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"Yes people deserve second chances, but not everyone," Tebiki said cynically. "I once gave a young spirit a second chance, and she turned into a demon. My decision to believe in second chances...." Reclining into her chair, her fingers touched the black ribbon tied to her arm,".... It costed the life of an entire village." She lifted her eyes to Sabitsuki and her magical-flame,"That is the reason why I ask of thee to be careful and thread such a dangerous territory precariously; giving out second chances to the unworthy and unstable can cause the demise of many."

"Yes the oni, Miss Kaibutsu," the shepard nodded as the mirror came back hurriedly to take a sit in front of her. She nodded once more,"We too know what she has done, we know the sins of every soul and its story. Even if she is sorry and in torment, she hasn't done much to better her karma. More importantly, her recent actions under the Youji Mole are worrisome, given she has created an incident twice and once on her own by mere chance.... It is an accumulation of a life time and not what we this instant Miss Kaibutsu that decides if we are 'good' or 'bad.' "

"You misunderstand, Kaibutsu," Tebiki said coolly as usual,"We understand the nature of Miss Hinarasu's spirit, that is not in question her, what is is the karma she has gathered by the impure actions she has taken part in; yes, the seriousness of such events is diminished by the fact she did not enjoy doing it, but her motives weren't much better."

"To judge a soul, child, you have to see more than the judged's story," Tebiki was close to simply letting off her anxiety and annoyance, but the spirit was collected,"Think of the damage Ibara's actions put others through. To completely absolve her would be like asking to dismiss Katrina for the sins she has committed because she 'changed' as you put it."

"You've said it yourself; Youji is her alcohol. The vice is there, the will to resist it isn't the-.... " The shepard sighed,"You must listen to me child, the way things are done at court are for a reason. I've lived more than you, enough to see the Blooms of Higan run white of their sin. Your view of the world is almost child like, befitting your age. You can't hope to grasp the sun with a hand when you burn with a candle's light."

"What I've learned about trusting another being with a second chance...Well, let me tell you a story of my youth, so you understand where I come from, because it seems as 'soft' as you are, you are quite a stubborn minded one."

"Long ago, when I was a young child, I passed away from disease at age fifteen. I never reached Higan, as the shinigami took me to Yamaxanadu-sama's court, where I was given the second chance of carrying that very staff and guiding the lost to the river or the shinigami," she stopped to let Sabitsuki get that much," I earned that chance, you see? I was a good human being in living, helping my father with his work, and my mother with her chores. I was an eager young child, always obedient, and I still had life in me that was snuffed out to early due to the poverty and lack of resources to pay for my medical treatment. Remember that."

"My first job was to retrieve the soul of a parted maiden, a young woman from a nearby village who had been strangled by her drunken husband after he beat her like the animal he was a few months into their marriage," Tebiki continued grimly, the ghosts around her seemed to give her a little more space, roaming to further corners of the room," I found her easily, and when I met her, the poor dear was crying and confused. Her Name was Yumi, and I made a deal with her; she could do what she had left to do, as long as she would meet me or head to the Sanzu when she was done with her unfinished business." Tebiki paused, once more allowing Sabitsuki to collect the facts of the tale," I gave her that chance. Nothing in her karma said she could get the time or be reincarnated, yet I let it happen, thinking it wasn't her fault to have been murdered by a sick b*****d." Now the ghosts were really roaming away from the spirit.

"I let her go. I never found her. Till the reports of a poltergeist reached me," the shepard continued just as grimly her eyes darkening and distancing onto the lantern between her and Sabitsuki,"When I made it to the village, the poltergeist had become a demon; Fuzen-mara. I was far too young to stand a chance against her at the time, and all I could do as she slaughtered an entire village was try to pull out of the building she buried me under."

"This ribbon I carry on my arm is to never forget that, and mourn the deaths of those I brought by trusting a spirit in my youth," she touched the black ribbon on her arm. "Now tell me, are second chances given by merit or by mercy?"

