Moonlight Demon

The glimpse she got upon waking up let Keiko know that, despite the brief moment of elation, she was still missing something. It wasn't that she was jealous of Kaori specifically, as she turned away from the two of them, she understood that. 

No, she just wanted to be with them. The both of them. But she didn't know if she deserved that space. At least, not yet. 

"Hey, you okay?" Ash asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

"Yes, y-yes," Keiko replied, taking a deep breath. "Do you know what time it is?" 

"Uh, no," Ash replied. "We, I, uh..." In a rare moment of embarrassment from the half-demon, she muttered, "I had just woken up." 

"Heh, I see." Keiko nodded with a small chuckle. She sat up and put her hands on the bed's edge, nodding to herself. "I'll be back in a bit." 

"Hm?" Ash sat up next to her. "What do you mean?" 

"I just need to walk. Plus, I'd like to see the city a little, you know?" Keiko responded. 

"Oh, that's great!" Kaori excitedly crawled toward her and sat on the edge as well, so that Keiko was sandwiched between the two. "I know a few places we can look at if..." 

"A-Alone," Keiko suddenly said, "I... I meant alone." 

"O-Oh." 

Kaori's expression looked slightly hurt, and for a moment, Keiko cursed that she had the eyesight to witness that. However, she did feel she needed this. So, she stood up and bowed to both of them. 

"I'll be back in a bit," Keiko stated, and she nodded to herself. "See you later."

With those words, she walked out of the room. Satsuhiro was outside, going over some papers as he looked up and raised a brow at her. Keiko walked by him, only turning once she reached the front door. 

"I will be heading out for a moment," she stated. 

"Have fun," Satsuhiro shrugged. 

Nodding, Keiko left the house. 

The first thing she saw was the tree that gave the Spirit Gardens District its name. It was something she knew about from lessons she'd received, but only something she witnessed in all its glory at this moment. As she saw the little white embers floating around the tree's bark, a small part of that elation from before, from unlocking her Spirit Eye came back, but she quickly lowered her head and began walking. 

She didn't really know where she was heading, as she simply wanted to cool her head off for a little. Of course, she did try to head in as straight a line as she could, just so she'd not get lost.  Has the city always been this bright?  She wondered, looking around. It was an ambiance she hadn't gotten to feel, being stuck at the Compound for so long. 

Come to think of it, she did need to tell them that she unlocked her Spirit Eye. So, she found the nearest guard and walked up to him. 

"Excuse me," she bowed, "where's the Zayama Compound?" 

Upon receiving some directions, she politely bowed and walked away. On the way, she remembered that dream she'd had last night.  Honoka...  She thought.  It's been a while since I've talked to her. When was the last time I saw her? She couldn't remember. 

It had been far too long.  Why the heck did I see her in my dreams? 

It was a thought she had no answer for.

---

A few minutes later

Is... Is this it?  Keiko wondered. 

She was standing in front of a structure so different from every single one she'd seen on the way here that it was jarring. Whereas the other buildings showed bright pale stone construction, this was a mix of wood and bricks that made it seem like she'd stepped into an entirely different city. 

There was a large distance between the gate she was standing at and the front door. It provided her with plenty of time to regret every step she was taking, but she needed to get this out of the way before she could move on with her life. 

So, she got closer to the front door, and a Zayama guard dressed in a traditional Jade ji opened his eyes and looked up at her. Without a word, he nodded and opened the door as soon as he saw her eyes. 

Keiko took a deep breath. The brown walls and floors, decorated with banners displaying words Keiko didn't understand, held decorative weapons displayed as old relics which belonged to famed warriors. Keiko had felt the objects before, but coming in now, she understood the weight of the image she saw. Someone coming here for the first time would likely think this was a very prestigious place, and of course, they'd be right. Keiko understood that everyone who walked these grounds, without a blindfold on, was probably a respectable person in some way. 

