Ten Shadows in the Heian Era

Inside of the Imperial Palace, sequestered in the Dairi, the section of the grand palace designated to house the Imperial Ladies, from Nyōgo, the Consorts, to the daughters of Ministers, a group of such ladies sit together in a lush garden drinking tea.

The garden itself is varied in colour, with four paths of stone cutting through it, leaving the greenery for the corners except for the orange tree standing as the centre piece.

Four women sit around a finely crafted table, three young and beautiful, one more mature but no less striking to the eye. Seven more ladies stand around the table, Uneme no sakan, maids of no importance except for the two standing behind the eldest of the seated ladies.

At the head of the table is the elder of the four, Fujiwara no Shōshi, who holds the title of Tai-Kōtaikōgō as the Grand Empress Dowager, the mother of the previous Emperor.

She, like the others all seated, for they are all related, possesses straight black hair and dark eyes, though around her eyes alone are a few wrinkles that her makeup has failed to cover. 

Her hair is tied up in an elaborate bun with an ornate pin topped by a shining blue opal keeping it together. Similarly coloured, her multi-layered kimono has a deep sea blue as its base, with subtle designs flowing in a lighter shade of blue.

Her back is perfectly straight as she sits, a cup held gracefully in her hand and her face a picture of demure stoicism, her mature beauty on show for any to see.

Behind her stand two of her most trusted and loyal Ladies in Waiting, Akazome Emon and Izumi Shikibu, both of whom are Noble Ladies in their own right, holding the title of Naishi-no-Suke. Additionally, they are both Grade One Sorcerers, loyal to her and her alone.

To Shōshi's right sits Fujiwara no Tamako, an Imperial Consort of the Emperor's harem, a Nyōgo, and a Noble Lady both, holding the title one rank below Shōshi's attendants of Naishi-no-Jō.

Behind her she has two maids of her own, but they are each just mere second daughters of minor nobles, while only one of them is a Sorcerer of Grade Two.

Tamako herself is dressed in a light set of kimonos, a bright yellow being the primary colour, with accents of a warmer gold and gentle white to soften the colour, making her skin seem brighter, drawing the eye to her no matter where she goes.

Like Shōshi, she has her straight black hair done up in a bun, however her headpiece is much larger than Shōshi's, poking away from her head like branches of gold growing both above and to the side, framing her further in a halo of her chosen colour.

To Tamako's right, sitting opposite Shōshi, is Fujiwara no Yasuko, a fellow Nyōgo, though Yasuko does not share quite the same level of authority as the others seated, as neither she nor her father holds a place in the Daijō-kan, The Great Council of State.

Yasuko is wearing a deep purple kimono that matches with the faint hint of amethyst in her eyes. Her hair is left to flow down her back and over her shoulders, with small tassels tying the ends of her hair together.

Neither of her maids are Sorcerers, and in fact seem to be the youngest of the servants present, seeming even younger than Yasuko herself, who is only sixteen years old.

Finally, sitting to Shōshi's left is Fujiwara no Nariko, the only lady present with a single servant, who is herself, no one of importance. Nariko, like Shōshi's own Ladies in Waiting, holds the rank of Naishi-no-Suke, as she is the daughter of Fujiwara no Nagazane, who is a Chūnagon, a Middle Councillor.

Nariko's appearance is rather similar to her cousins, straight black hair, dark eyes and fair skin. However, there is something extra about her, something unidentifiable that draws the eye.

She is dressed in a black kimono that is decorated with stylised lines of blue, like currents in a river. Her hair is tied up in part in a small bun, with the rest flowing freely down her back, leaving her face and neck fully exposed.

Nariko is a fairly new addition to the afternoon tea being enjoyed. She used to keep to herself, studying Onmyōdō even though she lacked in Cursed Energy. However, her doting father ensured that she could continue to study regardless, to the point that she even became a somewhat respected advisor on the matter, even if she has not shown any ability to be an impressive Sorcerer herself.

However, a few months ago she started becoming more social, which eventually led her here, where Grand Empress Dowager Shōshi has decided to give up her afternoons in order to teach the younger Yasuko and Tamako how to survive and thrive in the court under the guise of afternoon tea.

