Kita Shrine

Setoku merely bowed his head to the woman, before offering a half smile toward her. As she headed to get Akiyama, Setoku gave the woman a last glance, before he himself left the shrine to parts unknown.

Yasuke would sigh as he leaned towards the horse.
"We'll be risking our balls today, horse. Don't go snitching on me." he said intimidating as he covered his head with the hood on the long coat and his mouth and nose with a scarf.
Yasuke had never gotten an answer on the questions he asked Nakatani that day and something about her demeanor had rubbed him the wrong way. She knew more than she told and Yasuke was very interested in what exactly that was. Being the geisha of Genji there was no way she didn't know a secret or two about him and he wouldn't rule out, that she was close to other important people in House Hizashi.

He had noticed she would go to the same exact shrine every day at a time where she could be alone there. Well almost alone today. Yao had tied his horse up to a tree a little off the road to the shrine but was able to monitor who was coming and going from there. As soon as Yasuke saw Nakatani on the road in her kimono, he would follow her from a safe distance and observe as she knelt down before the kami - she looked so peaceful, Yasuke thought. He took a deep breath before approaching her from behind. He wasn't proud of kidnapping a frail damsel, but then again you'd had to learn new things every day.
"Think of it as a picninc." Yasuke said with a distorted voice as he would grab Nakatani from behind and held his hand in front of her mouth preventing her from making too much noise. Not that it was likely anyone was coming by, but just to be sure. "You should not struggle, you'll just bruise yourself. And close your eyes." Yasuke commanded with a firm voice as he held her tightly and fixated her to the ground while tying her hands and feet and covering her eyes with a piece with a scarf. If she started to scream or yell, he would also make sure to gag her mouth.

When she was sufficiently tied up, Yasuke would go to his horse and place her on the back of it. Yasuke knew a place about an hour from the shrine that very few people new of. It was an abandoned shack where they could "chat" uninterrupted. Unfortunately the way would be through rough terrain and far flung from the road. Any passenger would surely not enjoy a comfy ride. Being abducted had never been a pleasant thing, but unintentionally Yasuke had tried to hold back on the force he used on her and the tightness of the knots. After all her only sin was knowing too much - which incidentally could be the most unfortunate sin of them all with Yasuke around.
"You gotta endure this a bit." Yasuke said calmly as he would start riding towards their destination the horse slowly marching through the uneven wooden floor.

Kazue

The old man would stop at the first step at the stairs leading up to the shrine and look up. There were a lot of stairs and he thought he had been taking plenty of steps that day. The fact was that he had walked for a few weeks now in order to reach Kiyonai City which was his destination now.
"And still... those stairs seem like they won't be taking too kindly to my old feet." he said and sat down to massage them. If only there was a way to ascend those stairs without having to walk any longer. At 102 years he wasn't exactly in his youth either, so the thirty or so kilometers he had already walked today had had some influence on his willingness to go further. Even though he'd like to go and pray at this particular shrine.

He then sensed it. The presence at this shrine, it was without a doubt a kitsune.
"So..! Are you going to give an old man a hand?" he addressed the spirit at this shrine jokingly. To Zu Fu - though they tried to hide - most spirits were as obvious as an ogre in a geisha costume.

Zu Fu's mana was blindingly present and almost effortlessly he blended his spiritual body with the nature around him only through mere intention. The Kitsune would no doubt feel this immediate - and most likely a long time before he arrived - though nothing in his intention indicated that he was forcing anyone to do anything. Sensing his mana signature it would rather be compassionate and exceedingly light and clear for a human being.
"I'm Zu Fu by the way, and my feet hurt!" he said his laugh having the same effortlessness as that of the sound of fresh spring water pouring form the ground.

Zu Fu's smile broadened. This was indeed a well developed Kitsune - Zu Fu noting her six tails - and a visually beautiful one too.
"Ahh no... I don't think I have such things to give." he said pleased with hearing the beautiful voice of the Kitsune. Her words did seem somewhat longing though and maybe she hadn't had travelers praying at the shrine for some time.

"I just arrived from a very long journey and for many days this shrine has been inside my mind." he said as one would be able to glean the weariness of his body through his posture. "I was looking to pray at your shrine despite my tired body, but I might need a hand to get up there." Zu Fu said hoping that the Kitsune would in some way assist him getting to the the other end of the many stairs.

