our intuition - HEIZOU.

𝐩𝐭. 𝟓 - 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕

well, it was better than being in a cell for sure. but under the constant surveillance of the tengu warrior herself, that was just as terrifying.

but you knew heizou's intentions were genuine- after all, "everything still attached". it was enough to set off fireworks in your stomach, but it left you feeling uneasy for the rest of the day. the commission gave you dirty looks every chance they got, mostly because of heizou's deal that they were forced to agree to.

"just trust my intuition," heizou had told you with a grin, his eyes full of hope. you were sure it was worth trusting, but you didn't know if you should completely place your trust in it, to probably withdraw it later...

no, you needed to hold out enough hope for this to work. this was a straight path to the tenryou commission, after all, as long as you didn't disappoint madam kujou sara. her first impression on you was "don't mess with me or everything you own is at risk". along with totally frightening you, she twisted your left wrist in the process of trying your hands together. regardless of her cruel actions you knew it was maybe for the better in the future. complaining a twisted wrist simply wouldn't do.

thankfully heizou had provided you a wrist brace before kujou sara put you to work.

she switched your leg guards to ones provided by the tenryou commission- better in quality, and branded. after that, she gave you a polearm to work with, showing you a few strokes to practice your form. if any other weapon seemed to suit you better, she would take note of making adjustments. you decided to hold back all your questions for now, because further angering an already fuming kujou sara was not the best idea in the book.

and you were strictly told not to use your vision for the duration of your trial, or she would confiscate the vision and have it join the other glowing gems of ambition on the statue.

soon enough her trust would be earned. just stay in the favour of the shogun, and forever hope she doesn't find out about your illegal travelling. that would be a ruthless red flag in your career if it were to be publicly known.

<><>

heizou wasn't any happier than kujou sara as he made it back to his office. his right bicep was bruised from the frighteningly tight grip of kujou sara's hand, which he deserved but really disliked.

he sighed and leaned his head on the back of the chair. if i knew about her vision, this could have been avoided. however, thanks to my wits i was able to partly save her. he glanced out the window, the mess on the street cleared up already. i think she's on her own now.

concern flickered in his eyes as he watched you attempt to handle your polearm, but because of your nonexistent familiarity with the weapon, you kept dropping it to the stone road with a loud clatter. a cat meowed at some point, and you clutched the polearm tightly to your chest while swivelling to look at the cat in disbelief.

heizou swallowed a laugh- it wasn't that funny. and yet..

he turned back to his desk, reading over your file again. just in case there are any faults.

and he couldn't believe what he read next. "parents...status...deceased...?"

<><>

"shoo!" you yelled at the cat. "you don't want to get hurt. i'm a bit clumsy with this."

the cat stared blankly at you with its large green eyes. it stretched its mouth open to yawn, but its eyes remained wide open, watching as you dropped the polearm yet again.