Shōshi and Yasuko were both welcoming of her joining them, though Tamako much less so, even if she has done a good job hiding it. Well, not good enough, as Nariko can easily feel the seething envy that the slightly younger girl continues to send her way.

She knows why, too. After she started becoming more socially active, the Emperor took notice of her, and there are whispers of him taking her on as a concubine.

She is curious if her father would go so far as to deny the Emperor, should he make such an inquisition. She knows that he loves her, more than most fathers ever would, and he dotes on her so much that he has said himself he could not imagine marrying her to any man.

She wonders if that resolve would hold up in the face of the Emperor.

She doubts it.

"I trust that you have all heard of the coming event?" Shōshi asks after setting down her cup.

Nariko notices the slight straightening of the shoulders as Yasuko and Tamako both perk up at the older woman's words, while she herself simply takes another sip of her tea.

She knows the question was more directed to the other two. In effect, they are the 'students' here, while she is more of an observer. She does find it slightly irritating that every action made in the capital needs to be carefully thought over for the sake of potential double or hidden meanings.

Nothing is ever simple here. Even the names aren't simple. Some time in the last couple of decades, women in court started using 'ko' to suffix their names, something that was typically reserved for male names, but is now fairly common among noble women.

"You mean the competition between the Onmyōdō school and the Jujutsu school," Tamako states, putting a noticeable effort into copying Shōshi's easy grace. "I have heard that there will be an abnormally large number of Special Grades in attendance."

Shōshi nods her head and they all take a sip of tea.

"It is to be an incredibly impactful event," Shōshi agrees, "Can you tell me why?"

"It will show which side has greater strength," Yasuko states, though Nariko notices that her words are not as confidently spoken as Tamako's.

"Indeed." Shōshi turns to her, a smile on her lips that is almost as fake as her own. "May you elaborate on Yasuko-Kōi's words, Nariko-kimi?"

Nariko keeps her false smile in place, even as she takes note of the suffix attached to her name. -Kōi is the suffix for an Empress Consort, while -kimi is the suffix for a Lord or Lady. Yet when she first joined these little meetings, Shōshi called her with -chan, with condescension that was hidden only to the younger two women. However, she has started using the proper suffix for her position lately. Nariko is unsure exactly of the reason why.

"Of course, Shōshi-Heika," she responds, using the proper suffix as she has been since the start. "It is significant because our Fujiwara clan is already the one who holds the power in matters of the court. However, the Imperial Family has held onto its power over matters of Sorcerers, balancing things somewhat."

She pauses to take another sip of tea, in part out of pettiness, wanting to make them wait for her, which here in the capital is just yet another of the many tiny power plays. "Yet, now that Sugawara no Michizane has perished, it has come into question whether it is the Onmyōji, who serve the Emperor and protect the capital, or the Jujutsu Sorcerers, who serve the clans and exterminate Curses, that has the greater power."

The difference between the two is a fairly simple distinction, even beyond the fact that one serves the Emperor's will and the other the clans.

The difference is that Onmyōji tend to be more defensive. Their main job is simply to protect the capital after all. They only leave for exorcisms at the will of the Emperor and generally only for the sake of the nobility.

However, Jujutsu Sorcerers by contrast do not have a set grounds to protect, nor do they truly have a single authority to rule them. They simply exist to exorcise Curses. So naturally they tend to be more aggressive and focused on the aspects of what is useful in combat, rather than focusing on barriers or rituals like the Onmyōji do.

Then there is also the Principle Clans to consider, but they do not get involved in matters of Curses at all. They focus more on communing with the Gods and dealing with Yōkai instead of Curses. They are ultimately less involved in matters of politics, and thus irrelevant to the current topic of conversation.

"Indeed, that is the case," Shōshi states, taking another sip of tea. "However, really, all that matters is the Special Grades. Especially in this era where there are so many Grade One Sorcerers, it is the Special Grades that will lead Sorcery forward."

"How many are there?" Yasuko asks. "If I am not mistaken, it is historically expected that there will be one Special Grade Sorcerer every one hundred years, not counting Tengen-sama. How many will be participating in the competition?"

