Oh holidays... I do not own anything except Kiriko.
The Night Troops took me staying with them for "an extended period of time" rather well. Most of them were excited for a new addition, "especially a cutie" like me Todoroki had commented. Some, like Gin, were not too impressed once they found out I was not a fighter and was more of a defender. A couple, like Miki Hatori, the Vice Chief, did not want me there at all.
"We are not babysitters! Take her back to the Council and let someone else do it!" she had yelled at Masamori, not even caring if I heard or not. Which, I did; we shared a room that was divided by a simple screen.
"I volunteered for this job and I'm going to do it. I'm not asking you or any of the others to watch her. She is my responsibility so don't worry," Masamori tried smoothing her ruffled feathers but before she could make another remark, I walked around the screen.
"I can take care of myself. I have for seven years. I never asked for a Protector and I do not see why I needed one now but orders are orders; I am not able to go against the orders of the one that owns me. I don't want your," I pointed at Hatori "help and I can guarantee I will not be asking for it. So, for the next three and a half years, let's just ignore each other's presence. Sound good?" I walked back to my bed on the other side of the screen before she could answer.
Hatori had not tried speaking with me after that night. However there were small instances where I thought she was trying to get me to leave, one being the incident at the bath house. Masamori kept a close eye on me every minute possible of every day; the only time I was not in the same room with him was when the two of us were bathing.
I usually bathed with Masamori standing outside the bath house or one of the girls in the Night Troops would bathe with me. Tonight Atora had invited me to join her. Atora and I got along very well. There weren't many girls in the Night Troops and Atora was a very outspoken person; she really liked embarrassing her trainee Gin.
"Gin and I used to bathe together you know?" Atora laughed noticing my quirked brow.
"Are you two…?" I trailed off, making gestures with my hands. Atora laughed harder as she eased herself into the bath.
"No, no we're not silly!" Atora splashed some of her water at me as I was getting in, "He's like a little brother!" I laughed as I settled in the warm water.
"I don't have any siblings but I'm pretty sure that they don't bathe together Atora," I flicked some water in her direction. She gave a devilish smile in return and in mere moments an all-out water war had started.
Meanwhile, Hatori had schemed with Akira to scare me in the hopes I would leave.
"All you have to do is make it invisible and set it in the bath house," Hatori instructed Akira as he held the squirming toad away from himself. It was an unusually large toad, almost the size of his soccer ball. Akira was not too fond of the thing himself; poor Kiriko would probably have a heart attack.
"I never would have thought you would want to do something like this Vice Chief!" Akira's face brightened with a huge grin as he looked at the Vice Chief. Hatori shrugged.
"I can be a little mischievous when I want to be kid. Now go, she should be in there now," Hatori placed a hand on Akira's tiny shoulder and gently pushed him on his way.
Akira ran around the back of the bath house, slightly panting having run half way across the entire place.
'Okay little guy,' Akira brought the toad up to eye level, 'Please just go in there and do what you need to,' Akira then closed his eyes and the toad disappeared. Akira stood on his tip toes and slipped the toad in the small window. It easily and readily escaped between the drapes to get away from the child that had a death grip on it moments ago.
Atora and I sat in the bath, still giggling like children. We had our small water war and then just sat around poking fun at some of the quirks the Night Troop members had. Atora had just finished retelling the venture she had when she had "accidentally" walked in on Todoroki as he was getting out of the bath when we heard a small splash.
"Did you hear that?" I asked, scanning around the bath. The steam made it almost impossible to see much of anything.
"Yeah I did. Sounded like something fell in the water," Atora stood up and began wading around the bath, trying to find something that was not supposed to be there. She had made it half way around when I let out a squeal.
"What's wrong Kiriko?" Atora froze, looking over my frightened face.
"S-Something slimy just touched my leg underwater," I squeaked out. Atora tilted her head and told me to stay calm as she kept making her way around the bath.
