Kogitsune rounded the corner, slamming blindly into Izo Yamamoto.
"Excuse me, I..." Kogitsune paled when he saw who it was. Instinctively, he took a step back, bowing reverently to his Saniwa. "Master, forgive me. I didn't..."
"What are you doing here?"
"I-I, uh... I came to see..."
"I know who you came to see," Izo answered, grabbing Kogitsune roughly by the arm and dragging him back the way he'd come. "The question is why?"
"Because I..."
"You know what," Izo hissed. "I don't care. You need to leave. Now!"
Kogitsune yanked his arm free, straightening his shoulders and standing to his full height. Izo was close to a foot taller than him, but he refused to back down.
"I'm not leaving until I see Mikazuki."
His master's right eye twitched ever so slightly, causing Kogitsune's heart to jump in his chest. Fear swirled in the pit of his belly, but not even the promise of a reprimand would deter him.
Izo took a calming breath, his rage just barely contained. "You can't be here right now."
"Why not? You can't hide him away like this! He's not a prisoner!"
"I'm not hiding him!" Izo snapped. "And would you please keep your voice down? I don't want him to know you're here!"
"But he needs to know I'm here! I have to apologize! There's so much I have to explain. Things I need to...!"
Izo snatched Kogitsune by the collar, slamming him so hard against the wall it sent the air rushing out of his lungs.
"I don't care what you need, or what you have to explain. This isn't about YOU!" Izo bit out. "The fact that you can't see that is reason enough to keep you away from him!"
"I didn't mean to..."
"I don't care what you meant to do," Izo hissed through clenched teeth. "If you had any idea the state Mikazuki is in right now, we wouldn't be having this argument!"
Without thinking, Kogitsune shoved his Master away, his hand instinctively going to his sword.
"Draw that weapon, and it will be the last thing you do," Izo warned, his voice dropping several octaves.
Kogitsune swallowed nervously, lifting his hands in surrender. "I would never harm you, Master. I would die sooner than draw my sword against you. It's just... Hana told me what Mikazuki plans to do. What you're planning to help him do!"
Izo sucked is teeth in irritation. "Can no one keep a secret these days?" he muttered under his breath.
"So it's true? You're going to put him back into the sword! That's tantamount to murder!"
"Which is why I'm trying to save his life!" Izo snarled. "He is broken, Kogitsune! In a way that you and I will never understand. I'm trying to help him work through his pain, but right now he is place where I cannot reach him. I'm doing everything in my power to keep him alive, but it will take time and patience."
"Let me help you," Kogitsune begged. "Keeping him isolated like this will only make things worse! You won't even let Tsuru-chan see him! He's Mikazuki's best friend, for gods' sake!"
"The last thing he needs is a swarm of people asking him how he's going. They'll offer him support and encouraging words, but those words will fall on deaf ears."
"What about Nihongou? He comes to see Mikazuki almost every day! Why is he allowed to see him and no one else?"
"Because Mikazuki has formed a connection with him. Nihongou suffered a great tragedy in his past. He lost someone he loved dearly, and her death is something he blames himself for. Mikazuki sees the guilt Nihongou carries as direct reflection of his own, and it is their shared grief that has brought them closer. But recently, Nihongou found the strength to move past his pain. He has found love again, and it's my sincere hope that his example will inspire Mikazuki to do the same."
"And has it?"
"That remains to be seen. Hope is a foreign concept to Mikazuki right now. He is in the midst of an internal struggle, and the only one who can save him is himself."
"I don't understand, Master. I'm trying to but I... I-I can't."
"It's not for you to understand, Kogitsune." Izo sighed heavily, his frustration and exhaustion etched into the lines of his face. "Do you want to know what he told me?"
Kogitsune nodded his head, desperate for any insight into his beloved's mind.
"He believes he is... flawed. I think his exact words were that he is 'fundamentally broken.' He is convinced he's incapable of experiencing or expressing love the way others do. And if he can't give you the kind of love you deserve; the one person in the world he's ever felt any kind of feelings for, then it's a logical assumption that he will never be able to love anyone ever again."
"That's ridiculous! He's filled with more love and passion than anyone I've ever known! That's why I get so frustrated with him! We were always on the brink of this great and incredible love! But every time we got too close, he'd pull away. All his... fake smiles and empty laughter. He pretended he didn't care. It was like nothing matter him! It was like... I didn't matter to him." Kogitsune ran both his hands through his hair, his tears building in the back of his throat. "I was wrong, wasn't I? I shouldn't have left him. He made this choice because of me, Master. You have to help me fix this."
"This isn't your fault, Kogitsune. There was no way to anticipate such a drastic response on Mikazuki's part. Unfortunately, what ails him can't simply be fixed. He's is on a dark and twisted path of self-discovery. As much as we want to help him, change and acceptance cannot be found until Mikazuki is ready to pursue a different path."
"And if he doesn't?" Kogitsune asked, pinning his Master with a beseeching look. "What happens if he stays on this same path?"
"Then I'll have no choice. I gave him my word. If Mikazuki has not reconciled his demons by the time he's fully recovered, then I will place his spirit back into the sword."
"But you can't!"
"I can and I will," Izo replied, his tone firm and unyielding. "My Sword is suffering. I will do whatever is necessary to bring him peace. Now go," the Saniwa commanded, "and leave me to my work."
Kogitsune clenched his teeth in muted frustration, but did as his Master ordered. The last thing he wanted to do was complicate an already complicated situation. Izo seemed to have a handle on things, so Kogitsune decided to concede defeat. For now...
