Disclaimer: Ronin Warriors/Yoriden Samurai Troopers is in no way the creation or property of the author the work contained herein. I make no claim upon the characters or story line of Ronin Warriors/Yoriden Samurai Troopers.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make me a Match

Seiji sat on the cushion at the matchmakers, as she reviewed the star chart she was creating for him. Then she turned to him, looking in his eyes.

"You have a lover."

His family looked at her oddly. Seiji sighed internally, he had felt the stirrings of magic in her soul as she looked over the chart. "Yes."

"He is of the stars and written in the stars. Why do you seek another?"

"The bonds of family and society do not see that which binds us. On this he and I are in agreement. He has no concerns that I take a wife, and will let me go, knowing I love him still."

"He would let you go, rather than stand between you and your family?"

"He understands filial piety, far more than most would expect."

She nodded, "This will make it more difficult, as your ideal match is with you already."

He closed his eyes. Behind him, his grandfather spoke, "Continue your search among the oldest families, who might best understand that this is a duty match, not love. If you will excuse us, the family must confer."

The family bowed, and walked out. Once in the car the interrogation began. "So," his grandfather began, "You have lover, on the family did not know about."

"Yes." Sage stared at the floor, half afraid of what was to come.

"Who?"

"One of the others, Hashiba Touma."

"By others, you mean a fellow yoroi bearer."

"Yes. He wears the armor of Tenkuu."

"And he knew where you were going today?"

"Yes."

"And he agreed that this was acceptable."

"Yes."

"If you are so tied, why would he give you up?"

"The youth of today might not understand, but he, like me bears the armor of a samurai, armor crafted millennia ago. It, affects to some part our minds. So there is a difference to him, and to me, between your beloved and the wife you marry for family and duty. He has no objection to my taking a wife, and understands completely if he can no longer be my lover at that time. We will always love each other, but the bonds of hearts and souls have nothing to do with bonds of the body."

"The family will deliberate upon this. In the mean time, may we meet him?"

Seiji looked up at last, "If that is what the family wishes I will arrange it."

"Good, good." The car pulled into the driveway. "The family will speak with you after dinner. In the mean time, join me in the dojo. I wish to assess you again."

"Yes, Grandfather."

That evening after supper, he sat with his parents and grandfather in the family sitting room. His eldest sister was watching his younger sister in another room. As usual, his grandfather started the conversation.

"Seiji, I have never doubted your dedication, to your family or your art. So now I ask you, why did you not tell us about this young man you hold so dear?"

"Because of my dedication to my family. Touma and I went into this relationship knowing that someday the family would call for me to marry. While neither of us really wants to break up, we knew from the beginning that that would be the outcome. So we wanted what time we had to be precious, untainted by any censure."

"The matchmaker seemed to feel that this was your perfect match, and yet you could give that up so easily?"

"If you love something you let it go. If all we can have is to be friends, that that is what we will have. He would never ask me to be unfaithful to my wife, he treasures me too much for that. But it is better to have loved and lost. We needed this time together before we could face our inevitable separation."

His mother looked at him, tears in her eyes, "Oh, Seiji." She walked over to him and swept him into her arms. "The family means so much to you that you would give up a love match?"

"A love match, marrying for love is a modern thing. While I was raised in this modern world, ever since I first donned Korin, part of me has been a child of the past. Tenkuu and Korin are always beloved of each other. Yet every time we are called, in the end we must marry. The lines must continue, for the armors must be called again. For most of history it was still acceptable if the relationship continued beyond those marriages, because your beloved was not your wife, and that was understood. In this time, that is no longer acceptable. Yet he is the firmament that supports the light, and without him I am nothing. We have had this time together, and will remain friends. That will have to suffice."

"Your maturity and willingness to obey are a credit to your line. That your lover would do the same is a credit to his. We will attempt to find a compromise, in honor of such faithfulness."

"Grandfather, that is not . . ."