"Miss Ibara isn't being forced onto Youji, vice can be resisted, but to absolve her of her crimes would be like absolving Yumi's husband of her death," she concluded, "Only she can fix her karma, and the fact that she is willing to change, as we are aware of, has kept her on the good list; till you see the incident of the mountains. If she rehabilitated of her vice, then maybe we could work out a way to put her away from Youji, Mara and Amaterasu, but we can't if she continues to tail them."

"It is heartless, Sabitsuki, stepping into the courts to be a worker of them takes a bit of your essence. You become on more well oiled part of the machine that is the Samara cycle; if you don't work properly with it, then you are absorbed by it," The shepard responded," I've brought to the court the souls of my family and descendants, if I didn't treat it with such absolution and coldness, then I'd be in constant pain; I'd be a liability to how the cycle runs and to every soul that enters my path."

"The courts do examine those little details, otherwise, Fuzen-mara would be sealed once more. Do you think not we have given her a second chance?" Tebiki pointed out, with a small smile , once more drawing the ghosts closer,"We are aware of those who walk in that grayish path, but even then they have a slight inclination to one side. That is the side we see them in, because it is an accumulation of their actions, not a sole-one."

Before the kettle interrupted them, the shepard gave an almost sly smile,"To understand the courts is to embrace death itself, Miss Kaibutstu."

"Ah Pay no mind, I am a patient being," She said with a chuckle. Of course a spirit who collects souls is patient. As the mirror returned to the table she replied,"Change is definitely possible. By no means do we think it is not. A savage can be tamed just as a scholar can go astray. Change goes both ways and as much as we believe it can be for the worst, we believe it can equally be for the best." The shepard seemed to think for a moment before she spoke again;

"If you believe you can encourage those people you care for to be better people, by all means approach them, but try not to be tainted by their own tendencies to stray from Buddha's path, Miss Kaibutsu."

"Ah Do I now?" Tebiki snickered ligthly,"I hadn't been compared to Miss Byakuren before." The ghosts begun to laze about them as Sabitsuki blushed and tried to change the subject.

Understanding it was best avoid Katrina, the shepard responded the question, "Yes, Fuzen-mara was once a young woman that died at the hands of her abusive husband. I think part of her forgets who she was, in a way like how Katrina may have forgotten her name at some point. Fuzen-mara has.... grown senile, I suppose. She isn't the devastating demon she used to be when she was young, rather, she is peaceful in her own way."

"Never forget that," Tebiki warned,"That charm is what makes her dangerous. Even if she is more gentle, she is still a demon, and 'tempting' beings is what she does. She can't help it more than one can't help but to breath."

"That is a very interesting question, and really there is no solid answer," Tebikie responded bowing her head in thanks and taking the warm cup in her cold hands. "Reminding a spirit of their mortal selves is a double edged weapon. It could very well remind her of the good in any human and the basic feelings of one, effectively bringing back the long lost humanity that had been overshadowed by the demon-lust. Equally, it could cause rage for the same reasons by reminding the wronged soul the injustice that brought it into a demon's body."

"It could appease Fuzen-mara or it could enrage her. Nevertheless..." The shepard trailed off,"Many demons lose their Human names because in many spells, the true name of a being can be used as a chain to bind it in a contract. A human name becomes that true name for a being, for example "Yumi" or "Katrina," and only strong demons can ignore the melancholy of being called by their once human selves." The shepard took a sip from her cup,"Indeed, calling a demon by their human name could potentially cripple them if they are not mentally ready to face the memories or the reminder that they, too, were mortal once."

"Of course, you do not sound heartless, I know you only have the best intentions for this knowledge," Tebiki set her cup down momentarily, "Remembering the risks, I want you to keep Fuzen-mara's name close to your heart and away from anyone's reach, because if the name were to be used carelessly, it could potentially arouse a sleeping beast or cripple a powerful ally."

Calling Fuzen an "Ally" was a bit of an oxymoron, so Tebiki added from behind her cup of warm tea,"Fuzen-mara is no fool, if ever the need, I have no doubt she would offer her hand to protect whatever she deemed worthy. Mara's daugther can be benevolent, else, how would she gather faith or enough good karma to stay out of the Court's eyes?"

