem...

It's then that he looks at his surroundings properly and notices that there's a lot of dead bodies, some of whom are those Youkai he'd seen during his time in Imori but there's also a number of strangers. Glancing to his left, he walks over to the woman and knows that she's the one who'd been trying to hollow him out. It's then that he notices the marks upon her skin, the irregular burns that hint around the edges of the slices. "I killed them?" His voice is soft and deceptively calm.

"Court politics." Yoshi hears a man's voice answer his question. "Rather impressive that you're not a hollowed out puppet. Ueno Mana's had decades perfecting that particular application of her Youkai Natured."

"Her favorite targets have always been those possessing Tengu as either Body or Heart." The man continues. "And you killed her, of course, she then had to redouble her efforts to take over you or you'd just destroy whatever vessel she claims as her new body, out of pure survival."

Yoshi does his best to recall what he'd been doing before... "I had been in the library... I think I was reading chapter six about the History of the Forty-Two Ancient Swords..." He mutters out loud.

"Does the name Nara Toshiko mean anything to you?" The man asks and it takes him a bit to recall her. "Daughter of the Steward. She didn't like me, envy, I think, that some random son of a farmer ended up having his Youkai Natures surge to the surface while her own never will." Yoshi admits, he's fairly sure he's missing something in regards to her, to everything that's happened.

"Ah, that would explain how she smuggled that item through the Spirit World's boundaries." The stranger states with a snort. "The envious are always easily preyed upon with the right bait." There's a sound of a sword sheathing, not that he's looked away from the woman who'd tried to destroy his very mind and spirit.

"Ueno Mana... Rogue? Or..." There's this word at the tip of his tongue but for the life of him, Yoshi isn't sure it's the right word.

"Mercenary. She'd been hired by Kuge Genji Shinta, who's Body is that of a Wani and Heart of a Tsuchigumo." Explains the stranger. "Daimyo Fujihara Danuja's nephew, his sister's son not his younger brother's, went through the courting gestures to get Kuge Genji Shinta's youngest daughter to bed him, then declared her nothing but a whore and cut all ties with her."

Given he doesn't know the names, it's likely that said people are likely possessing dormant Youkai Natures then surface ones. "For the past decade, Kuge Genji Shinta has tried to force a marriage between the nephew and the daughter with the brother in law and sister." Yoshi closes his eyes as he already can guess that the sister involved her brother, either on her husband's behalf or the son's.

"The sister involved her brother." He murmurs and there's a humorless chuckle. "Indeed, the son found someone he wished to marry but couldn't as long as Kuge Genji Shinta was pressing for a marriage. As the girl in question wasn't involved in Youkai in any shape or form, the family didn't know of the disgrace the son had caused."

"The daughter took her own life upon hearing Daimyo Fujihara Danuja throwing his weight around to end the matter, not even offering anything concerning that the nephew courted with no intent of following through with marrying her." There's a pause before the stranger adds, "She died almost two years ago."

Yoshi finds himself nodding in understanding, he'd been nothing but an afterthought, collateral or a useful tool. "The nephew was visiting with his wife, likely introducing her to Youkai Society." He guesses, he doesn't really feel anything, oddly, for having been used to kill any number of these people, these Youkai.

It's then that it clicks, it's his emotions that had suffered the most. That they likely had been allowed to be attack while keeping the more 'core' of himself safe from the assault. Yoshi wonders if the wife had been pregnant or they already had a child. "How many survived?" How many will paint me as a heartless murder, ignoring that I hadn't been in the right state of mind to be in control over himself.

"Most ran the moment the Tsukumogami made from Hollowed out Youkai breached the Boundaries." The stranger assures him. "She's rather infamous for not being picky about who she turns into Tsukumogami."

Yoshi can't find it in himself to actually speak, so he hums in acknowledgement. He's not feeling overly energetic and he can't find it within himself to care about what that means for him. His eyelids are growing heavy and so is his body.

With a sigh, Yoshi gives into the exhausted sleep that feels like a long time in coming.