Tamako is the one that answers, jumping in before Shōshi can, while making sure not to seem too eager to answer, lest she damage her image by seeming impatient. "There are three Special Grades in the two schools. Sukuna and Narauko from the Jujutsu school and Koshikibu no Naishi from the Onmyōdō school."

Nariko glances behind Shōshi at Tamako's words, because behind her stands her Lady in Waiting, Izumi Shikibu, who also happens to be the mother of Koshikibu no Naishi, the woman who is one of two left alive to possess Cursed Eyes.

"Good answer, Tamako-Kōi," Shōshi says making the girl brighten up slightly, only to deflate as the elder lady continues talking. "However, not entirely accurate. Koshikibu no Naishi has taken example from formally Sugawara no Gojo and has separated herself from her family."

Nariko notices the way Izumi Shikibu tenses at her Lady's words, fists clenching. Yet, the woman remains impressively stoic, hardly letting an ounce of her true feelings show. Nariko is impressed by the attempt, but she is still capable of seeing through it.

She had actually heard of it already. It only happened a couple of days ago, shortly after Sugawara no Michizane, or rather, Tenjin-sama finished raining his wrath down on the capital.

A lot of Nobles and Princes died, including Tachibana no Michisada, the father of the former Koshikibu no Naishi.

That is another reason why this competition is important. Tenjin-sama's actions risk destabilising the realm. There needs to be some kind of reassurance for the nobles that the danger has passed.

Thus, a competition that will show off the talent of the greatest generation of Sorcerers ever born. Not only will it solve the issue of the balance of power in the realm, it will also serve to calm the hearts of those who worry that the realm will fall into chaos without Michizane.

She is still somewhat shocked that they would be willing to appease Tenjin-sama's wrath instead of simply trying, and likely failing, to fight him off. Perhaps she shouldn't have been surprised.

What can be expected of humanity but shameless cowardice?

"Koshikibu no Naishi now goes by the name of Nanami Shiki," Shōshi continues. "She has also struck up an alliance with the now named Gojo Isanko. They will likely use Gojo's claim to one of the Sugawara clan's shōen in order to build themselves up and properly regain their nobility."

A shōen is simply a piece of land that is effectively owned and controlled entirely by a private owner instead of the Emperor. It is the shōen itself that has caused the clans to hold such great power over the Imperial Family in the first place.

Nariko wonders how the two of them intend to settle the land together without a marriage. Though, just because she hasn't heard of such a marriage yet, does not mean it shall not happen.

"Regardless, we have gotten off course," Shōshi states. "What matters in the coming event is the showings of the Special Grades. However, one of those Special Grades that you mentioned will not be present. It was decided that Sukuna is too violent to take part, otherwise the event will have the opposite effect as intended. That said, the number of Special Grades participating might not have really diminished."

That actually does get a raised brow out of Nariko. She doesn't recall hearing of any ne Special Grades since Narauko showed up and bumped the number from four to five, not counting Tengen-sama.

"The current generation is truly a bountiful crop," Shōshi states with a smile, answering the unasked question. "Five Special Grades is already an excessive amount, and so the Higher Ups have been hesitant to grant the designation to any more Sorcerers. It is supposed to be a special position, after all. If there are too many holding the title, then it will cease to be special. Saying that, however, I believe that they will be unable to keep control of that number by the end of the competition."

Shōshi takes another sip of her tea, a smile on her lips that is more than just polite. If anything, to Nariko's eyes she seems... Excited.

"Abe no Seimei. Minamoto no Yorimitsu. Kiyohara no Nagiko. Tachibana no Nagayasu. Ki no Tokibumi. Four men and one woman, each man born on the same year, seventeen years ago, one year before Kiyohara. Each of them are currently graded as Grade One Sorcerers, but it is my belief that at the end of this competition, should they properly display their abilities, we will be graced by a generation of over ten Special Grade Sorcerers!"

As she's been speaking, her voice has been gaining momentum, her excitement becoming less and less hidden, and Nagiko briefly glimpses the true face of the woman who could have Akazome Emon, Izumi Shikibu and even the Legendary Fujiwara no Kaoruko, better known as Murasaki Shikibu, as her loyal Ladies in waiting.

To have such women willing to serve her, Shōshi could never be a simple woman. Nagiko almost feels vindicated by the fact that even the ever composed Shōshi is wearing a mask no different to anyone else in the capitol.