"It is not required, and may take some doing. But we are your family. We would not ask you to sacrifice the one tied by the red string. Appearances must be honored, but there may be room for compromise. We shall see. In return, I do insist we meet the one who would give up so much for you."

"I shall contact Touma this evening. He has Thursdays free this semester, I expect that will be the best time."

"Call him then. Once you have set a time, we will prepare."

Which is how Touma came to be standing on the front steps of the Date family home Thursday afternoon. Gently he knocked on the door, which was swept open by the family patriarch. "Good afternoon, I am Hashiba Touma. Pleased to meet you."

"Welcome Hashiba-san. Please, enter." He lead the young man to the formal living room, which was decorated in the traditional style. Touma was glad that Seiji had suggested he dress traditionally, and knelt on the floor cushions. Seiji's grandfather nodded approvingly to himself. "I will be back shortly with the family Touma-san. They look forward to meeting you."

By Touma's count, exactly five minutes and thirteen seconds passed before the old man came back. He paused in the doorway and allowed Seiji to pass him. Seiji graced Touma with one of his smiles and walked past him to kneel on the next closest cushion to Touma's own. As he passed he delicately trailed his hand over Touma's shoulder, one of the rare gestures they shared in public. After Seiji was seated the rest of the family came in and took their own seats.

Once everyone was seated, Seiji's grandfather began speaking. "Welcome, Hashiba-san to our household. We are very honored to meet you."

"The honor is mine, Date-san. Seiji has told me much of his family, but I confess I never expected to meet you."

"Ah yes. We would have had you over earlier, but Seiji never mentioned you until the matchmaker noticed the tie that he shared with you."

"Of course Date-san. We hope you will understand that it is not because he and I did not want to tell you, but because we put our family obligations before all."

Seiji's mother looked about ready to cry, as his grandfather nodded solemnly. "You are very dutiful children indeed. Nonetheless, it is an honor to meet you. Would you perhaps be willing to share some about yourself."

"Of course, Date-san. As you know my name is Hashiba Touma, and I am the bearer of Tenkuu. I am a graduate student in astronomy, looking to graduate with my doctorate within the next two years. I hope to gain a position at one of observatories. Or possibly something with satellites, as I also have a degree in aerospace engineering."

"Interesting, Hashiba-san. What do you do to relax? Do you have any hobbies?"

"Seiji and I spend time practicing martial arts together on a regular basis, and I practice national level archery as well as traditional Kyuudo."

"You relax like Seiji does, don't you. You meditate in the moves. Do you practice traditional meditation as well?"

"Some. I am nowhere near as good as he is though. My mindset is not quite as suited to it. But the yoroi meditations, connection with your element . . . those I do quite frequently."

Seiji smirked, "Perhaps, if that is what you want to call flying all over the place at the manor."

"Fly?" Grandfather's voice was skeptical.

"When you are in the yoroi meditation, really into it, your element responds and lets you do some really amazing stuff. Seiji can move at speeds you wouldn't believe, and his healing is incredible. Shin can make water dance. Shu shapes rocks like clay, and Ryo calls fire. Me? I control the sky. Breezes come when I call, and if I focus, they lift me right off the ground. It is the most amazing thing, to really be like a leaf in the wind."

"I shall have to see this at some point. Now then Hashiba-san, what is your family like?"

"My mother is a journalist, doing field work mostly so I don't see a lot of her. My dad is a university professor, working in Tokyo. I don't see a lot of him either." He smiled, "It's okay though, I understand that they are well established and respected in their fields and don't want to leave their workplaces. They do try to make time to see me at least once a year."

Grandfather frowned, that voice . . . "How long have you lived on your own?"

"What do you mean? I spend most of my time at the manor, I can't say I live alone."

"Since he was eight." Seiji cut in. "He was eight when his mother left his father and decided to go back into journalism. His father was seldom home before that, and after his mother left he was lucky to see him more than twice a year. If it wasn't for Mama Rei-Faun keeping an eye on him I am not sure he would have made it."

"Mama Rei-Faun?"

