Notes

Rakushun's parents don't have names in the novel, so I named them Houmi and Yuudai. Beta'd by flamebyrd.

"You really should move back to village, Houmi," Sai said as Houmi finished up her work for the day, and was on her way outside of the village's gates. "Now that… you know."

Now that Rakushun had left home, Sai meant, but didn't say. It wasn't the first time that Houmi had been told the same thing as she spent her time in the fields or doing maid work for her employer. Given how bad Kou had become in the last few years - and would get worse now that both king and kirin were died - few were willing to live so far from a set of walls. She and Rakushun had gotten by on her income and the savings she'd set aside from selling her land-grant for his schooling. Without a hungry boy (though she had to stop thinking about Rakushun as a 'boy', if they weren't in Kou, he'd have had his own land-grant) to feed, she was saving a bit of money. But it wasn't enough to rent a place in town.

And, Houmi wasn't sure she wanted to live in town. She'd grown to like her little home, as poor as it was, and as lonely as it had become with Yuudai dead and Rakushun away. "Oh, I'm sure not many people are renting until spring comes. And I received a letter from my son, saying he'd gotten a place in En." He had been worried about her, and had offered to pull whatever strings he could to move her to that kingdom. He'd been worried about the king's state as well, though, by the date on the letter, the king hadn't died. It had taken months to get there after all.

"Ah, En?" Sai said. "He made it?"

Houmi nodded. "He was waiting for the friend who had been traveling with him to continue on, but he was working hard and hoping he could get into a Lesser Learning once he was sure Youshi was settled." She'd remembered the girl was really named Youko, but apparently one of the many things kaikyaku did strangely was how they said their names. Sai probably wouldn't know a kaikyaku name, but Youshi sounded a bit more ordinary.

"Such a dutiful boy," Sai nodded. "A shame he was made the way he was."

"There was nothing wrong with how he was made," Houmi said sharply. "If you'll excuse me, I want to make sure I make it home before dark."

Houmi had gotten the same comments all the time from the other villagers, and Rakushun's teachers and anyone who had met her son. They could see how smart and kind her son was, but knew that a hanjyu had very few rights in Kou. Houmi had always believed - and taught her son - that it showed more of a problem with how Kou was led rather than with hanjyu themselves. Rakushun might have been able to hide in his human form, though most respectable businesses would have needed his formal name for tax purposes - and then would know he was hanjyu. Instead, he stayed in rat form nearly all the time, to show that he wasn't going to hide it.

And, in the end, he had won. He was now in En, where, if he could get residence, he would be able to have all of the things he wanted: entrance into a school, and a family registry. He might become an official or a scholar, and would even be able to wed and pray for children if he wanted them.

Houmi would miss him, but it was normal for children to grow up and leave their nests. If Rakushun had been human, he would have gone away to study, and, even if he hadn't been so bright, he might easily have had his land grant far away. At least he wrote to let her know how he was, and to make sure she would be all right in Kou.

Perhaps she could go to En, though. Just until the new king ascended, which might be a few years depending on how long it took the new kirin to grow strong enough to find her king. It didn't matter where, as long as Rakushun wouldn't worry. Or she could save her money and move to a larger town, which would be safer against demons. That might be better than En, which was such a terribly far trip.

Outside her tiny house, leaning against the door was a golden-haired boy, one Houmi didn't recognize. What she did notice was that his clothing was clearly made of finer materials than most villagers could afford. He didn't seem to care that it was nearly sunset and that being outside the walls would mean he was at risk of demons. He looked almost… bored.

Of course, children were sometimes sheltered from the truth of the world, especially those whose parents were rich or influential enough to be able to. "Excuse me, young sir?" Houmi said. "Are you lost? The village is back that way, and you'll have to hurry if you want to make it there before the gate closes for the night."

"I'm not lost," the boy said. "Just waiting for someone I'm supposed to meet. Are you Rakushun's mother?"

"I am," Houmi said. "Are you a friend of my son's?" She knew that even a student at a Lesser Learning could afford a bit more than a farmer, to make up for the lack of time they had to grow their own food and craft some times. But not enough to afford the finery the young man wore, but perhaps he was the son of wealthy parents. He was certainly young enough that his parents still should be raising him. "Please, come in and have some tea. If you're not staying in town, you're welcome to spend the night, if you'll forgive the accommodations."

