Disclaimer: I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.
Rating: PG-13, for moderate language and violence.
Musical Selection: "Shuurei's Theme" for the scenes with Aoi, then Chichiri and Kiori, and "Belladonna's Snare" for the part after "Tasuki barreled down the walkway." They're oldies, so they're already posted on the blog.
You ever have one of those months where everything breaks down? Netbook – check. Cell phone – check. Car – check. Laptop – creaking slowly towards the grave. At this point, I just hope I can keep all my bones in one piece until February.
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--Episode Twenty-Eight: Changes of Heart--
The Enemy is a Friend?
Tetsuya flipped open the book to the beginning of the next chapter, stifling a yawn and staring mournfully at the stack of unread pages. "Man, we're at chapter twenty-eight and we've still got a ways to go."
Keisuke stood, stretching his stiff arms and legs. "Ah well, if the girls can brave Elements, enemy soldiers, and," he pressed his palms to his cheeks dramatically, cooing his next word, "mo-o-o-oe, then I'm sure we can handle a little late-night reading."
"I can handle it fine as long as you never say the word 'moe' like that again," Yui said.
Keisuke just laughed, batting his eyelashes at her as he strolled towards the kitchen. "Hey, I'm gonna make some instant coffee. Everyone want some?" Two "Yes please!"s chorused out behind him, followed immediately by a pair of yawns. Keisuke chuckled and disappeared, waving them both on to the next chapter.
"And with dreams of caffeine dancing in my head..." Tetsuya straightened his sunglasses again, putting a finger to the page and beginning. "'The next morning dawned cloudy but scorching, a sure sign of another stifling summer day in the Konan Empire...'"
oOo
Ritsuka awoke in the late morning, sitting up in bed and stretching her arms to the ceiling. Her relaxed awakening ended in a hurry, however, as her shoulder thumped with pain, forcing her to pull her arms back down to her sides. She rubbed at her sore shoulder, wincing and then frowning as she remembered Tasuki's accidental attack in the training rings. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pulled back into a snarl, but after a moment her fists loosened and she slumped against the bed, rubbing a hand against the bridge of her nose. 'Tasuki-chan... what the heck is happening to you?' She shook her head hard and forced on another scowl. 'Humph! What do I care, anyway? He's just an idiot.'
"Say Kiori," she said aloud, "don't you think Tasuki-chan is an idi..." Ritsuka trailed off as she glanced around the room and finally noticed that Kiori was nowhere in sight. "Huh," she thought aloud. "Must've had some doctor-work to do. That girl's always busy." Ritsuka leaned back in bed and yawned. 'I'm sure there's something I should do today, but screw it, I'm staying right here until I feel like getting up. I am injured, after all, and—'
knock... knock.
Her ears perked up as something struck her door. A moment later, the rapping came again, louder and more confident this time. Ritsuka cocked an eyebrow. "Uh, come in?"
The door creaked open so slowly that Ritsuka half-expected to see a turtle shoving at it from the other side. Instead, a chibi, orange-haired head poked around the frame, looking thoroughly contrite. "Mornin', Red. Mind if I come in?"
She glared at Tasuki, then jerked her head to the side and sniffed. "Do whatever you want. You always do."
Tasuki disappeared from view again. Ritsuka's eyes widened as the door opened all the way and the seishi entered, towing a cart filled with dishes behind him. He kept his eyes on the ground as he inched the cart towards her bed, pulling up right beside her and then standing to the side like a butler awaiting orders. Ritsuka's eyes roved hungrily across the smorgasbord of breakfast treats, from traditional Konan meals to a few more westernized, modern recipes that Ritsuka had added to the palace's menu. She paused as her gaze landed on a covered dish. "So," she said, feigning disinterest. "What's all this?"
Tasuki stubbed his toe into the ground. "Er, Kiori 'n' the cooks kinda helped me with this one. They said you gave 'em the recipe, somethin' about how it's yer fav'rite 'n' all..."