'Yeah, stay calm. How am I supposed to stay calm when the-'
I let out a much louder squeal as whatever had invaded our bath started climbing up my leg. Atora ran the rest of the way over and dove under water. She emerged seconds later, a huge toad in hand.
"I think this is the culprit!" she threw a fist of victory up in the air as the toad let out a series of loud croaks.
"Ew! I absolutely hate toads!" I blanched, backing away from the slimy beast. Atora laughed and was about to set the toad outside the bath when we both heard another croak from outside the bath house door.
"Atora?" she dropped the toad unceremoniously over the side and turned to me, "Please tell me that thing did not do what I think it did." Atora smiled sheepishly and shrugged. We scrambled out of the bath as we more and more croaks could be heard outside.
"Okay so it sounds like those slimy things are all around this bath house. How am I supposed to-" a squeal cut off my question as I reached for my towel but instead touched the giant toad that had invaded our bath.
Atora was about to reach over and removed the toad from my towel when it let out a croak so loud the bath house shook. Atora and I exchanged worried looks as the toads outside went silent.
'What the hell is going on out there?' I thought as I studied the toad still sitting on my towel.
In an instant a wave of toads of all sizes came flooding in through the windows. I shrieked and clutched to Atora's arm as she let out a strangled yell of surprise.
Before long the invasion had stopped and Atora and I was standing ankle deep in a sea of toads, croaking happily to be inside the warm steamy bath house and not in the cool lake. A few had even ventured to take a dip in the bath Atora and I had vacated not too long ago.
"ATORA! There are so many... Slimy..." I squealed, feeling the few around my feet moving around. I guess I should say that I really, really hate slimy things and being stuck in a bath house full of slimy toads was absolutely horrid. Atora freed her arm from my death grasp and began shuffling to the back, saying there were a couple extra towels and robes there. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, grumbling about being left alone.
I watched Atora disappear in a back room, swiftly shutting the door behind her. I guess the toads had yet to invade that room. Oh how I was so envious of Atora, her in a room without any slimy toads crawling and hopping over her once clean, bare feet and ankles. My eyes traveled around the bath house taking in the army of toads hopping happily in the warmth, swimming in the bath... Was that toad lounging in the water? I shook my head and looked back to the back room, silently pleading that Atora would hurry up with a robe for me so we could get out of here.
"Lady Kiriko!"
I whirled around, facing the door as it burst open, revealing Masamori with his hand raised ready to cast a kekkai. After looking around at the invaded bath house Masamori locked his gaze on me. We both blinked at each other before his gaze started to travel down, down...
"Masamori you pervert!" I yelled, picking up a toad and chucking it at his face.
We were walking back to the room we shared, I wrapped up in Masamori's robe. The walk back was filled with an awkward silence, neither of us able to look the other in the eye. It was nice and all that he was taking his Protector duty seriously, thinking I was in trouble after hearing me scream and coming to protect me, but really, busting into the bath house? Did he not think that I or Atora could take care of ourselves? True, Atora did not really have much knowledge in fighting without her beasts and I had no weapons with me but really now, I nor Atora are helpless. I was grateful that he had created a kekkai for me to walk over the slimy toads and that he had lent me his robe to cover myself however I was livid that he had let his eyes wander. How embarrassing...
Atora had emerged from the back room, wrapped in her own robe, after I had yelled at Masamori for... For what really? Being a typical young man? I sighed and stole a glance at a still slightly blushing Masamori. I rolled my eyes and brushed some hair behind my ear.
'Honestly, he acts like he's never seen a woman before. Wait... Maybe he hasn't. But someone with his power and persuasion surely has had his pick of women, right?'
"I had no idea you had a tattoo," Masamori's low voice brought me out of my thoughts. I turned to look at him with a bewildered expression.
"I don't have one! If you're talking about the thing on my thigh it's my seal." I faced forward and blushed heavily. He let his eyes travel that far down?! Ugh... What a night.