"Shu Rei-Faun is another of the yoroi bearers, he bears Kongo. He and Touma lived quite close to each other as children, and his mother half adopted Touma as a child. She made sure he had everything he needed, taught him to cook and budget and keep house. I can never express how grateful I am someone looked out for him."

Touma blushed, "Yeah, Mama is great. I was okay though, really. I was a lot more mature than most kids, and once she got me started I was able to work from there."

Grandfather looked at him, "You are lucky to have such friends, all five of you. The stories say the Yoroi Senshi are five who share the same path, life friends. You suit our Seiji well I feel. That you understand him enough to accept that family duty may separate the closeness you now have and not resent it is a miracle unsought. Will you and Seiji honor this old man with a demonstration of your skills while my daughter prepares dinner?"

Touma turned to Seiji, "Well, Seiji?"

"I think it sounds like a marvelous idea."

Grandfather stood, "This way then. I am afraid I do not keep stores on hand for the demonstration of kyuudo, but you can at least honor this old man with a match, and perhaps even a demonstration of this flying technique you claim."

"Of course, Date-san."

Grandfather watched as Touma rose from the floor. He showed no difficulties in standing, even in traditional clothing after kneeling so long. Looking him over he nodded, "Seiji, take Hashiba-san to dress in clothes fit for training. I will await you in the dojo."

Seiji rose smoothly and walked over to stand beside Touma. "Of course Grandfather." He bowed, the placed a hand innocuously on Touma's shoulder, smile on his face. "Come, I am sure there is something in my closet. Not like you don't wear my clothing after you forget to do laundry anyway."

"Seiji, you are a bastard sometimes, you know that right?" Touma smiled at him.

Seiji laughed, and headed out of the room. Touma shook his head and followed.

Grandfather watched them go. Watching them, you might not realize how close they were. He understood now how Seiji had kept their relationship from the family, and that they could, if the family required give that up. It wasn't because they didn't love, it was because they had the souls of samurai. They would give up anything for honor and duty, even the love of their lives. They may have been born to the twentieth century, but ever since they first donned the yoroi, they were not truly children of that century anymore. Nodding, he walked out to the dojo.

Seiji lead Touma up the stairs to his bedroom. He walked straight in and to the wardrobe, pulling out plain wool gi and hakama for them to wear. Touma followed him into the room and shut the door, then began removing and folding the silk and cotton haori, gi and hakama he had been wearing, placing the garments on the futon. Once he was done he carefully pulled on the practice garments. Seiji, who had started disrobing after him took a few minutes more to finish. Once done, he headed for the door. As he passed Touma he gently cupped his face, leaning forward to brush a kiss on his lips. As Touma followed him out the door he wished vaguely they were at the manor, they only place it was truly safe to show affection. Neither were comfortable showing affection in public, were in fact being very open before Seiji's family. But they hadn't seen each other in nearly three months, not since the beginning of Touma's semester, and it was frustrating to be on company manners especially as their relationship could end soon.

Grandfather looked up as the two young men walked into the dojo. Both observed proper manners, bowing as they entered and coming forward to kneel on the mats before him. "Seiji, Hashiba-san, good to see you so soon." He smiled at them. Considering the circumstances he wouldn't have begrudged them a few moments for each other. But the boys had remained focused and proper. Truly unlike any other youths he had ever met. But Seiji had ever been different, and it was no surprise his friends were as well. "Very well, stand and face each other."

Both boys rose to their feet, stepped the requisite paces apart and turned to face each other. "Bow to the judge." They turned to him and bowed. "Bow to each other." Facing each other once more they bowed. "Fight begin."

It shortly became clear that the boys practiced against each other often. Blows were launched and blocked in quick succession, so familiar with each others style that they could predict the moves without thought. Then, a blow from Touma made it through. Seiji had obviously been expecting the blow to come high, while Touma had struck low. "Point" Grandfather called.

Seiji laughed, "Touma, you're poaching again. That was a Shu sequence, not one of yours." Then he tapped the other boy in the ribs with a kick.