T /|\ T

There's a sphere made out of some kind of transparent material around him. It obscures the clarity of his vision and what sound reaches him. Trying to break free... There's no weakness for him to exploit, there's no weight to his pounding on the material either.

There's nothing he can do and nobody who'd help him get free. Then, he's not sure when but something, for a short instances, manages to pierce the material... Only, it doesn't set it free, no, it causes him to produce orange energy all the more and that newly produced orange that leaves but it's not... right. It's tainted by the yellow, it's not really his.

And this sets the course of pattern of things to come. The yellow forces him to create new orange, but it's not the same, it's not his. There's some holes in the transparent material but around those holes are shards and they hurt when he tries to get near the holes. The new, tainted orange passes by harmlessly these shard.

There's a slight change now, he gets glimpses of a world beyond and a hollowed out body that should welcome him. He never manages to Harmonize with that outer body, it's slowly changing, accepting the tainted orange as if it was him. There's little context that he gets from the few glimpses, only that the outer, slowly tainted him doesn't want to be a Mafia Don, whatever that is. None seem to listen, for all that they hear that outer him.

He's not sure when parts of that outer him began to crawl and merge with that which is trapped. In the end, it's merely a puppet beyond the transparent material, answering to the Will of others. None seem to notice the difference. Then, at the age of twenty-four...

Yoshi jerks awake all of a sudden and his left hand going to his gut, searching for... Looking down upon sitting up, he's not sure what it is he thought he'd find. There's no blood staining his hands let alone his fingers.

"These aren't my sleeping cloths..." He murmurs to himself before looking around to realize that he's not in the room he'd been allowed to stay at upon arrival at Imori. It had been rather small by the standards of the Youkai living at Imori but he was just happy to have a space to himself.

He's confused as Yoshi recalls being at the library, he'd been reading a book. With brows furled, he tries to recall the title. Something to do about those special swords. The ancient ones that number over forty. Is all he can recall at the moment.

His memories are hazy and it's then that he realizes that he's rather thirsty along with... Blushing, he focuses on the room along with noticing that it's night out. Yoshi isn't sure what to make of the sight as it had been morning, last he remembers. Getting up, his legs are a bit shaky but he takes it slow, he notices the aches in his back muscles, then again his limbs seem to ache as well.

Once at the door, he glances about, it takes him a bit to realize the room he woke in was in the actual guest wing. Which means... Yoshi does in fact manage to find a kitchen that's connected to this particular wing. Grabbing a cup, he fills it with water after pumping it five times.

The water hits the spot and it's not long before he visits the area meant for certain bodily functions. With that, Yoshi does his best to fight back a yawn. He isn't sure if he should return to that room or seek out the small room he'd been assigned.

In the end, he goes for the nearest room as he's tired and wants to go back to sleep. While confused as to why he's been placed in that guest room, Yoshi decides it a problem for him to solve in the morning. Along with other little issues he's sure he'd be questioning if not for how tired he is. Once he's back upon the bed, Yoshi has a very restful slumber without any strange dreams.

[ V _ V ]

Grandmaster Nakamura is watching him and Yoshi isn't sure what to make of it. His four students have only been polite but clearly preferred to stir clear of him. Out of the four, only Chiba Miki has a Kirin as a Youkai Nature, which is Body while his Heart is that of a Nekomata. The other three are dormant Youkai and their names are Aoki Ryu, Hori Uta, and Iida Doi. What little he's learnt of the four, they were learning different sword styles from Grandmaster Nakamura, which is surprising as he'd thought that Chiba Miki would be groomed to take over the mantle and thus weld Kirinzuresuto, after all the current Grandmaster is going to be three hundred years of age, give or take a small handful of years.

The youngest of the four is Hori Uta, at age sixteen. The eldest is Iida Doi at age twenty-three. Between Aoki Ryu and Chiba Miki, Aoki Ryu is older at age twenty with Chiba Miki being eighteen. He's not sure of what kind of backgrounds they came from but, he's fairly certain that Iida Doi is the only one who didn't come from a household that could be scholars or higher classed. It's just how Iida Doi carries herself, he's also sure that she's hiding her gender as well.