How pitiful, she thinks to herself while Shōshi lets out a long sigh and relaxes her shoulders back into calm composure.

"Ahh, what a time to be alive~. Humanity has never been stronger."

That, however, Nariko finds herself solemnly considering.

Humanity has never been stronger.

It is true, and it is dangerous. After all, stronger Sorcerers will only result in stronger Curses, and the Yōkai certainly won't simply sit by and allow humanity to surpass them in strength.

No matter what happens, there will be chaos in the future. The only question is how much of the chaos can be mitigated. Which path forward is that of least resistance.

She is interested in how things will play out.

"Nariko-kimi." Shōshi's voice brings her out of her musings, and she turns an inquisitive glance upon the older woman. "The two youngest Special Grades are the ones I know the least about, Narauko and Sukuna. The latter's personality seems rather straight forward, yet I know little but rumour of the former. I have heard that you are familiar with the boy, what is your measure of him?"

How could she possibly know that? Nariko thinks to herself, though on the outside she does not allow her false smile to falter.

"I have only met him briefly once, Shōshi-Heika," Nariko demurs.

"I trust your judgement," Shōshi counters.

Conversations are rather irritating in the capital, Nariko thinks. With Shōshi's words, she can not dodge the question any further lest she be insulting her elder, something Shōshi is clearly aware of, what with her choice of words.

She has been verbally backed into a corner. How pitiful it is, that this is how people live in the capital, where a compliment is not a compliment and a question is not a question.

Turning her eyes down to her tea, Nariko briefly loses herself to her reflection as she considers her answer.

She doesn't want to go into detail, but at the same time she must give an answer that is acceptable enough.

Which leaves the question, how does one describe Narauko?

"Narauko," she begins, still staring at her reflection and finding her words oddly solemn as she gives them, a small smile gracing her lips. "Is the kind of man who would give a gift of seeds instead of flowers."

She can picture that easily enough. 'Watching flowers you planted yourself bloom is a beauty like no other,' she can picture him saying.

The other younger girls seem contemplative at her words, yet Nariko ignores them in favour of the near open-mouthed, wide-eyed shock on Shōshi's face. Glancing behind her, Nariko can see a similar expression on the face of Izumi Shikibu and Akazome Emon, the latter of which's expression quickly falls into that of a soft, reminiscent smile.

"Is something the matter with my words, Shōshi-Heika?" Nariko asks, snapping the older women out of her trance, and to Nariko's surprise, Shōshi actually smiles.

Not like the fake, polite smiles of before, but a soft, genuine smile full of nostalgia.

"No no, not as such," Shōshi says, "It is just that your words remind me of words spoken to me by Murasaki-chan."

"Really?" Tamako interjects, leaning forward slightly with poorly hidden excitement. "I have heard tales of Murasaki-sama. They say that she was the Special Grade Sorcerer closest to Sugawara no Michizane. May you share what she was like?"

"Wilful," Shōshi immediately answers. "Selfish. She only ever had a single desire, and she did not care what consequences were wrought in her pursuit of it." Shōshi's sound both annoyed and fond as she speaks of Murasaki. "As for why your words remind me of her, Murasaki-chan once told me that flowers lose their beauty once they bloom. Because it is in watching them grow under your care that the true beauty is to be found."

Yasuko smiles at Shōshi's words, sighing longingly. "Such a pretty thought."

"Murasaki-chan might have been a wise woman, but do not idealise her too much." Shōshi sighs, a breath full of nostalgic exasperation, while both of her servants' eyes dull a little as they look into the middle distance, reminiscing their own memories. "She still caused me much trouble, and that was even before she decided to run off with a man. Not even an impressive man, but an untalented one too. I do not think I will ever understand how she thinks."

"What was her desire?" Nariko asks after a moment of silence, continuing as Shōshi's questioning glance. "You mentioned that Murasaki-sama had but a single desire that she pursued above all else. What was it, if it is not too far for me to ask?"

Shōshi hums, and for a moment Nariko wonders if she's going to receive an answer at all. The question is clearly more personal than she intended it to be.

However, right before she can attempt to retract her question, Shōshi speaks up, her voice a soft whisper.