He lifted the cover. Two fried eggs sat at the top of the plate, with a slab of bacon curving along the bottom to form a crooked smiley face. Ritsuka had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing, and still couldn't hold back the giggle that slipped between her pursed lips. To make matters worse, she even felt her mouth beginning to water. 'No, Ritsuka,' she reminded herself as she forced on a scowl. 'Don't you dare let yourself be swayed this easily. You are still mad at him, and that won't change just because of one stupid, enormous, mouth-watering, delicious...' She ran a hand hurriedly across her salivating lips, then glanced back up at Tasuki with eyes filled with ice. "Well, it'd better be good."
She took an experimental taste, then – biting back a squeal of delight – dove into the food with a will. She felt Tasuki's eyes watching her the entire time, though she didn't bother looking up to meet his gaze. "So," he began after she'd gorged herself for a few minutes, "you like it?"
"It'll do," she mumbled around a mouthful of bacon.
Tasuki poked his index fingers together, waiting for her to finish up the last of the main dish. "Um, Red?"
"What now?" she growled, licking grease off her fingers.
"Listen, about yesterday..." He tugged at the collar of his jacket, shifted from foot to foot, and opened and closed his mouth several times before trying to continue. "Look, about all that... I'm... I mean, y'know, I dunno what happened, but whatever did happen, I just sorta, er..." He gulped, ducking his head and clapping his hands together. "I'm sorry."
The corner of Ritsuka's mouth twitched into a smile, but thankfully Tasuki was too busy staring at the floorboards to notice. She quickly pulled it back down into a frown. "Hmmmmm..." She drew the thoughtful noise out for as long as possible, then let the room fill with silence for another tense moment. Once the hush had become as thick as the egg yoke on her plate, Ritsuka continued, speaking in a voice heavy with gracious mercy. "Oh-kay, I suppose I can forgive you." His head jerked up, but Ritsuka threw up her index finger just as quickly. "After you let me do one thing."
"One... thing?" he repeated.
"Yep. That's fair, isn't it?"
"Uh, yeah, I mean I guess so..."
"Good." She hopped out of bed, facing her fellow redhead. Her teeth flashed in a smile that was far from comforting. "Stand right here, facing me." Tasuki did as she said, though he looked rather skeptical by this point, and his skepticism turned with lightning speed into flushed embarrassment as she drew within inches of his face.
"Er, Red, what exactly are ya plannin' on... I-I mean, it's jus', doncha think this is kinda—?"
"D'you want me to forgive you or not?" she demanded in a sultry snap. Tasuki gulped and turned his head away, but Ritsuka caught his chin in one hand, jerking her face forward until they were nearly nose to nose. "Now, just close your eyes and stand very, very still..."
"Uh, well, okay, if you say s—"
WHAM!
Ritsuka sent Tasuki careening into a nearby wall with one swift uppercut. She stomped over to his plastered form, standing on tip-toe so that she could shake her fist at his smooshed face. "Don't you ever, ever, ever do something that stupid and awful again, or you'll find yourself stuck to the bottom of the palace pond next time!" Ritsuka grabbed his chin, though this time with a force that suggested she just might try snapping it off. She pulled herself forward so that they were nose to nose again. "Is that clear, Tasuki-chan?"
"Clear as a bell," he groaned.
"Good." Ritsuka released her hold on his chin, allowing him to slide chibily down the wall and land in a heap of limbs beside the front door. She grinned at him. "I forgive you now." She thought that maybe he flashed a crooked grin back, but it could have easily been a grimace of pain. Ritsuka cracked her knuckles and turned away from the pile of seishi, prancing to her wardrobe – despite her injury – and rummaging around for the day's clothing. After a moment's hesitation she grabbed a blue top and charcoal-gray trousers, tugging them free and laying them on her bed. She glanced back at Tasuki – in the process of recovering from his meeting with the wall – and opened her mouth to ask him to leave, but stopped at the last second. 'Yeah. I'm still just a little bit mad at him, aren't I?'
