<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/68/Red_Samurai.png)</div>Grandfather sat in a corner of the shrine, carving a trinket out of some balsa wood. He had half an eye on each of his daughters, though, overseeing their work on behalf of the gods and spirits that Japan revered.<br/><br/>Megumi and her boyfriend closed their eyes and breathed in deeply as Midori offered up her prayer. As it finished, they offered up their thanks to the gods alongside Midori. "Thank you, Miko-san," said the oni softly. "That is exactly it! The beauty of spring, or of any time of the year, is a gift from the gods, a reflection of the days when the<em>kami</em>walked the earth and created all that is beautiful." He turned to look out of the shrine's doors, gesturing at the park outside.<br/><br/>"Indeed, my love," said Megumi. "On a beautiful day such as this..."<br/><br/>She was interrupted by thunder rumbling in the distance, and a cascade of rain began to pour from the heavens. The couple looked at each other, then laughed merrily. "And is this not just another form of perfection?"<br/><br/>The oni bowed deeply to Midori, then made some gestures in the air, sketching out the distance from the shrine to the trees and the carpark, then scooped Megumi up in his arms. "Thank you again, Miko-san! We are truly blessed." Smiling brilliantly, he raced out into the rain, his lover's laughter trailing behind him as he ran.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, Jonathan Stone knelt before the shrine itself, baring his soul to the priests. Saiyako could see Grandfather out of the corner of her eye, looking over the ork with his own magical gaze, but if he saw anything, he left it to Saiyako to assense herself. When she made her own examination of Jonathan's aura, she could see a dark smudge on it, just the sort of thing that might bring ill fortune. Closer examination revealed that the source of the darkness was that Jonathan had unwittingly slept in a place haunted by a malevolent ghost, perhaps that of a serial killer. There was no sign that he was possessed, he merely bore a spiritual resonance from the ghost's evil taint. A simple ceremony in the shrine would cleanse him of the worst of the taint, and regular prayer and time spent in holy and natural places would expunge the rest of it over time.<br/><br/>By the time both miko were finished with their visitors, the rain was coming down in full force. A few visitors remained in the shrine, either devout enough to stay despite the rain or adventurous enough not to mind it. A flash of lightning drew all eyes to the door of the shrine, where there stood a samurai in a jingasa and a drenched grey kimono, daisho sheathed at his side. There was no mon visible on his kimono, nor did he broadcast a Matrix persona, suggesting that he was either a ronin - a street samurai - or that he was a noble samurai who saw fit to conceal his loyalty. He started to walk forward into the shrine, but stumbled and caught himself against a side table, standing up straight with obvious discomfort.