There's been a few Youkai that have returned since Grandmaster Nakamura sent out word of Ueno Mana's confirmed death. It also sounds like one Kuge Genji Shinta is being held accountable for the deaths of the Imori Court as well, it seems he's the one who hired her to avenge slights against his family by the previous Daimyo of Imori and his sister, who's nephew had courting Kuge Genji Shinta's daughter with the pretense of just bedding her and not wedding her. It's a mix blessing that those that return don't know of his role in killing various Youkai, be they members of Court or the Tsukumogami created out of Hollowed out Youkai.

It's still something that he finds hard to come to terms with, the idea that he killed so many older, more experienced Youkai without getting overly hurt. The Tengu Daimyo fell to him along with various guards, those that had training for years... Yoshi doesn't have any hints of purple upon his body, which would indicate he'd made use of his Heart to heal injuries. So it's a mystery as to how none managed to fend him off or kill him.

He recalls the bodies and the slices that hint at odd burns about the edges. Yoshi's nails weren't any different then when he took the time to look at them. There's neither sharper nor does there seem to be any blood under them either. They seem perfectly normal, clearly incapable of slicing through flesh and yet, evidently, they were. Which, again, is weird, after all, they don't have any signs of having been altered by either his Body or Heart.

Blinking, he finds Hori thrusting a bowl with chopsticks into his face. It seems he's zoned out, yet again. "Eat." The dormant Youkai growls roughly at him, he takes the bowl, muttering his thanks along with a polite bow.

As Yoshi eats the stripes of deer meat that's on top of the rice, he notices that Hori hadn't retreated from him. It's puzzling behavior, honestly but it's clear that Hori does have something to say or ask of him. "When are you going to make the announcement?" Hori finally asks and his body freezes.

"Announcement?" Yoshi asks helplessly once he puts the bowl down a bit along with the chopsticks. "Why would I need to make an announcement?" After all, what power does he have? He's got no connections, no money, and everyone knows about his back ground.

"Your a Tengu." States Hori as if that explains everything. "And?" He asks after a minor period of silence.

"Don't you want to be Daimyo? Rule a Court?" Hori asks in a very impatient voice and he merely blinks owlishly at the younger man.

"Isn't there a better candidate then I? Or candidates, I guess." Yoshi inquires and it's Hori's turn to give him an owlish blink.

"But... Your here and they aren't." Hori states and once again he doesn't see how it matters.

"I'm the son of farmers, Hori." Yoshi states calmly. "It's been made clear by many, many Youkai of what I lack in the areas that make one a proper Tengu, or to be a proper Youkai in general."

"My whole time here?" He gestures with his chopsticks. "I grew tired of it. I was pretty much bullied by a child who I couldn't even discipline due to who her father was and if I tried to intimidate her, I'd be cast in the role of villain."

"I was going to leave Imori, not sure when but I knew I was going to." He explains. "I'm tired of how human everything ultimately is when it comes down to it. If not for the strange magics that we possess, everything wouldn't be any different then how regular human operate."

"It shouldn't matter who my parents are, but it clearly does. It shouldn't matter concerning my lack of formal education, except it does." Yoshi continues. "Only one of those can be corrected while the other will always be seen as a weight around my neck."

"People are only 'friendly' until they learn that I lack any kind of political connections. They look at me and they are already trying to judge how much it would take to 'buy' me." He adds. "I don't care what they think I owe them, they have done nothing for me that didn't have a price tag attached. I wasn't housed in the guest wing, I wasn't invited to eat with the Court, I wasn't invited to sit in on the monthly meetings, and I sure as hell wasn't given leave to deal with an unruly child who should know better then to aggravate a Youkai with their nature surfaced."

"So no, I could careless about creating or managing a Court filled with back talkers and kiss-asses." Yoshi states, he's not sure when anger had crept into his tone but clearly, it has along with stirring up a lot of emotions and memories. He returns to eating his lunch and walking away from Hori.

