Chapter Two
Nakago sat in his bedroom; on the table before him his dinner was cold. He had not felt hungry today for he had been devouring the plans and most recent events that were currently taking place in Nyosei.
Nakago had had plenty to focus on the moment the Priestess of Seiryuu had arrived and he could lay his playing pieces out. Nakago had immediately retracked each seishi's location by their distinct chi. Some faint due to distance, but he had found them all. Some he knew well, and others he now knew their chi just as intimately as his own.
Soi had returned first. No longer the palace serving girl, she had fallen quickly into the role of a Seiryuu Shichiseishi, and continued to be Nakago's lover. Ashitare had been Nakago's for some time now; easily bought from a circus man months ago. The weak chi signatures of the young twins had been located in the city only in recent months, and had been living in the palace for some time now. He remembered when he had located Miboshi in a temple on the borders of Kutou and Sairou. After a messenger had returned with wide eyes and covered in the blood of his companion, Nakago had let the illusive sorcerer remain where he was; Nakago was not worried. It was merely a new factor he had to fit into his plan, he merely needed to give Miboshi the word and the strange seishi was his to command. And Tomo...
Nakago's usual mask of indifferent calm shifted—the slight crease of a frown appeared between his brows. Yes, Tomo had been relocated and finally sent for too.
He had not seen the painted seishi since he had left the palace all those months ago, and Tomo had been true in not contacting Nakago until he ordered it. Nakago's reasons for ordering Tomo away had been more complicated than Nakago's distaste at Tomo's meddling in his very worst memories. There was more, and he continued to use Soi as the way of avoiding it.
Without Soi to keep him company at night, he had fallen into taking a late dinner in his chambers. He had only allowed his servants to light a few lanterns for he preferred the muted glow of the evening. It seemed to consume him, wrap around him, though it was not the same warm comfort of Soi's body. These thoughts made him frown for they were not comforting. No thought had been truly comforting for years, but the one that soon, soon Nakago's lifelong plan would begin to reach its conclusion.
He finally picked up a goblet of sweet plum wine and brought it to his lips. He eyed the bowls of vegetables, and rice, and meat, and still his stomach was not hungry. He watched the small yellow bird he kept in a cage of gold. It had been a flight of fancy of Soi's to buy the bird. She had said the golden color of its wings was just like the soft tresses of Nakago's hair. It was like an itch that he could not scratch, that he had decided to keep it, merely to please her. The bird's song brought to mind music...the music of the opera that had visited the palace those months ago.
Nakago finished off his wine in one long drink. Again, he was thinking about the opera and it was music he abhorred. He had only been present at some of the performances because it ws required of him by the Emperor. Yes, Nakago had watched Tomo perform his garish dance and reveal his skin with the glowing symbol on it; unabashedly, before a group of strangers and the Emperor himself, Tomo had done such a thing.
Nakago was pleased with the feeling of disgust that entered his stomach. It was an emotion that was useful to keep the more troublesome ones at bay. It was the emotion he hoped would lodge in his belly and stay there until his need of use of Tomo was over.
Yes, as Nakago set his emptied glass down he stared over at the bird and arose from his seat. It was singing. He lifted a silk cloth of blue and laid it over the metal cage and soon the song was muffled and then gone.
Nakago hoped the same thing would happen to his feelings for Tomo.