"Of course I can see Fuzen-Mara as more than a demon now," Tebiki admitted with a chuckle, smiling anciently at Sabitsuki,"When I was a young spirit, maybe I would have found the idea disgusting, but time has changed me, much as it has changed Fuzen-mara. She was once a young poltergeist unsure of what to do with her destructive power just as I was a young spirit with no knowledge of what carrying that lantern meant." She pushed the cup of tea towards a drifting soul that floated above the steam of the warm cup curiously, before the warmth made it seek shelter next to Tebiki," Time teaches you many things, and it has certainly taught Fuzen-mara and me. I do not squander breath when I say that our first fights were amateurish compared to what either of us can amount now, more so bringing our allies. We are respected in our factions I am sure, and her allies must be no less stronger than those I could posses.

" ... Ah, but I ramble. I mean to say that we have both learned with age, much like a Human would in the time it takes for us to breath. We both would admit our need should we have to stand side by side to protect our well being," The shepard took her cup again and sipped it smiling,"If there is something odd about aging is that it makes you much more humble than in your youth. I suppose its feeling the toll existing has taken on your psyche and seeing how others are ahead of you by far."

As the Mirror youkai asked her about her thoughts on her, the shepard tilted her head curiously, "I believe you know that answer; have you not preached about it much as I have?" Tebiki tapped a finger pensively thinking of her words,"Of course there is more than raw physical strength, if there weren't the world would be awfully plain... The world must be balanced in equal abilities, or else, our kin would not survive... . Ah, a simple example would be the oni you defend so much, Sabitsuki. She has incredible strength, a power like no other indeed, but how strong is her will and psyche? You've said it yourself she needs help. Another one would be Katrina, who is alot like the oni... But her will is stronger, and her mental stabilty controls her power. The world has many kinds of strengths. That being said..."

"No, I believe you are not weak. You are simply soft, is the word. Someone weak would no be able to defend a pair of sinners so soundly and eloquently against someone who guides souls to Death itself," Tebiki smiled as she sipped her tea.

"No, no, that cannot be too farfetched, my dear. the world is an enormous scale and to keep it balanced you must have right and wrong, right and left, all that helps keep that precarious balance," the shepard made a few gesticulations, then smiled," To counter great evil, one needs great good." Tebiki set her cup down as well," Strength comes with time, and time teaches you how to use that power. Even if you feel like you are a burden, that is because you are still a young youkai, and young youkai need to be taken care of so that they grown into proper beings. It takes much more skill to have earned the respect of people so well that they are willing to risk their lives than to have the power to break mountains. Trust is just as amazing as power or resolve."

"I have been at my office for as long as many youkai can remember, yes," the spirit nodded at Sabitsuki. Even when she half expected the next question, it was still a bit of a surprise. The shepard looked at a soul the wobbled in place then at Sabitsuki herself. The little soul floated over Tebiki once they 'eye contact' broke. "That is true. I can do as you ask of me. But..."

"Many times bringing forth where certain souls come from makes matters worse. Uncertainty, hate for how they were reincarnated,.. it is a very complicated affair, Sabitsuki," she responded,"Knowing what your origins are can change the world. Nevertheless...." She trailed off thinking, before sighing. "If you want me to tell you, and you are sure it is what you want, then I will let you take that risk."

"I suppose I can tell you the reason it was a mirror you were born from,... as to why your soul attached to the mirror in a way, that I much rather not speak of," Tebiki took her staff and opened the lantern's casing. She plucked the flame from inside. It glowed a pure white color, though after a second it turned a light blue in her hand. She shook the flame like a box, and out poured five little flames. The Shepard replaced the flame and closed the lantern.

The small flames continued to burn until Tebiki blew them out. Left where five runes, with odd inscriptions in them. "I want to be sure, I believe I already know those reasons, Sabitsuki." She dropped the runes onto the table. When they touched the table they once more ignited in the pure white flames. After a simple glanced from the spirit, the flames went out, leaving nothing in their wake. She nodded, "Yes, I had a general idea of why. My sense aren't rusty enough yet."

"You said... you knew Hijou Akira, the Yama, am I right?" Tebiki un-dusted the place where the runes had landed as if clearing the table of their remains,"I am sure you remember how... Careless she was in her younger years, back when she was a trainee?"