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He hates him.
He hates his father for forcing him to choose between his duty to the code and his loyalty to his lord. Can't he see that immortality is unnatural? That it's torture for the one infected by it?
But of course he can't. Owl hasn't cared in a while for Wolf's words beyond his gathered information. And why would he? To him, Wolf is a tool at best, nuisance at worst.
Wolf remembers when he first took over watching the young lord. How this orphaned boy was treated so warmly by his adopted parents. Wolf knows that he's just a tool, but his envy, his hatred grows despite it. He never showed those emotions in front of anyone, and for a while after Owl's death, they began to fade into memory.
But now. Now when Owl is back and has the audacity to demand Kuro from him… the hatred flows back hundredfold.
"As you command. The code is absolute."
Owl kneels next to him. It's been so long since Wolf has heard any praise from that lying mouth.
"I expected nothing less from you, my boy."
It tastes sour as ever.
"No doubt a troubling guest or two will be arriving soon. I'll leave you to secure the divine heir while I go deal with the third problem. I trust you'll be able to do so."
"Yes, father."
With a pat to his head — he really does think him a domesticated mutt — Owl stands and walks to the railing. He speaks some nonsense that Wolf doesn't have the time or willingness to listen to.
In between two heartbeats, Kusabimaru is through Owl's chest. Choking, he falls to his knees and turns to look behind him, giving Wolf the perfect angle to unsheathe Fushigiri and cut off his head.
His technique is perfect and the head slips off the neck with only a thin strip of flesh attaching it to the body. A tiny slice has it neatly dropping in front of the corpse's knees. The only things absent from the scene are the basket and the dead one's honor.
Wolf's hatred is satiated until a creack of the floorboards has him turning. It's The Healer that refused to help for years. If she'd sent that letter earlier, all this mess would have been avoided. He sees red, Red, RED!
She is clearly a skilled swordswoman, but she's first and foremost a healer. Every step forward for her also brings her three steps back. Wolf is about to deal a deathblow when his ear twitches — strange, that isn't normal — alerting him to the sound of a second enemy approaching.
"Delightful accessories, Sekiro. Unfortunately I'll have to cut them off."
The Old Warlord cuts between Wolf and his prey. His inaction, enablement, and willful ignorance of the things that troubled the Lightning's Heir have caused the Divine Heir's kidnapping and the loss of Wolf's arm. After all, the first time they met in combat was at that field of white foxtails, even if Wolf hadn't realised it then. The floor bursts into flames.
Two against one isn't a new configuration, but he has never fought two opponents this skilled simultaneously. His strategy isn't any different from his usual, but the difficulty in executing is higher. He chooses to ignore the Warlord and focus on killing the already weakened Healer.
To his dismay, she retreats to the side while the Warlord covers for her. It's disappointing to not have the satisfaction of killing another failure. The one before him has to do.
Now with only one opponent on the defensive, Wolf has him on the backfoot in no time. Fushigiri is unsheathed and nearing his enemy's unprotected chest and the Healer doesn't have time to stop him. He can already feel the satisfaction of slaughter.
"Wolf?"
A short figure is standing between the blade and the old man. The tip of the Mortal Blade dents the delicate throat, not yet drawing blood. Even as Kuro takes a step forward, forcing Wolf to take one back, his hands do not shake.
They don't.
"It's getting a bit too warm for me. Could you turn down the flames?"
"Get out of here Young Lord! He's a Shura! They feel nothing but hate!"
Wolf doesn't pay attention to the background noise. Without moving his gaze from the child before him, he takes a step back, lifts Fushigiri despite the protests of the two downed fighters, and flicks the blood off of it. When he slides it back into the saya on his back, the moment it clicks shut, the flames vanish. He still feels overheated.
"Thank you Wolf. Now, you must be hungry. I have made some riceballs if you wish? I filled some with plums."
"Of course my Lord."
His voice feels too loud in his ears. And now that he noticed it, Kuro looks taller than before. Is it a growth spurt?
As they descend into the library that has become Kuro's residence, Wolf almost trips. The steps of the stairs are higher than he remembers. In fact, everything looks taller. So the only conclusion is that Wolf himself has shrunk. Neat. Now sneaking around will be easier. At least after he reacquaints himself with his new body.
A bronze mirror catches his eye and he has to take a double take when he sees the new appendages on his head. Two large wolf-ears and thin, smooth twin horns mark him as an Oni. Taking a step back and turning reveals the furry tail emerging from between the slit in his old orange kimono. Embers trail from the tip of it, turning to ash before ever touching the floor.
"Are you coming Wolf?"
He tears his eyes from the unnatural additions. They look like they'll be useful both in stealth and fighting, but he can figure that out later. Hopefully Kuro used honeyed plums for the filling. He'll eat anything, but his own sweets supply is empty and he definitely needs something nice after everything.