The heavy gates of Souun Castle opened slowly and in stepped palanquin bearers, carrying their regal load. Carefully, they kneeled as one and set down the palanquin gently, keeping their heads bowed as a young man in regal robes stepped out into the sunlight.
	"Yuuchi-sama!" a man in his late-twenties greeted the Western Emperor of Kounan, who smiled in return. "How was your tour of the city?"
	"Kakuhou! It's just as I'd hoped!" The young lord struggled to contain his emotions in a regal manner. "The city is prospering, the people are happy, and I owe it all to you!"
	Kakuhou shook his head and gave a little chuckle, "No, Yuuchi-sama, it's all thanks to you. The people of Souun all love you and what you've done for them."
	"But without your guidance, I could not have made the correct decisions that gained me the favor of the people." Lord Yuuchi smiled and placed his hand firmly on his head advisor's shoulder, "It truly is thanks to you." With that, he strolled away to his quarters.
	Kakuhou's hazel eyes followed Yuuchi until he was out of sight. An iciness glazed over them as he turn sharply on one heel and made his way quickly to his own quarters.
	"You'd better believe it's thanks to me, little cousin, and I'm going to get what I deserve, eventually."
	Passing through the doors in his room, he shut them securely and entered the inner chamber he kept curtained off.  There, he sat on a stool which faced a small table sitting before a mounted mirror. On the table was an incense burner black as ebony with a stick of incense that was nearly burnt out. He reached for a few new sticks, placed them in the burner and as he lit them, a powerful, spicy odor filled the room. Eyes closed, he began to meditate, taking in deep breaths of the heavy scent. He could feel his body begin to relax as he let the tension of out his muscles.
	Suddenly, a scream cut through the air, interupting his meditation, followed by cries that spread throughout the palace. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he got up and hurried into the hall where he found servants rushing towards Lord Yuuchi's chambers.
	Anxious to know what was going on, he grabbed the arm of the next servant girl to pass by. She nearly passed out from the shock of someone unexpectedly grabbing her arm and it was hard to get a clear answer from her. 
	"What's going on?" asked Kakuhou earnestly.
	She stared dumbfoundedly at him, her lips moving, but he still didn't make out any words.
	"What's going on?" he repeated again patiently.
	Eyes wide, she managed to spit out some words. "The...Emperor...!"
	"What about him?"
	"Western Emperor Yuuchi! He's dead!" 
	With that, she burst into tears and fled down the hall towards Yuuchi's room, leaving Kakuhou to deal with the news on his own. His face went stone cold, no emotions showing at all. "Dead...?" he repeated, staggering back into his room.
 	Behind him, in the darkness of his inner chambers, the figure of a face could be faintly made out in the smoke of the incense before the mirror, eyes glinting madly.




	Both ceremonies were very solemn and performed with heavy hearts. Immediately upon hearing the news, Kounan's Emperor had made the journey to Souun in order to oversee his younger brother's funeral and to appoint the new Western Emperor. To no one's surprise, Kakuhou was chosen to take Yuuchi's place.
	 As he was about to leave, the Emperor exchanged some final words with Kakuhou before returning to Eiyou.
	"Please accept my most sincere condolences, your majesty," said Kakuhou with a bow, "Everyone loved Yuuchi-sama; he was so young. It's hard to believe that anything could have happened to him..."
	 "It couldn't be helped, I suppose," replied the Emperor in heavy resignation. "The doctor said that his heart probably just stopped working. 'Probably from stress,' he said." He shook his head in disbelief. "May Suzaku keep his spirit safe until we meet again."
	The corners of Kakuhou's mouth turned down for an instant. "Yes," he agreed, "May he walk well with god at his side."
	The Emperor sighed. "Well, I must be leaving. I trust you to do well where Yuuchi left off. Take care." 
	"I will." Kakuhou bowed as the Emperor stepped up into his carriage and rode off on his way to Eiyou. As the gates closed, he stood up and surveyed the castle. A content, half-smile playing on his lips, he thought to himself,
	"Now...where should I begin?"




	Someone gave a shout and people began to drop to the ground in prostration. Like a wave, they fell around the city, leaving a path for the palanquin to move through. It was Kakuhou's decision to survey the western capitol to get a better feel for the people whom he would have direct rule over.
	Within the shade of the palanquin, Kakuhou sat staring out through the gauzy fabric that shadowed him from the sun, bearing an emotionless countenance. Lost in his thoughts and the steady rhythm caused by the bobbing of the palanquin bearers, he suddenly spotted something of interest. 
	"Stop!" he called out, and they halted immediately. Stepping out into the sun, he made his way towards a disruption. So involved these men were with threatening a single helpless man that they didn't notice Kakuhou's arrival until he was right behind them.
	"K-Kakuhou-sama!" shouted a man with a tinge of fright in his voice as he dropped immediately to the ground. The rest of the men quickly followed suit, leaving their victim standing shakily. Kakuhou walked up to the man, who also prostrated himself on the floor. 
	"What's happening here?" he demanded in a commanding voice. None of the men spoke, so he went to the victim, placed his hand on his shoulder and repeated the question more gently. "You, what's going on here? Why were these men beating you?"
	In a quavering voice, the man tried to explain, "Kakuhou-sama, I-I was speaking in town when these men disagreed with what I had to say and reacted violently."
	"Kakuhou-sama!" interjected another one of the men, "This man was preaching of some god other than Suzaku! He called Suzaku a fraud! He-"
	"Enough!" Kakuhou stood as dauntingly as possible, "Whether he believes in Suzaku or not, this man is a citizen of this city! I will not tolerate the persecution of others because their ideas are different than ours! You men! Leave! If anyone ever repeates this act of intolerance in public again, we'll see if a night or two in prison can't change their disposition!" The guilty party sheepishly rose and left quickly.
	Kakuhou watched them go, eyes narrowed. When they were out of sight, he went again to the victim of the incident and addressed him. "I apologize that this event took place. Your god would think well of you for enduring men like that, I believe. You have my word that if something like this happens again, you can come to me personally and action will be taken." 
	With this personal guarantee, he turned around and returned to the palanquin. "Let's return for today," he requested and took his seat. He continued his musing, this time a content smile playing on his lips.