Once they reached the town they lived, Kaoru noticed that they passed the road their house was on and were going somewhere else. She eyed first young master Yuuko who didn't try to clear her misunderstanding after seeing her questioning look.
She wouldn't have stayed at the temple for so long had she known they would come for her. It's not as if she didn't expect it, but one tends to forget somethings when given something one truly wanted. In her case it was her freedom, now she wasn't sure whether she still had it.
The cart stopped nearly an hour later at a huge compound. She had never been here before, she thought. The compound was fenced round with clay bricks with two soldiers guarding the main gate while other soldiers were stationed around the fence.
They were received by a bashful maid who kept speaking glances at first young master Yuuko, she led them to the lord of the house which turned out to be lord Kaneko. When they entered a room, her breath caught in her throat as she laid eyes on a very neatly dressed lady Kaneko and Kohana. Of course lord Kaneko was in the room, but there was neatly dressed nobleman with a nondescript face in the room too. He wore a pair of hoop earrings and his attire was different from their kimono, on his head was a headband and his skin was pale like he was never in the sun, like Koinu's, she thought.
His jet black hair was untied and it made his dark brown eyes pop. At the moment that attractive pair of dark brown eyes were looking at her intensely.
'I see you've brought your eldest daughter back' the man turned to look at lord Kaneko who had a respectful look his face.
'Yes, she was on a year long pilgrimage to Amaterasu's temple in Hirubira' he said respectively.
'I see…' said the young man as he looked at Kaoru's dishevelled and tattered appearance. She felt small.
'I'll take my leave now, I hope I'll get what we discussed when next I come?' the man said as they walked out of the room with lord Kaneko hovering fawningly around him.
The smile of lady Kaneko's face fell and what followed was a sharp slap to her face. 'How dare you?! You caused my son's death and ran to Hirubira, you killed my boy', she broke down in tears and Kohana went to comfort her.
Kaoru bit back the tears that threatened to spill, she would not be weak in front of this snivelling old lady. After lady Kaneko had cried to her heart's content she gave her a sickeningly sweet smile that made her skin crawl.
'We will find some use for you, don't worry.'
Kaoru was led to a small room at the back of the mansion by a maid. It was by no means a suitable living area for a first young lady of a prosperous noble family but it was an improvement. Setting down her belongings she let out the tears she had been holding in all day.
.
The northern side was a big… mess. While sorting through the information Getsumei got from Handa the frown on his face just deepened more and more, he carelessly stroked his beardless jaw as he watched Handa drag a rogue yume no seirei[1] before him. 'Is it the one messing with the dreaming?'
'Yes my lord, do you think not?' Handa cocked his head to the side.
'It's curious, Handa' Getsumei said, a kind smile blossoming on his lips, 'how a single yume no seirei could permanently steal some dreaming.'
He placed a sorting hand on the creature who was in the form of a skinny old man now. Black tendrils started to encroach on the creature's skin eliciting a loud agonising sound from the creature's burned throat, it wilted away and eventually turned to ash.
Handa then brought Getsumei a cloth to wipe his hands which he took but didn't immediately clean his hands. There was nothing in the memories of the yume no seirei which was strange, it was definitely wiped away by someone or someone. Without thinking he decided he needed to stay in the northern side for a while to oversee things himself.
[1] a yume no seirei is a yokai that creates nightmares in Japanese myth.