Feeling eyes on his back, he glances backwards only to find the Grandmaster Nakamura being the one who's eyes he's felt. They were very weighty eyes and there's a slight incline of a head before the man continues on his way. Hori seems to be a bit pale, upon the quick glance, but he focuses back on eating along with looking forward.

T /|\ T

Alive... He's alive? How?

How could they have managed to save his life? It had been a [blank] wound in his gut. The [blank] clearly been altered to do so much more then just piece his body. He kind of recalls the general sensation of a lot of burning and at some point, he's pretty sure he recalls what it's like to suffocate.

The world isn't cut off from him and, time was meaningless. His mama was there, alive, and far more lively then he remembers. Sure, he can't talk very well or walk but as time goes, that changes. He forgets, it's easy to forget as everything from before was just surreal. It's a nightmare that he hadn't, for the longest time, woken from.

Then, then a familiar face arrives in the company of a man he doesn't trust. "Call me Grandpa." The elderly man says but soon enough, he catches sight of a certain ring. A ring from that nightmare and dread sinks into his whole being.

He's not sure when he started screaming, trying to run but, in the end, he's trapped, Sealed, away once more. Only this time he knows the name of what's trapping him, it's . . . called . . .

Yoshi surges to a sitting position, panting. His throat is rough and he dimly realizes that not only had he been screaming in his dream but in his sleep as well. A hand reaches up to his forehead, rubbing one particular spot in particular.

Getting out of bed, he heads to get a drink and hope that by moving around, it'll help clear his head. Soon enough, he's outside at the well and waits a bit before pulling up the bucket. Yoshi couldn't recall the dream he'd been experiencing. It's been about three months since he accepted Grandmaster Nakamura's offer of becoming his student, which had been a bit over a week after that conversation he had with Hori.

They left Imori a few days after once a party of neighboring Youkai sent volunteers to help get the buildings repaired. It's likely among that party are those with sights set on becoming the next Daimyo of Imori. There had been a pair of Tengu Youkai among that mixed party but there had also been a Tsuchigumo, never mind the Kitsune or the pair Jinmenju that had been among the group. He's known that it's possible that the next Daimyo won't be another Tengu or even a Tsuchigumo, but it likely won't be easy going for which ever ambitious Youkai who wants the post, regardless of their Youkai Natures.

Sighing, he does his best to push the matter of Imori out of his mind, it's not his responsibility nor concern. Although Yoshi guesses he's dwelling on it to avoid the issue that he's still recovering from that attempted Hollowing that Ueno Mana tried to do to him. Which is likely where tonight's dream came from. He mentally reasons.

It still unsettles him, that he somehow managed to fend off Ueno's attack upon his mind and spirit. She's had decades and yet... Couldn't crush me under her thumb? Yoshi thinks with a scowl upon his face as he takes the bucket from the edge of the well, having nearly forgotten about having pulled it up.

As he drinks, some of the water falls from his mouth, drenching his front. With a wince, he pulls the bucket away and takes a look at what he's done to the front of his sleeping cloths. There's little he can do to dry it off as he tugs the cloth from his chest, gently moving it about, flapping it or waving it in an attempt to dry it off.

Putting down the bucket, he turns to lean on the well and runs his other hand through his hair, which is black. For some reason, he pulls a few strands before his eyes and stares at the color along with length. There's this... disconnect as, for a second, he thought it's brown. Snorting at the thought of brown hair, he lets go of the strands and tilts his head up, looking at the night sky, which does sport a waning Crescent Moon along with some clouds.

Still, he gets to see a wide array of stars scattered about the night sky. It's a breath taking sight, at least in Yoshi's humble opinion. He wonders how come he never appreciated the sight when he'd been younger. Took it for granted, really. Same with how fresh the air is. He muses dimly to himself as he places the palms of his hands on the edge of the well as he continue gazing at the stars.

It's a very calming sight, it soothes his soul, the sight of the stars shining down. He's not sure when he started humming but he had. After a while, he yawns and Yoshi knows it's time for him to return to his bed.