"What Murasaki desired more than anything else... Was to be a mother."

A mother, huh? Nariko thinks to herself as a heavy mood falls upon the table. She can't imagine herself as a mother. Not yet, at least. She will admit that the thought is an appealing one, but it is not something she believes she can commit herself to right now.

However, the atmosphere is abruptly shattered when the eyes of Nariko, Shōshi and both of her Ladies in Waiting all snap to the exact same spot at the same time.

The others present all are soon to follow until all of them are staring right at Nariko's shadow, watching as a bubble forms, as if a drop of water falling in reverse, rising from her shadow.

The bubble does not pop so much as it melts back into her shadow when a pitch black butterfly flies out, flapping its wings innocently as it comes to hover right in front of Nariko's confused face.

"What is this?" Nariko asks, her voice flat.

"A Kuroichō." Shōshi answers. "It is a Communication Technique invented by none other than Narauko. The Black Butterfly is capable of carrying messages to anywhere in the realm. It will likely become the next primary source of communication once the knowledge of how to cast it properly spreads. You merely need to touch the butterfly and the message will appear in your mind."

Nariko nods her head and holds a finger out for the butterfly to land on, which it swiftly does. Immediately after, she feels a familiar Cursed Energy filter down from the Shikigami and into her system, carrying its message with it and making her smile.

However, that smile of hers disappears immediately from the first of Narauko's words that filter into her mind.

Ta-chan Ma-chan Mo-chan! Hey hey! It has not been that long, but it feels as though it has been forever since I've seen you! 

As you can see, I created a Technique for easy long range communication! I'll teach it to you when we next meet, because I miss talking with you.

Oh, right! You're in the capital, right? Well, as it happens, I am going to be visiting the capital in about a month for some event. If you're still there, we should meet up! I know we didn't really spend long together, but I actually miss you a bit.

You said you were going to spend time among humans to learn if we were all bad, right? I'm looking forward to hearing about what you've been up to! Though, I feel that I ought to mention that the people in the capital are a little bit less nice generally speaking than the people in the countryside, so if you're hating the nobles of the capital, I implore you to at least spare the innocent farmers of any prejudice.

Anyway, I will see you in about a month, Tamamo.

P.S. Trickster Fox got a bit bigger, sorry.

She has no idea what 'P.S.' means, or why he's apologising. It is his Shikigami, he can do whatever he wants with it, that doesn't change just because she is partial to it.

But mostly, she is just thankful that the message is delivered directly into her mind, because it would have been incredibly troublesome if any of the humans present realised that she was not who she claims to be.

A number of months ago, she told Narauko that she would head to the capital in order to see if humanity was worth the credit he cave them.

To that end, she took the place of Fujiwara no Nariko. She's sure that he would not approve of her killing some random girl for such a reason, but at the same time, she knows that he will not blame her either.

Though, she does feel a little bit bad with that line of thinking, as if she is abusing his kindness in order to get away with upsetting him.

Regardless, the result of her endeavours so far is something of a mixed bag.

The main thing the experience has taught her is that humans are truly more complex animals than she once thought. They have so many rules, both spoken and unspoken, that everyone is expected to abide by even when none of them are explained.

And they always seem to be in such a rush. They make decisions so quickly and constantly change their minds. She understood that their lives were short, but it never really set in what that meant for their day to day lives.

She has observed a great many interactions in her time here, among the nobles, merchants, Samurai and servants all. She is still undecided on her opinion of them.

In part she can understand Narauko's position. She has certainly been surprised by the decisions some of these humans have made, by how sometimes they can come together to the defence of one another without a single word spoken.

But at the same time, the capital is so full of false smiles and facetious masks. A person's worth and life can be brought to ruin merely by the words of another, simply because their father holds a position in court one rank higher than the other.

She has seen alliances made and betrayed, eyes that look at her with lust and ambition, men who see their fellows more as tools than actual people.

Truthfully, it all brought to mind her supposed 'teacher's words.

Hagoromo Gitsune, the leader of the West Yōkai Faction and her self proclaimed teacher. That woman has always been telling her that humans and Yōkai could not coexist. That she should embrace the malice that they fear in order to grow strong enough to defend herself against them.