"Point."

Touma shook his head, "And that was completely Shin. You almost never use kicks." With a spin he darted close and managed to tap Seiji on the head.

"Point."

Seiji mock snarled at him, then lightning fast darted in. Knee to the gut, blow to the temple, sweep while he was unbalanced and Touma landed on his ass.

"Point, Point and match." Grandfather then turned to Seiji, "And the blows may have been legal, but they were not in the approved style. So?"

"We fight each other enough that if we stick to formal moves the match never ends. So, it can get a little dirty, though we always pull our blows."

"I see. Has anyone ever gotten hurt?"

"Neither of us, but Ryo once got Shin with a crotch shot. None of us spar with him when he is pissed anymore."

Grandfather laughed, "I would guess not, though proper gear would perhaps have helped. Very well. So, what is this flying I have yet to see?"

Touma smiled, "Well, I suppose, Date-san, since you asked."

"Horrible child."

Touma turned to Seiji, "Spot me? You know what it is like."

"Of course."

"Is it so dangerous, that you require a spotter?"

"For deep yoroi meditation, usually we have a spotter because if you go too deep you can loose track of your center and begin to drift from your body. None of us have had a problem since the first few times, but we try to take reasonable precautions outside of crisis situations."

"Wisdom. Very well than, Hashiba-san, impress me."

Touma sat on the floor cross-legged instead of kneeling, then closed his eyes. Seiji knelt beside him, eyes open, but somehow distant, as if he was not focused on the real world. As Grandfather stood there, he began to feel breezes stirring within the still air of the dojo, as if a fan had been turned on. Then, as he watched, Touma began to rise from the floor. At first, he mearly floated, hovering perhaps a foot above the mats. Then he began to unfold, until he was standing on air. He leaned into the breeze flowing through the room, slowly coming to float on his stomach nearly five feet above the mats. Then, he began to drift, seemingly at random, floating amidst drifts and eddies as the breeze withing the room picked up. Grandfather watched amazed as for nearly twenty minutes this amazing young man floated and flew like a leaf in the wind, exactly as he had described. Then he returned to float above and beside Seiji, slowly drawing himself upright to stand on air once more, then lowering to the floor. He opened his eyes and smiled, then reached down to touch Seiji's shoulder. Seiji's eyes immediately regained focus, and he rose to his feet. "Well, Grandfather?" He asked.

"Amazing, simply amazing. Come now, let us see how dinner progresses."

Coming into the house proper once more, Grandfather pause for a moment, then nodded, "I will check on dinner, the two of you clean yourselves and get changed. You will not come to the dinner table in such a state. Use the shower in your room, Seiji as I doubt there is time to use the furo. I will knock on your door to tell you when dinner will be ready."

Seiji nodded and bowed, "As you say Grandfather. Come Touma." He walked from the room. Touma hurried to follow him.

Once they were in his room, Seiji shut and locked the door, than looked at Touma, "Grandfather must really approve of you."

"Why do you say that?"

"For one, he just purposefully and knowingly gave us an excuse for some private time. Secondly, he has allowed you into my room without a chaperone for the second time. He knows you are more to me than the others, knows that you are my lover as well as a friend, knows that our armors are bound. Yet he approves of you, and trusts you, to the point that he has willingly given us an excuse to be alone in my room for at least half an hour."

"And that isn't normal for your family?"

"Touma, you may be many things, but your experience with family relations is limited. If one of my sisters brought a boyfriend to our house, there is no way Grandfather would allow them to be alone at any point, much less in her bedroom. No, it isn't normal."

"But why would he trust me, then? If as you say he knows we are lovers?"

"Because he approves of you, both as a person and as a match for my personality. Since he approves of you, he feels bad that the only outcome of our relationship can be to separate, because I must marry or the family will loose standing and the dojo could be dishonored. So he is giving us this time, knowing we won't abuse his trust."

"He loves you a great deal, and doesn't want to see you unhappy. So do I. Now, I call dibs on the shower. You pull your stuff together."