"Seal or not, it's beautiful," Masamori stated. I rubbed the side of my face and mumbled out a thanks. "What is it? A dragon and...?" He turned his head to look at me. I looked the other way as I answered him. "It's a dragon, Seiryu, and a tiger in their eternal dance. Or, that's what I have been told. I have never been able to make out the tiger but, then again, I have yet to meet my 'partner' or true Protector. The inside design is supposed to be an external reflection of our mind."
"Ouch Milady." Masamori placed a hand over his chest, feigning hurt. I rolled my eyes as we approached the door to our room. "Honestly Masamori, had you ever heard of Wards before I was brought to that Council meeting?" I slid the door open and stalked over to my side of the room. Masamori sighed and slid the door closed behind him.
"Yes I had. My grandfather used to tell me about Wards that were under the employ of landowners that would use them to steal and murder." I cringed behind the screen as I changed into my sleeping robe. "He also had an encounter with a Destroyer who was trying to seek out the power of Karasumori for himself when my grandfather still guarded it."
"I have heard that story before Masamori and I will tell you the truth of it," I stepped from around the screen and made my way to the middle the room that held a small table. I sat down and pulled my long hair over my shoulder, braiding it. "Will you sit and listen or will you choose to continue in ignorance?" Masamori moved and sat opposite me, meeting my eye.
"Sir Saida, a powerful Destroyer, had been owned by a prosperous demigod. One day he finally got tired of being used for war and turned on his owner, killing him and fleeing the Netherworld before it collapsed. Sir Saida lived at the Temple of Seiryu, the same one I was born at, and kept many of the Junior and Trainee Protectors safe from being overpowered into service. When he was not fighting off challengers and helping train the Protectors he spent his time in the underground rooms. That is where the elders and those that were freed kept the old tomes and scrolls that chronicled the history and lineage of all the Wards that ever were. There is also quite a bit of reading about the Kekkaishi." I paused braiding my hair and looked up at Masamori. "Did you know that Protectors and Kekkaishi's powers are similar?" I nodded my head when Masamori confirmed that he did not and returned to braiding my hair. "Well, our powers are also related to that of some ayakashi. Sir Saida found out that we Protectors could amplify our powers if we found and harnessed the power held in Karasumori." Masamori raised a curious brow and nodded for me to continue.
"It is written that Sir Saida took a couple of the senior Protectors, one that were freed, and their Guardians to Karasumori one night. Sir Saida was scouting the middle of the courtyard while the seniors and their Guardians were in the woods. Your grandfather imprisoned Sir Saida in a kekkai but he was able to easily cut through it. Sir Saida tried to explain to your grandfather and his partner that he was only there to help those who he was protecting and in order to do that he needed to use Karasumori. They fought and when Sir Saida began to lose the senior Protectors and Guardians fled back to Temple Seiryu. Sir Saida never came back and the population of Protectors has been declining steadily since Sir Saida was not around to help protect the temple." I tossed the finished braid over my shoulder and folded my hands on the table.
"I never found out if your grandfather and his partner killed Sir Saida or not but it stands to reason that since he never returned that they did." I looked down at my hands and frowned. The senior Protectors of the time had nothing but good things to say about Saida; he was a nice and gentle man unless someone threatened him or someone that was unable to defend themselves. He did what he could to keep those who did not have a Guardian safe and he even helped teach and train the Trainees to use daggers and short swords for self defense.
I jumped slightly when Masamori placed his hand over mine. I raised my eyes to his and found a plethora of emotions I never thought I would see from Masamori. Remorse, sadness, understanding, worry, kindness... Something guarded so well that I could not put a name to it, all churned in his beautiful dark eyes.
"I do not think they would have killed Sir Saida, Lady Kiriko. He may have been defeated and just felt too ashamed to return to the temple." He gave my hand a squeeze. "Now, tell me about the temple."
That night Masamori and I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, talking about not just Temple Seiryu and what life was like there but also about well, everything. Who knew Masamori had such a great smile?