Three days later, Shisui was taken—under heavy guard and ceremonial procession—to Hanakami Lake, the neutral border site chosen for his first meeting with Lady Naoko Tsuchibana.
The girl who emerged from the palanquin was cloaked in translucent silks. Her eyes glowed faintly green, her breath laced with perfumed Arch Energy. Her presence was serene—but Shisui felt the subtle tension in the air.
> "You're him," she said, after studying him in silence.
> "I am."
> "Do you want this?"
Shisui blinked, not expecting her bluntness.
> "No," he replied.
She smirked. "Good. Because I don't either."
Then she turned, her back straight. "But if I must marry a weapon… I prefer one with a backbone."
Over the next hours, they spoke more honestly—about their clans, about politics, and eventually… dreams.
Naoko confessed she had always wanted to be a scholar, not a bride. She knew poisons, illusions, and sealing techniques—but her only friend was a moth spirit sealed in her shadow.
> "My father calls me his garden's 'deadliest bloom,'" she said softly.
Shisui laughed. "Mine calls me a storm."
They exchanged one look of reluctant respect. Then—Naoko gave him a vial.
> "Pollen of Mind's Hollow. Should you ever wish to run... this will make them forget you for a day."
Shisui stared at the swirling pink dust.
> "Are you offering me escape?"
> "I'm offering you a choice. Something neither of us really have."
That night, alone at the lake's edge, Shisui held the vial and whispered:
> "If duty is my path… then I'll walk it on my terms."
As the wind rustled the petals, he stared at his reflection.
And for the first time, he saw not just a warrior or a weapon—but a prince standing between the thorns and the flame.