As he enters the rather spacious house, he wonders if he caused any of the others to wake, either by his screaming or him walking out of the room. With that thought, he does his best to be as silent as he can be, that includes using his Youkai Natures to help with said endeavor.

[ V _ V ]

Looking down at his lap, Yoshi, well, Tsunayoshi now it seems, doesn't know how to process how it is he's the one picked to be the next Grandmaster. "Why me?" He finally asks upon untangling himself enough to voice out one of his many, many questions.

"I think it's more of a, how could it not be you." Replies Nakamura Aito, who's been his master for these past twenty years, give or take a few months or weeks. He's startled enough by that to look up at the older Youkai's face.

"You have a stronger Heart then Shape, it's rather odd that your Natures aren't reversed from what I've seen of you." Continues his master, former master. "I've never seen a Youkai with a Shape of a Tengu never seek out the company of others nor have I seen you try and put yourself in an inadvertence position when you are put in a group."

"..." He's unsure of how to respond to that. Although, he's fairly certain that it's due to his previous shitty experiences among Youkai Society that contribute to him not enjoying the company of other Youkai. "It's like babysitting, being in charge." Tsunayoshi complains gently, he's fairly sure he couldn't mind being in charge of actual children, just not those that overgrown babies who want everything handed to them or be lead by the hand when they are clearly old enough to be able to do things for themselves.

"It's like... Their cattle." He adds with a huff. "Just... how is it that they qualify as strong and willful Youkai if they just..." He's not sure if he's explaining things properly. He, at least, manages to keep his hands from moving about as he spoke.

Seeing Nakamura's bemused expression and what might be laughter dancing about in those hazel green eyes, he lowers his gaze once more. "Oh, I'm sure in the right situation, they can be very willful and capable. There's few who are like that all the time though." Concludes Nakamura. "I seem to recall a conversation where you pretty much said that the only difference between a Youkai and a simple human downs to special abilities."

"I said that?" He asks once he's glanced back up. Tsunayoshi tries to think over when he might have said that while Nakamura nods, the previous slight smile is now full blown. "To Hori-kun, back in Imori."

"Oh." That's a very long time ago. Tsunayoshi can't help but think. "So... Nakamura Tsunayoshi? Why not just... Nakamura Yoshi?"

"Yoshi can be considered a nickname until you're more familiar with your new name." Explains Nakamura. "My old name had been Jun."

He isn't sure what to make of the fact that it seemed like his former master also didn't have a family name. "There's no changing your mind, is there?" Tsunayoshi inquires and the simple look of contentment in those hazel green eyes is all the answer he gets.

"So... what do I need to do to prepare myself?" He asks, more or less resigned that he's going to be the next Grandmaster of the Nakamura Style and welder of Kirinzuresuto.

End of Part 1

- o - x -

Youkai terms:

Body is Primary

Heart is Secondary

Flames Listed:

Youkai Nature - Dying Will Flame

Kirin - Cloud Flame

Kitsune - Mist Flame

Nekomata - Storm Flame

Oni - Lightning Flame

Orochi - Sun Flame

Tengu - Sky Flame

Zasshiki Warashi - Rain Flame

/o\-/o\

Enenra - Desert Flame

Jinmenju - Forest Flame

Tsuchigumo - Earth Flame

Yato-no-Kami - Swamp Flame

Yobuko - Mountain Flame

Yuki-kami - Glacier Flame

Wani - Ocean Flame (no listed seventh Flame for Earth Flames)

Translations:

Kirin no ikari - Google translation says it's Kirin's Fury.

Kirinzuresuto - Google translation says it's Kirin's Rest.

Reijingukirin - Google translation says it's Raging Kirin.

Tsukumogami - Beings that a Youkai decided to create out of any kind material, often owned as property by their creators. It's frowned upon to sell them though, as there wouldn't be a bond between owner and the created being in question which is needed to reign in said created being.

Imori - Google translation says it's Newt.

Daimyo - Feudal Lords.

Kuge - Nobility comprised of Courtiers and High Civil Servants.