The boy shrugged. "I'm not some delicate court flower," he told her. "If I wanted to sleep in luxury, I wouldn't have told Rakushun I'd check on his mother." He did manage to get the door for her as her arms were full of what she had purchased at the market.

She put the kettle on and started putting extra food away. "I hope you don't mind rice and pickled vegetables. Meat was a bit pricy today." Houmi had looked into getting a chicken or two for her own, years ago - she could easily pray at the tree for one, but chickens still needed feed in winter - but with Rakushun gone and demon activity on the rise, people were afraid any sort of livestock would draw in demons. She'd seen people keeping their chickens and geese - and even the occasional cow - in rooms converted to stables. Sai had even told her that it saved on fuel to keep the house warm, if you could deal with the smell.

"That's fine," the boy said. "I have a delicate stomach, anyway."

Delicate stomach or not, he still managed to put away an amount of food that, had Houmi not raised her own son, might have surprised her. But growing boys did need their dinners, and guests should be treated well, even if it meant that Houmi would have to return to the market sooner than she'd thought.

They kept to pleasantries during the meal, but Houmi learned that the boy's name was Rokuta, which sounded a bit odd, and that he was from En. He did confirm that Rakushun had gone on to enter school once he had found Youko - who was also doing well.

"But a Greater Learning?" Houmi said, nearly choking on her tea. Rakushun had tested into a Lesser Learning, but he hadn't seen much point in trying for even a Middle Learning. After all, a single Lesser Learning master might bend the laws against hanjyu for a bright student, but Kou's only Greater Learning was in the capital, under the eye of the king. Or it had been. "Well, I know my son could handle it, but aren't such places normally reserved for citizens of the kingdom?" She knew En had generous policies for kaikyaku and hanjyu from other kingdoms who were escaping harsh laws, but she had assumed Rakushun would have had to take the exams again to even earn a place in a Lesser Learning like the one he'd earned in Kou. It had been less than a year since he'd left.

"It's a long story," Rokuta said, "but he ended up being owed a favor by some highly ranked people in En. If he couldn't cut it, the masters havewould dump him on his tail, but he's managing. He was going to come back here for you over the holiday, but I told him I'd go if he did a favor for me. I could get here faster and safer, and he'd be better at looking into something for me than I could."

"Well, I'm pleased he has someone he trusts so much," Houmi said. Rakushun hadn't had much trouble making friends when he was young, but as the village children learned from their elders that hanjyu weren't counted as 'real people' under the law, he'd had more trouble keeping them. Perhaps why he'd taken so quickly to Youko, the kaikyaku girl, as a fellow outcast by law. "I worry about him making friends."

"Considering how he'd talk your ears off if you let him, I doubt he's having trouble," Rokuta said.

"Then you aren't at school with him?" Houmi asked.

Rokuta shook his head. "Nope. Just someone he and Youko met on the road."

"Then you know her as well? I'm glad she made it over the border. She seemed so troubled by everything she'd been through when Rakushun found her," Houmi said, thinking of the girl who had obviously been through a lot before Rakushun had nursed her back to health. Not surprising if she'd been chased all the way from the coast with so little idea of why.

"She's doing much better," Rokuta volunteered, finishing the tea he was drinking. "I don't know what she's up to specifically, right now, but she's starting to settle in."

"I'm glad," Houmi said. The room was getting quite dim, and she'd have to find and light the candles - another thing saved from when Rakushun was living with her, as he would read late into the night if someone loaned him books. She normally went to bed after dinner to save money, unless she had mending she needed to do. She stood up. "Let me get some light, all right?"

"I don't mind heading to bed early," Rokuta said. "We can make an early start tomorrow."

"Eh?" Houmi said, holding the first lit candle.

"Rakushun wants you to come live in En."

"Well, yes, he mentioned that in his letter," Houmi said. "But I can't just up and leave here. I'd have to let my landlord and my employer know so they can find someone else, and sell anything I can't carry, and let everyone know I'm leaving so they won't worry." She looked around her home, dim in the shadows, but familiar. She and Rakushun had been living here since shortly after the Lesser Learning had rejected Rakushun, and they had started to save for his education in En. Before that, unless you counted the semi-annual moves to and from the fields, she had only moved once, when she was twenty and had received her land-grant. Yuudai had even relocated for her, since there was space in her village and not his.