"Well... my steps lead me to many different locations and I'm not always sure I know why." he said with a warm smile. "I set out from the Temple of The Wind Singer and headed to Kiyonai. My route is much like a river forming. It does not know what goal it reaches in the end, but the path is laid our clearly." he said as suddenly Zu Fu would feel a strong breeze materialize and he found that every step up would feel lighter than going down.

"Ahh, I thank you!" he said as he reached the top of the shrine. "What is your name?" he then asked, figuring that knowing her name would vastly improve whatever mana he could conjure through his prayers. Assuming the kitsune wasn't too shy to tell him her name, he would slowly walk over to the shrine itself and sit down in seiza before it. Zu Fu started to breath deeply and slowly as he moved his hands in circular patterns on either side of his body. With the palms facing straight down into the ground he connected himself to the mana inside the ground continuing the almost wavy movements of his hands.

"This is a good shrine you've chosen and I'm sure you will be able to call it 'home' very soon." Zu Fu said indicating that he had knowledge about her arriving here not so long ago. The very soil, plants and trees told him the same story, that a new spirit had taken up residence here but that the energy was still weak around her. Zu Fu got the feeling the spirit was not yet comfortable in this shrine and had a certain distrust for humans. He couldn't gather why, but he was humbled that the troubled and weak spirit had helped him despite this.

Taking out his beaded necklace he gathered his hands together in front of him with palms together and placed the necklace between his thumbs and index fingers. Swaying gently back and forth he called for the the remaining energy of the spirit that formerly inhabited this place to be released while asking the lesser spirits of the earth, wind, animals and plants around this place to start supporting the kitsune with their own energy. Zu Fu felt their genuine willingness in doing so. As a flash seemed to go through him he knew he would have to put a lot of his own mana into this place to if it was to sustain spiritual growth from its surroundings. The then took deeper and longer breaths as he merged his mana with that of the shrine. For a kitsune who had taken residence here, it would feel as if energy and power would travel directly into her. This could be an overwhelming feeling for a weak spirit.

Zu Fu would then relax and open his eyes again. He wasn't able to restore the power of the kitsune fully. trying to force it would have been dangerous for the magical stability of the place and she already received an amount of power that was far more than she had likely had since before coming here. By removing the remaining energy of the old spirit in the future it should be possible for her to receive more power from the people coming here to pray and it was his hope - now that she had regained much of her power again - that she would wield this power well.

Zu Fu would turn to face the kitsune with a warm smile. "I trust you know that your powers aren't for being a trickster only. The lesser spirits of the animals, plants, soil and wind are helping making this place prosper." he said. Zu Fu spoke the words out of wisdom and not to scold the kitsune. "A shrine isn't a prison though, and duty should never be an excuse for loneliness. You can follow whatever path is laid out for you too." he said and nodded with a grin. 

Zu Fu watched with great joy how the spirit seemingly regained her energy, though it took a while before she was able to stand up properly again. Her playful and curious creating of blue flames and shape shifting was amusing to Zu Fu and he couldn't help but let out a gentle laugh.

Her question afterwards was direct and Zu Fu surprised to hear something like that asked so immediately after when expecting a 'thanks' or the likes. But then again a kitsune was driven by impulses and spontaneity like most other spirits.

"I am just a mere human and maybe that's why I'm here doing it." he suggested, though he didn't quite know the meaning of his own words himself but they felt right coming out in that order. "Some things I can control, other things control me. Who's to say that it was even me doing it? Maybe some larger entity acted through me? This is what I ask myself everyday." Zu Fu said to elaborate slightly on his previous words.

"I have things to do in Kiyonai I can't postpone though. It was good that I found you here - I think. And I'll definitely come back when I can, Kazue!" Zu Fu promised and bowed to Kazue before continuing down the stairs as if he was the one just having his energy reserves filled.

Mordred runs after him. 
"Hurry up, Tsa!" He whispers.

"Perhaps." One of the men from Gauldin would stay in the city while the other led the nefarious pair into the woods beyond the shrine. He kept an ear open for guards that may be searching or patrolling the area.

Tsatsa nods and follows, the busy noise of the city being replaced by the crunch of leaves underfoot.