"Don't use all the hot water, or I won't be responsible for my actions, do you understand?"

"Fine, I'll just use all the shampoo instead."

"I hate you." Seiji laughed, then turned to pull clothes out of the press.

While Touma was in the shower, Grandfather knocked on the door and stated that supper would be in forty minutes. Seiji thanked him and set the alarm on his watch to go off in thirty. Ten minutes later Touma emerged from the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist. "Your turn, and I even left some shampoo. Go make yourself pretty."

Seiji smiled, then stated in his calmest, most serious voice, "Of course, if I could have the towel."

"Why?"

"Because that one is my favorite. It's green."

Touma let the towel drop as he collapsed on the floor laughing. Seiji smirked, smacked him on the ass and walked into the bathroom, "My point."

After he left the room Touma pulled himself together and began to re-dress in the clothing he had been wearing before their spar. He was just adjusting his collar when Seiji walked back out of the bathroom naked as a jaybird. He coughed, blushed and said, "I thought we were supposed to be behaving ourselves."

"We are, but this is my room, the door is locked and its not like you haven't seen it all already. Now help me get dressed."

"I think you are perfectly capable of doing that on your own after all this time. Even if you are going traditional.

Seiji snorted as he pulled on underwear, "Of course I am, but it will speed things up and we are running short on time." As he spoke his watch alarm went off, "Because that is the ten minute marker. So?"

Touma lifted his gi from the futon and held it open for him to step into, then helped him fasten the belt and straighten the collar. He lifted the hakama for Seiji to step into, fastening the ties neatly. Finally he lifted the haori, and helped Seiji arrange it over top of the other layer. "There, all set."

Just then there was a knock at the door, "Time for supper Seiji. Where is Hashiba-san?"

"Touma is in here mother. Thank you for telling us." Seiji flipped the lock and pulled open the door to reveal his mother. She looked them over, eyeing their wet hair and neat clothing, "Of course dear." She turned and walked back down the hall. The two young men followed her.

Dinner was held in the dining room as usual. In deference to their guest the good place settings had been set out, and the food was nicely arranged. Other than that, nothing was much different than usual. Once everyone was seated, Grandfather was the first to begin eating as the eldest. Once he had begun, everyone else began arranging and eating their food to their pleasure. Quiet conversation was held at points, but mostly everyone focused on enjoying the food. After an hour, when the last of the rice has been scraped from the bowl, everyone bowed, stated their thanks for the meal and stood.

Touma looked at his watch and sighed, he needed to go if he was going to finish his extra credit assignment and still get any sleep that night. Turning to his hosts, he bowed, "I apologize for my abruptness, but it is some distance back to campus and I have an assignment I hope to finish tonight. I am afraid I must take my leave."

Seiji's grandfather bowed in return, "Of course, I understand the pressures of your studies. Seiji will see you to the door."

"Thank you, Date-san, it was a pleasure to meet Seiji's family. Perhaps we will meet again."

"Indeed. Until that day."

Seiji gestured for Touma to follow him and walked to the door. Once they got there, Seiji smiled sadly, "I suppose I shall see you over semester break?"

"Yeah. Call me once in a while, let me know the state of things?" 'You may be engaged, or at least in negotiations next time we see each other' whispered into Seiji's mind.

"Of course." 'I know. No matter what happens, my heart is ever yours, Tenkuu no Touma'

Touma reached up and brushed his cheek unexpectedly, tenderly 'And my heart is yours, Korin no Seiji.' Touma dropped his hand and slid open the door, stepping into his shoes and out the door. Bowing, he said aloud "Farewell, and my thanks for your hospitality."

"Farewell"

Touma walked away from the house, down the stairs to the driveway and his car. Getting in he smiled softly, 'It was nice to at least meet Seiji's family on good terms. Whatever may come, I at least know now that they won't rush a marriage to punish me.' He put the key into the ignition, started the car, and drove slowly away from the Date residence.