KISMET, ryomen sukuna

⠀⠀⠀第7章

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CHAPTER SEVEN
The Fox and the Viper
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━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ( KISMET ! )

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Royal blood rots at your veins, and the late Emperor is obsolete proof. Those of Heian knew of the Sasaki Clan — a story of old that is nothing more than tragic. A banal allegory of crowns, madness, and usurpers. They say power corrupts even the most golden-hearted men, and therefore, as retribution for succumbing into tyranny, Emperor Ryūnosuke inevitably brought down the sword above their family's head. The Sasaki Clan was slaughtered, stripped of titles & prosperity, leaving trails of carnage & severed heads. A humiliating death for every single one who dare carry the blood of a tyrant — all but one.

"Do you know of him?"
"In history books, yes." Yūji answers.
"And of his heir?"
"No. Emperor Kintaro killed all of them." Yet as Yūji gazed over the ghostly woman, he can discern the hidden pity within her crimson eyes.

Before them was a feast. A celebration held in Sasaki Chiyo's name. Her Father's halls grew vibrant on that summer evening as esteemed personalities & family allies grace their home for the girl's debut into the upper echelon. Wooden table after wooden table were filled with the generosity of Hida. Fresh fish from their streams, rice & vegetables grown from local farmlands, wild fowl of their forests, exquisite tea leaves, and the finest sake their house can offer. A dinner that can feed an entire village. Though, it is expected — Sasaki Mamushi is an extravagant woman after all, with her elegant kimonos, bejeweled fingers, and glimmering hairpins. She is a woman known to flaunt the depth of her pockets wherever she may be.

At the center of the dining hall were four tables, inter-locking one another to form a quadrilateral. At its forefront sat the host of the evening, the Sasaki Family. Ryūtaro, the head of the household sat comfortably by the right end. A slender bespectacled man dressed in a black summer kimono. His long raven hair runs smoothly down his back to the end of his torso with a few stray silvers staining the pitch black. The Great Lord was rather skinny, as Yūji have noticed, comparing him to the leader of the Hounds he saw on a summer night, men kneeling before him as he spoke. He does not speak often, and would only listen. However, whenever he does, it is always of substance and sophistication.

Next to Ryūtaro is his wife and her serpent-like eyes decorated with sharp lines. Mamushi's presence can overpower a room, Yūji have noticed — with her beauty & grace, and the way she spoke to those around her. When she opens her mouth, they listen intently, and when she stares, it is as if a snake is calculating whether you are friend or prey. In another life, she could have been a more powerful, more terrifying presence, yet Mamushi is painted as a subdued wife of a dishonered noble.

Lastly, there was Chiyo. A beautiful girl on the brink of blooming. As Yūji watches, he can only appreciate how talented she is at acting for this is not the girl clumsily trotting about the estate premises. This version of her smiles politely, not loudly, she laughs & converse over superficial anecdotes handed to her, and she does not react even if statements are tainted with insults. Just a timid girl celebrating the dawning of her aristocratic years.

There was also Kazue of the Zen'in. Seated by the table to their left, a familiar face for Yūji as he has seen the nobleman train with Sukuna. He wore a blue hakama that night as his long bluish hair was kept neatly onto a ponytail. Kazue who is ever present over any occasion within the Sasaki Estate. Silently, he drinks along his kind, ears ready for any interesting gossip that might slip out of a drunkard's mouth. Occupying the rest of his table were bright young shamans — boys of pedigree currently attending the Jujutsu school in the capital. His beloved troublesome students Hideyoshi of the Zen'in & Kenshin of the Miyamoto. There was also Taku who earned a seat in Kazue's table. Yūji knew of him to be a young general who oversees activity within the Hounds. Often he sees the man fighting alongside Sukuna, defending Hida's borders, and rescuing lowborns from executions. For tonight however, instead of the usual shinobi attire worn by the rebels, Taku wore a plain black kimono decorated with the Sasaki house sigil.