It surprised her to realize that she still had the layout of the Compoun memorized. The years she spent here did not fade with the last month or so that she'd spent outside.

She knew what she had to do. The last person she wanted to see was her grandmother, but before she could do anything else, she had to announce the activation of her ability. 

She walked the path to her grandmother's office, her heartbeat thudding in her ears with every step. Whatever her reaction was going to be, Keiko wouldn't care. Or, she'd try not to care, anyway. 

She reached the small room a moment later, standing outside for a second before she opened the door and walked in. 

Here, she saw her grandmother for the first time. Short grey hair, a scar running across her face, clear blue eyes aimed at the paper she was currently writing on. She looked every bit as serious as Keiko had imagined her. When she looked up, Keiko gulped. She put her hands behind her back as her grandmother raised a brow. 

"Keiko?" She asked. 

"I-I am here to announce that I've activated my Spirit Eye," Keiko said. 

"... So I see." Her grandmother replied. "Well, this is tragic." At that, it was Keiko's turn to arch a brow. "Now, you can continue to embarrass us at will by working with that killer, huh? Why in the world did the gods let you do that." 

Keiko narrowed her eyes. 

"Am I done here?" She wasn't particularly interested in having a conversation. Not with her, of all people. Maybe that realization annoyed her grandmother, as she scowled at Keiko right back and huffed. 

"... Make no mistake," her grandmother said, "I don't know how you did it, but you're still a failure. Just an adult one now. Get out of my sight."

Keiko spun in place and walked straight out. 

Ugh,  Keiko thought, holding back the desire to punch a wall.  What a horrid woman. 

She looked down and sighed.

Now that she was officially free, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. This was a new experience, the mark of the beginning of an entirely different phase in her life. Maybe this daunting reality was what made her seek something she recognized.

So, she decided to head to the Compound's training area. As she walked, she could hear clanking wood, which was probably the sign of active practice happening right now. She passed through a few wooden halls, eventually reaching it and opening the sliding door that led inside. 

There was a young boy, a blindfold covering his eyes, fighting a tall woman in front of him with a wooden practice sword. She had short black hair with one single blonde stripe running down the side. Her eyes were sharp, focused entirely on her own arms, and the boy in front of her. She was dressed the same as Keiko, wearing the same black outfit with golden lines at its edges. Her pale arms held a few scars and her hands were wrapped firmly around the wooden hilt of her weapon. 

The boy pressed forwards, the teacher side-stepped him, and went to attack behind his right knee, but the boy blocked the hit in time. 

"Good, you're getting faster. Take a moment," she said as she turned towards Keiko. A look of surprise emerged on her face. 

Keiko probably had the same reaction as soon as she heard that voice because hearing her speak was what allowed her to remember who this was. This had been her trainer, throughout her whole life. The woman who had made an expert out of her in so many different weapons. And she was currently walking towards her, a look that was a cross between utter happiness and complete shock gracing Keiko's presence. 

"S-Seiyo..." She muttered. She put her hands on Keiko's shoulders and reached up, placing a hand on her cheek. At that, Keiko smiled. "You did it." 

Keiko nodded. 

"I... Not alone," she stated, remembering the crimson-haired woman who had helped her.  Kasumi, wasn't it?  She thought.  I still haven't thanked her enough.  "But, yes... I did it." 

Quickly, she was being embraced. Before she knew it, she was hugging the woman back. A tear came out of her as she heard the boy then clear his throat. 

"Uh, t-this sounds nice and all, but, uh, is the training over?" 

---

After dismissing the kid, her teacher took her out of the Compound. Her time back home lasted a little over ten minutes. Instead, she was led to a small tea shop nearby. Here, her old teacher greeted the storeowner as they walked in. 

"Good evening, Lisa," her master said. 

"Haruna?" Lisa blinked. "Wow, I haven't seen you come around in quite a bit." 

"I've been busy," Haruna sighed. She gestured back at Keiko. "Keiko, this is Lisa. She's a dear friend, so please treat her respectfully." 

