Chapter Four - The Celestial Estate

The summons had been unexpected.

One by one, the Nine Hashira gathered at the Master’s residence, the tatami mats creaking softly beneath their steps. There was no talk of a new mission, no whisper of an enemy to slay. The letter had been brief—just one line, in the Master’s elegant script:

“It is time.”

They found Kagaya Ubuyashiki seated as always, his serene smile warm against the pale light filtering through the shoji. His voice, calm and steady, carried across the room.

“My children,” he began, “you have each given everything in the service of humanity. You have faced darkness, and you have endured. But there is someone… who has walked beside you through every battle, unseen.”

The Hashira exchanged puzzled glances.

Sanemi’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? We work alone or in pairs—if there was another, we’d know.”

“You have known her,” Kagaya replied softly. “Just not with your eyes.”

He rose, leaning gently on his cane, and gestured toward the garden beyond the open doors.

“Tonight,” he said, “you will see her.”

They followed him through the winding paths of the outer gardens, the air growing cooler as the sun dipped below the horizon. Beyond the last row of cherry trees stood a gate none of them had passed through before—a tall wooden frame inlaid with silver filigree that caught the last light of day.

Kagaya slid the gate open.

A collective breath caught in the Hashira’s throats.

Beyond lay the Celestial Estate.

It was unlike anything they had seen—gardens of pale, luminous flowers that glowed faintly in the deepening dusk, streams that reflected the stars as though the night sky had fallen into the water. Delicate bridges arched over ponds that seemed to hold galaxies in their depths. Lanterns floated without flame, their light cool and silver like moonbeams.

And above it all, as night fell, the estate itself began to glow. Not with lanterns or candles, but with the soft radiance of the heavens, as though the air itself shimmered with starlight.

They walked in silence, even Rengoku’s usual booming voice quiet in awe. Mitsuri’s eyes sparkled, her hands clasped tightly together. Obanai lingered near her side, though his gaze darted around warily, as if unsure whether this place was real.

At the heart of the estate was a wide expanse of silver grass, swaying gently under a sakura tree whose blossoms glowed faintly, petals drifting down in slow motion. Beneath it stood a woman.

Her back was to them at first, long silver‑white hair flowing freely down to her waist, catching the light in soft waves. She wore a night gown of pale silk that moved like water around her, the folds shimmering faintly with each breath.

When she turned, their breath caught again.

Golden eyes met theirs—eyes that seemed to hold constellations within, each fleck of light a tiny star. Her beauty was undeniable, but it was the aura around her that rooted them to the spot—a presence both ethereal and solid, as if the heavens themselves had stepped down to walk among them.

“This,” the Master said, his voice touched with reverence, “is Amaya Hoshigaki—the Celestial Hashira.”

The silence stretched.

Rengoku broke it first, his voice soft but full of wonder. “So… you’re the one. The unseen blade in the shadows. The hand that shielded us.”

Amaya inclined her head. “I have been here all along. My duty was to protect you without your knowledge.”

Sanemi’s eyes narrowed. “You mean you’ve been watching us? Following us into battle?”

“Yes,” she said simply. “When the threat was greater than you could know, I was there. When you faced an enemy who might have ended you… I was between you and the blow.”

Shinobu tilted her head, her smile unreadable. “And we never noticed. That’s impressive.”

They took a step closer. Mitsuri gasped softly at the faint shimmer in the air around Amaya, like the distortion of heat—but instead of warmth, the air felt cool, fresh, as though touched by the night wind high on a mountain.

Obanai’s eyes lingered on the faint patterns embroidered into her gown—tiny silver stars stitched into the fabric in constellations he didn’t recognize.

Gyomei, his hands pressed together, bowed his head. “I can feel the weight of your presence. Like standing beneath the open sky.”

As the night deepened, the estate’s true beauty revealed itself.

The silver grass swayed under a wind none of them could feel. The pond reflected not the moon above, but an entire field of stars. Petals drifted from the sakura tree in a slow, endless fall, each glowing faintly before touching the water and vanishing into ripples.

Even Sanemi, still wary, found himself staring upward. The sky above the estate was unlike any sky outside its walls—clearer, sharper, as though the heavens were nearer.

Kagaya gestured for them to sit in the circle of grass beneath the tree. Amaya moved with quiet grace, her bare feet whispering against the earth. She stopped at the center of the circle, the light of the estate wrapping around her like a cloak.

“I was born under a falling star,” she said, her voice carrying easily in the quiet. “The Master found me when I was a child, and the heavens gave me a duty—to protect the Nine Pillars who would stand against the darkness.”

Her gaze passed over each of them in turn, lingering for just a breath longer on Giyu, though none but he noticed.

“You have fought with courage and endured great loss,” she continued. “I cannot take away what you have suffered… but I can ensure you will not stand alone again.”

A hush settled over them.

Rengoku’s smile was warm. “Then I welcome you, Amaya Hoshigaki. I think we all do.”

One by one, the others nodded, some hesitant, some openly curious. Even Sanemi gave a small, reluctant grunt of approval.

Muichiro, silent as always, simply looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable—though his mind flashed back to the night in Kyoto, to the silver light that had saved his life.

The meeting ended, but no one left immediately.

Instead, the Nine lingered in the glowing gardens, drifting in small groups, speaking softly. Mitsuri laughed with Shinobu near the bridge. Rengoku and Tengen examined the glowing pond with childlike curiosity.

Giyu remained beneath the sakura tree, his gaze following Amaya as she moved among them, speaking with quiet grace. The petals drifted between them, the starlight catching in her hair.

And high above, the stars of the Celestial Estate burned steady and bright, as if approving of this long‑delayed unveiling.

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