But some part of her always rejected that idea. Her interaction with Narauko only compounded that thought.

If humans and Yōkai truly cannot exist in peace, she at least wants to learn this herself, instead of simply trusting that woman at her word.

That said, Hagoromo Gitsune is a knowledgeable Kitsune, and although Tamamo is confident that she could grow strong enough all by herself, she will not deny that the woman's advice has been fruitful.

Now that she thinks about it, she hasn't heard from Gitsune for a few years now. She briefly wonders if there is a problem but quickly shakes the thought away. Gitsune is strong, she doubts the woman would have faced any trouble.

Gitsune is probably still stronger than she is, and she has made great progress in these months, in large part thanks to Gitsune's teachings and the excessive amounts of Negative Energy permeating the capital city.

When she fought Narauko, she was in possession of three tails, burgeoning on her fourth. It took her mere decades of half-hearted training to exceed any Kitsune her age and many centuries older than her.

However, in the last three months, her strength has increased significantly. From three tails in decades, she has gained another three in mere months for a total of six.

The progress is staggering, and she is unsure if it is entirely due to Gitsune's teachings or because she now actually has a goal to strive towards, a reason to become stronger.

She doesn't doubt that he has gotten stronger too, after all. She needs to advance as fast as she can if she wants to keep up.

The fact that she is not even entirely confident in her victory with six tails is enough of an endorsement of Narauko's abilities. That is not to say that she is not confident in her new strength, as the increase in tails is not additive, but multiplicative. Her strength has more than doubled since their fight.

Even more than that, she feels as if she is on the verge of breaking through to her seventh tail, an incredibly important milestone.

There is a commonly used system of power in this world. It goes from the weakest, Low-Class beings that could be fought off by simple humans, to Mid-Class, then High-Class, Ultimate-Class and Transcendent-Class.

A Kitsune's seventh tail is a symbol of their transition into an Ultimate-Class being, a transformative leap in quality. The difference in strength between a five or six tail Kitsune is not truly that large, at least, it is not an impossible distance to gap with skill.

However, the leap from a High-Class being into an Ultimate-Class being is completely different. It is a complete and total transformation. A rebirth. An evolution.

A recent example would be Sugawara no Michizane's evolution into Tenman Daijizai Tenjin. It took the former Strongest Sorcerer evolving into a Curse to brush against the Ultimate barrier and then actually attaining Divinity in order for him to ascend into Godhood and thus become an Ultimate-Class being.

As a general rule, all beings that possess Divinity are Ultimate-Class beings at a minimum, though not all Ultimate-Class beings must possess Divinity. Nurarihyon certainly doesn't.

Becoming an Ultimate being in less than one century without any Divinity is something unheard of. She is unsure if there is even a single other case of it happening or if she is truly the first Yōkai in the history of the realm to do so.

Well, assuming that she can bridge that final gap in the next two decades. She is confident.

She only hopes that she does not leave him disappointed a second time.

///

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

Shoshi is a character that is more interesting than I thought she'd be, since she has at least 3 of the 36 female poetry immortals as her ladies in waiting, which when translated over to JJK terms where I'm liberally just making poets be Sorcerers, that must make Shōshi a pretty impressive person, right? Charismatic at least.

Also, kinda fucking myself a bit by adding more and more op characters :/, but whatever, right? It's DxD anyway, so why not.

For those of you who know Tamamo's story, my version won't be playing out the same, probably, but if you know that story then you can probably still predict somewhat what is gonna happen.

Also, I need help finding a demon lord. I'm looking for a historical/mythological demon lord type character and it's a massive pain in the ass searching through wikipedia page after wikipedia page, so if anyone knows any eastern (preferably japanese, but korean or chinese could work if I can't find anything) demon lord/dark lord type characters please share.

Any Asura, Mazoku, Akumazoku or Maou is fine, it's just that wikipedia doesn't really have any specific, named examples of Demon Lord type characters in japanese folklore. At least not any that I can find anyway. (btw, if no one knows any, I might just straight up add another crossover, so if you know any fictional demon lord type characters that can fit into japanese folklore, feel free to suggest them and I'll see if it can fit with what I need it for)

Kevin the Bored on patreon for five extra chappies, including the first part of an omake set in the culling game. :3