Most of the furniture would have to stay, and she still might need a cart. Rakushun surely would have sent money with Rokuta to hire one - or several, since few farmers would want to be so far from their fields even in winter.

Rokuta paused, still in the dim light of the candle. Houmi wondered if he was considering what she had said. Perhaps her home and the village were squalid from his standards, but they were hers, and had years of memories. But he held up a hand. "Put out the candle and go to the back room. Quietly. Something's approaching the house. It sounds like demons."

Demons! Houmi had hoped that the walls of a house would keep them away, even outside of the town walls. She certainly had no way to protect herself. But Rokuta didn't seem afraid - alert and on edge, but like he knew what he was doing. She doused the candle and did what he said, tucking herself under the bed and waited.

There was a battle, and she heard cries that were clearly inhuman, and the shaking of the walls as something hit them. Whatever curiosity she had about what Rakushun's friend could do about demons was stifled by the sounds. She didn't hear him cry out in pain or anger, so that was another puzzle about the young man. Houmi tried to figure out which of the sounds - if any - were good signs. The shriek of pain was probably the demons. She hoped.

Eventually, the noises stilled, and Rokuta came to get her - with the candle she'd abandoned. "We'll have to leave in the morning anyway, now," he said. "I should have realized that Kou had gotten so bad and ordered a shirei to guard us." He sounded annoyed, and Houmi thought it was probably at himself. "But the demons might have weakened the walls of the house. It'll be safe tonight." It was hard to tell, but he looked paler.

"Are you all right?" Houmi asked. He didn't look injured, or even like his clothing was ruffled, but his head was bowed in a sort of nauseous gesture.

Rokuta nodded. "Just a bit sick from the blood smell. Good thing there were only two, and they were scared off instead of killed." Houmi didn't see why it was a good thing, or what the smell was - she didn't smell anything but wax and the bed linens.

"Will rest help, or should I get some medicine?"

"Rest will be fine," Rokuta said. "As will getting out of here tomorrow."

"We'll have to stop in town tomorrow, so I can let my employer know. And, young man, I expect you to tell me exactly who I will be travelling with."

Rokuta grinned at her. "All right. But just remember, you did ask."

- x -

Rakushun had written up his report on what he'd observed in Ryu, and sent it ahead, under seal. He was also sure to thank Shoukei, since he might not have caught on to what the local officials had been up to without an arrest and open asking for a bribe to free her. But he did note he was hesitant to say where Shoukei was headed, since the King of Kyou still had a legitimate grievance with Shoukei. Rakushun hoped the girl would work it out somehow.

Rakushun hadn't been surprised that Enki had wanted to see him in person. He had been surprised when, in addition to the kirin, his mother - dressed nicer than he'd ever seen her - was waiting with him. "Ma!" Rakushun cried, moving forward to hug her.

She clucked her tongue. "Rakushun, I didn't raise you to be rude to nobility, even though I suspect the taiho won't mind."

"Nope!" Enki agreed. "Especially since we're not in public right now."

"Sorry, Ma," Rakushun said, nervously brushing his whiskers. "I just wasn't expecting to see you so soon. Have you taken care of all the paperwork and things? I've seen a lot of refugees coming in from Kou, and the offices are pretty busy." Since Kei was still recovering, most of the refugees were skipping over it, though he'd heard that many Kei folks were heading home as soon as they heard about Youko's coronation.

"I already took care of all that," Enki said. "I'm not going to escort someone over half of Kou and let her get turned back at the border or stuck in a tent camp."

"The taiho was very helpful," his mother confirmed. "But why didn't you tell me you'd gotten involved in something so big, Rakushun?"

"Well, I tried to write you a letter, but I didn't know how long it would take to get there," Rakushun said. "And we didn't really figure out who Youko was until we met up again here. It's not exactly like I expected to find the King of Kei feverish in the fields, or that I knew a lot about kaikyaku. But once we were able to figure out that the Keiki she was looking for was the taiho of Kei, things fell together pretty quickly."

"Well, I expect to hear all about it," his mother said.

"Of course. But how was your trip, Ma?" Rakushun said.

"Oh, we had a bit of a rough start, but the taiho was very accommodating," his mother said. "Don't worry about it. It's over now."