Sounds of work came from the back of the samurai's house. Around back, he could be seen crafting fallen trees into a raft. The raft was halfway finished, and looked like it was only being made to support one body. He stuck the ax in the stump, and made his way over to the table on which the raft sat. It looked like a fine raft- seaworthy in fact, so long as a storm wasn't rolling around. He was tying it together with thick rope, and thin reeds. He picked up a glass of water off of the table and chugged it down.

In one sudden moment his eyes shot open and he placed the glass quickly and quietly on the table. His head jerked southwest of his house, and he listened intently.

Footsteps. They were close, too.

"Show yourself!" The samurai called out, realizing now he'd left his sword inside. He took a few steps back and pulled the ax out of the stump. He watched carefully as a figure appeared out of thin-air. Dogura dropped the ax in the grass and heaved a heavy sigh as Shiro appeared holding his mask in hand. "Shiro! You startled me." The now unmasked reaper smiled light-heartedly and drew closer.

"Evening Dogura. I see you're working hard." The samurai nodded affirmatively, and responded, "I just have a feeling I'm going to need this really soon." He ran a hand along the raft; it was smooth and durable. Shiro also ran his fingers delicately along the raft. "I'm jealous of you. I've never had a mission on the ocean. Where is it?" Dogura waved the man to follow, and passed through the back door into his house. He spoke as he walked, "I'm going to have to make a voyage deep out into the northern sea. I'm not looking forward to it, honestly. Can I get you anything to drink?" Shiro walked inside and took a seat on a stool near a wooden table, "Water will be fine, thanks." After a couple moments, Dogura returned with a pitcher of water and a glass. "What brings you out here?" Shiro poured himself a glass of water, and took a drink before replying, "Actually, I have a lead on Doku, one of the other reapers."

This caught Dogura by surprise. "Really now? How?" Shiro smiled, "Like you samurai- I'm a very curious person. Ganon won't give me answers, I'm still not sure why. Keeps saying that it isn't necessary for me to know... You know how he is. His 'time' is valuable, but nobody ever knows exactly what he's doing with it." Dogura chuckled at the remark and wiped his hair out of his face. Shiro continued, "Well, lets just say I have a large chain of informants. I'm a very cautious person with a lot of connections. If I suddenly decided to stop being a reaper, even Ganon himself would have trouble tracking me, even without my mask." Dogura raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Well that certainly sounds useful! Are you connected to Blind's gang in any way?" Shiro nodded silently, "A lot of my informants are a part of Blind's gang. While I'm not directly a member, I know everything that goes on inside the the gang- everything they're involved with, and every person of high power that they speak to."

"Very nice!" The samurai smiled widely, happy that he now had a friendship with such a knowledgeable person. "You've certainly got it all hooked up! So I'm assuming you've been tracking cases of poisoned victims..." Shiro smiled more brightly than he had so far. "You're quick, samurai! I'm glad I know you! You're absolutely right. Doku seems to be Ganon's main assassination reaper. He's actually been targeting guards- I don't know if you've read about it in the paper or not, but it's happening. Guards are suddenly taking ill from a poison that clerics have never seen before. They're trying to calm everyone down, but the simple truth is that they have no control over what is happening. If Ganon is smart, he'll stop ordering Doku to kill guards- there is a fine line between peace and war, Dogura." The samurai knew this well.

"Ganon simply isn't ready for war. I don't know what he's trying to accomplish with this, but that aside, I was able to track Doku to his home. He lives in Parapa alongside the cliffs." Dogura's eyes lit up. "Excellent work Shiro! We should pay him a visit sometime soon."

Shiro was quiet. Dogura's smile faded, now confused. "Everything alright?" The samurai asked. Shiro looked up with intense eyes. "I heard Doku is a no-nonsense type of guy. We'll have to approach with extreme caution. He's an expert assassin Dogura, probably the best hell has to offer. There's a reason Ganon chose him, and we have to respect that. We'll have to approach carefully, and visibly. If we surprise him..." He trailed off, and Dogura was finally getting the gist of it. "We'd die a slow and painful death." Dogura added, nodding. "Very well. Whenever you're ready, be sure to mail me." Dogura stated as he stood up. "You're welcome to stay here for the night before you venture back." Shiro accepted the offer graciously, and the samurai went back to work on the raft.