Keiko bowed and tried to smile. 

"A pleasure to meet you," Keiko said. 

"Likewise. What will you be having?" She asked Haruna. 

"Sharpgrass tea with some honey," Haruna replied. "Keiko?" 

"I-I don't... I don't know anything about tea." 

"Ah, she'll have the same as me, then," Haruna told Lisa. "Sharpgrass tea is amazing, I adore it. Plus, it has natural healing benefits." 

"I see." 

The two of them sat down at a table nearby and soon, two ceramic cups filled with a black liquid were placed in front of them both respectively. Haruna raised her cup, bowed a little, and took a sip. Keiko did the same. 

And, she instantly started coughing. 

"Oh, goodness!" Keiko said as Haruna laughed. 

"The taste is fairly strong, but you get used to it." With a little smile, Haruna tilted her head. "I must say, I am so happy you managed to unlock your Spirit Eye. Of course, you would have always been dear to me regardless, little one, but of course, it is still nice to see." 

"Little one?" Keiko asked. "Please, I'm an adult." 

Haruna giggled. 

"Whether you're 20 years old or 80, you'll always be 'little one' to me," Haruna stated. "Heh, I still remember seeing you practice alone. You'd spend hours in the training area, hacking away at poor wooden dummies like they'd stolen from you." 

Keiko took another sip, finding that the overly sweet taste was a little more bearable this time. 

"Time really does fly." 

Keiko let go of the tea and placed her hands on the table, then, she looked up at Haruna. 

"Siya, can I ask something?" 

"Of course," Haruna replied. "What is it, child?" 

"... What do I do now?" Keiko asked. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well," Keiko brushed a bit of hair behind her left ear, "I... I feel like I'm stagnating. I'm not learning anything, my training has stalled out because of my new job," the mention of this did make Haruna's light-hearted expression fade a bit but Keiko kept going, "I don't want to become mediocre though. Where do I go from here?" 

Haruna leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. 

"It's a normal concern to have," she said first, "every Zayama, no, every warrior has that concern at some point. We do strive for greatness, after all. As for you though, I believe you'll have to build your path yourself. I can give you the stone you need to make a foundation, but you must build the home of your own will." 

Keiko sighed. 

"So, there's nothing I can do?"

Haruna shrugged. 

"Outside of visiting the Ancient Zayama Castle, but I doubt you're ready for that." 

"Hm?" Keiko asked. "What's that?" 

"It is, as the name indicates, an old castle located to the east, just a little bit northwest of Onyx, between it and Jade. It houses some of our family's most advanced fighting techniques, but..." Haruna waved a hand. "The path to success there is not an easy one. I'd say you still have much to learn before you can even consider it." 

Keiko's eyes looked down at that. 

"... I see." 

Haruna took her tea and held it up. She smiled and tapped Keiko's shoulder. 

"Keep drinking, it gets better with every sip." 

---

All in all, she was glad she came but as she walked back to the Savior House, she wondered about it. What could the castle hold that would make it so that she, an expert in the use of most weapons, was not ready? 

As she came back to the Spirit Garden District, she pondered the matter. However, when she saw a pair of figures sitting at a bench in front of the great tree, she stopped. Her lips parted of their own volition as she saw Kaori and Ash there. 

Their heads were leaned in and Keiko could hear lips smacking as she got closer. It got a little harder to breathe. 

As she arrived, they stopped and Ash turned to look at her. 

"Keiko?" She called out. The Zayama stopped. 

"Yes?" She asked. 

"How did it go?" 

"... Well enough," Keiko indicated. "I... I do need to rest though." 

"Uh, okay." Ash raised a brow. 

"..." After an awkward pause, Keiko walked back in. 

She closed the door behind her and stood with her back pressed against it. 

Almost immediately, a thought came to her as the image of Kaori and Ash's lips dancing with each other played in front of her eyes. 

... It can't be that hard, can it? She thought.