{Kaede's POV}
Walking through Kirameku Ha's gardens, Kaede was picking peaches from his orchard and thinking about her apprentice. She had been praying more frequently lately, and Meioshi's training left her limping home to her barn and shack often. She even started smoking more. Her drinking was always reserved for social situations, but Meioshi was beginning to go to parties far less than usual. Poor tot. Well, the girl wasn't quite a young babe anymore, but Kaede would be remised if she didn't admit that she missed her as a young teen. Tonight was no different. Kirameku Ha had walked out of his home to pick a few peach blossoms and purify the bathing waters of his home. He would typically tease Kaede by bumping her shoulder in a friendly manner or inspecting his peaches for a soft one to eat for later. His hair was adopting a few silver to white streaks, but his length remained at the shoulders. Kirameku Ha was one of the few Kairyu men who aged gracefully and remained handsome. Though this could be a bias of the priestess since Kirameku Ha was one of few men she felt was beautiful inside and out. He embodied a spirit of calmness much like Arimasa, who was on patrol through Niji Saku, and happened to be walking beside his taisho earlier.
"My friend," Kaede called just before Kirameku Ha left her at the orchard.
"Something concerns you?" Kirameku Ha questioned, noticing the change in Kaede's voice.
"Do you trust young Meioshi's decision in joining the army? You have refrained from saying anything, and she's getting closer to the battlefronts by the day," Kaede started, caressing a singular peach with thoughts of her apprentice.
Kirameku Ha looked up into the night sky, taking notice to a friendly serpent youkai dancing about, and closed his eyes as the creature circled him. It gently nuzzled against his cheek before flying away to Meioshi's side. She was walking by with a pail of water in her hands at Mizu Hoseki's side. They were talking about something before the serpent youkai danced around her and she twirled about gracefully in response and smiled. Such a bewitching girl! He then finally said, "This war will change her. My instincts are saying that it won't be for good reason. She will not die, but she will be hurt severely. I am not blessed with the ability of foresight like other persons of high power, but I do recognize when the heavens gift young Meioshi with different things for protection. That particular serpent youkai is able to enter weak points in defenses very easily. As evident when it came to me. I did not sense its presence until it was already close. She will need its ability for the adversary ahead."
"Kirameku Ha, you have to tell Arimasa! He can stop her!" Kaede pleaded.
Kirameku Ha shook his head and said, "The gods want her there. Holy warriors are different from priests and priestesses. You know this. They are men of the cloth who fight for man and god. Their devotion rivals the purest of heart because their tasks require so much more than humble prayer. The hell travelers are no exception to this. We can't walk in the land of shadow and death without losing our lives. They can do this without a second thought. They were hand-chosen and highly favored by one of the creator gods himself, Izanagi, to carry out a mission within that realm. No ordinary priestess can do this. Seek no insult in my words but think of your sister. Do you honestly believe that Kikyo, who you regarded highly once, could defeat my taisho or even young Suiren in battle? Two people equally pure in heart but with entirely different powers?"
"... It is not fair to compare her to either of them," Kaede said after a thoughtful sigh. She wasn't angry about Kirameku Ha's words; in fact, she respected the man whenever he spoke to her like this. He was her voice of reason and redemption. He made it easy to accept friendship with the opposite gender and forgiveness for her past hatred. She then continued, "Arimasa is a war general of the seas. Physically, she'd be crushed by the throat with his hand. Suiren possesses the ghost eye. There's no telling what she could do with it in combat. She destroys demons from another place of existence that I can't see. I can only feel it. Kikyo possessed no such abilities. Though she was mighty, she... misunderstood what being pure truly meant. It was not easy for me to learn the difference between purity and purifying either. She died before she could have met any one of you to show her this."
"She would have died regardless of when you met us, Kaede," Kirameku Ha said softly, lifting her chin with his finger. "She was close to a decade older than all of us. If she didn't die from her choices, her heart would have certainly been hardened by our words in the same manner it was hardened from yours those years ago."
"Kikyo may have suffered for her choices, but she was most certainly pure. The purest my village had ever witnessed! I can't insult her," Kaede said with remorse.
"I did not say for you to. I only ask that you recognize who you are without her shadow lingering over your soul. One who is pure of heart always seeks harmony among thought, word, and deed. We do this through purification of the self. We question our questions, analyze our emotions, and stop before we act. Anything could sway us. A desire for love could make you commit inconsiderate deeds. Division among noblemen or countries can poison your own thoughts and make you forget what you fight for. An act of manipulation can be mistaken for an act of kindness, which could lead you to commit even more heinous crimes. Balancing it all is no easy feat. Why do you think monks and priestesses often separate themselves from the world in order to show true devotion? You have to, but this method has its limits and its weaknesses. You become easily misunderstood and shunned from society because you do not understand society. Holy warriors are guilty of isolation, but we are not isolated from society to the degree thought. We do interact with the world, but it is through this balance that we move. You have learned this in part on your own and unto completion with us," Kirameku Ha reasoned.
"Must you lecture me now when I am thinking about my apprentice?" Kaede argued with a pout.
"I am merely reminding you that young Meioshi is not a priestess like you, my friend. She must engage with the world in her own way in order to be the holy warrior she needs to be. We can't stop her from doing this," Kirameku Ha replied with a smile. "Are the peaches sweet to you this year?"
"Sweeter than you tonight," Kaede responded, snatching a peach from a branch and eating it.
"Share your trepidations with young Meioshi in the morning. She would appreciate your concerns. She appreciates all of ours. I probably sounded like a whimpering child when I approached her about it first," Kirameku Ha admitted.
"You - ! Hahaha! You sneaky bastard!" Kaede said with relief. So, he was upset about everything after all. "Here I thought you only cared about my past with my sister."
"I speak truthfully. She never would have survived our lectures or strength, given the circumstances," Kirameku Ha said, locking eyes with Kaede. "You are different. You are closer to us than you are to her. Will you remove the eyepatch?"
"Now?" Kaede asked, a tad startled by the question. "But I - "
"Your man does not like you hiding your strength. Why do you persist?" Kirameku Ha asked, narrowing his eyes. "You are like us, Kaede. You have been training a holy warrior because you are a holy warrior. Let your village recognize Kikyo as a powerful priestess. Let this world - the rest of the world - recognize you for the might you truly possess. Your kimono is untouched this night. Dress yourself. Your man is coming here."
"... Before he does," Kaede started, kissing Kirameku Ha's cheek. "Thank you, my friend."
"Your man will not appreciate you doing that with others."
Kaede took a moment to speak again, but she took a lock of Kirameku's hair, twirled it around her finger, and then said over his shoulder, "If he was aware of what I truly wanted, he'd know better than to meet me here. He fears you."
"Why would he fear a man who knows his boundaries?" Kirameku Ha asked, whispering in Kaede's ear without turning his head to do so.
"... I am only a priestess when the robes are on. Did you not say a kimono was ready for me?"
"Hmph. That kimono was meant for his eyes. Don't toy with mine, priestess," Kirameku Ha replied with a light growl. "Speak to young Meioshi when she returns. She'd like the company."
Kaede said nothing more. She took up her peach to take another bite, removed her eyepatch, and gave Kirameku Ha a playful look before walking over to her room with the fabled kimono inside. Her man was waiting, and her apprentice probably could use her company more...