"Ta...suki...chan..."
The seishi turned at the sound of his name, eyes widening as Ritsuka stared at him meaningfully before slowly lowering the sleeve of her robe to reveal her unhurt shoulder and just a tiny hint of her chest. "GACK!" He turned away in a hurry, though he couldn't resist sneaking another peak over his shoulder as he snapped, "Damn it, Red! Don't do that while I'm here!"
She gazed at him from under her lashes. "Oh, you're screaming in agony on the outside, but you're screaming in joy on the inside." She slowly dropped the robe, keeping it closed in the front but allowing more and more of her back to show—
And almost fell over laughing as Tasuki bolted for the door, nearly slamming into the wall again in his haste to flee from his stripping friend. She collapsed against her bed after he'd left, staring at her door swinging crazily on its hinges. And, at last, Ritsuka let herself smile. "Now there's my Tasuki-chan."
oOo
While Ritsuka was only just beginning her day, the Takkan soldiers had been up for some time, arming themselves in preparation for their first attack against Konan in nearly three weeks. Men rushed to and fro across the camp as the army's reluctant leaders shuffled them into formation. Shogun Kawahito dashed about, muttering incoherent orders that half the captains ignored and the other half mocked, only worsening the chaos. Amidst the tired, hungry, and altogether unruly mass of soldiers, it was easy to overlook the disappearance of a few men – easy for all the soldiers, that is, but the ever-observant taii, Furosaki Yuki.
"Kawahito-shogun," he said, bowing low to his superior. "I believe a foraging party is missing from the ranks. Seven men, as well as that female cook. They may simply be late returning to camp, but it's possible they are trying to skip the battle. Permission to locate the missing men, Shogun-sama?"
"Huh?" Kawahito stared at Yuki for a full five seconds before finally waving him away with an absent-minded flap of his hand. "Oh, er, of course. But hurry up about it! Setsuka-sama wants us attackin' today, you know!"
"I hadn't noticed," Yuki replied pleasantly – so pleasantly, in fact, that Kawahito didn't even recognize the sarcasm. Yuki sighed and strode towards the trees, breaking into an all-out run once he knew he was out of sight of the rest of the soldiers. He skidded to a halt just a few moments later in the middle of a clearing, flashing a winded smile at the seven soldiers and single cook that lazed about the open space.
"Attacking again, Yuki?" groaned one soldier by way of greeting.
"Shogun-sama's orders," he replied with a helpless shrug.
The little group groaned, the impudent soldier Tori moaning the loudest of all. He flopped over backwards in the grass, clutching at his abdomen with both hands. "Ya see my stomach, Yuki? No, 'course ya don't, 'cause my poor tummy don't exist anymore. It had t' eat itself jus' t' stay alive. An' now you want me t' fight like this? Oooooh, I think I'll just die right here an' spare those Konan blokes th' trouble."
Yuki strolled over to Tori with a lazy smile, taking a seat right on his friend's "nonexistent" tummy. "I don't like it anymore'n you do, Tori-kun, but I've little say in the matter. What Setsuka—"
"May she die a thousand deaths," chimed the others.
"—says is law, at least as far as our dear Shogun-sama is concerned."
"Bah!" Tori stuck out his tongue. "Ol' Bakahito c'n go fry his head. Prob'ly make him a whole lot smarter." He shoved forward with his hands, knocking Yuki into the grass. "An' no sittin' on th' vanishin' tummies, Taii-sama!"
"Can you believe it?" another young soldier mumbled to nobody in particular. "I actually miss Hataku. At least he knew how to keep his men fed." He sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples. "Times like these make me wonder why I didn't just go into hidin', 'stead of joinin' this stupid army."
"Doncha remember?" Tori snickered, setting a gallant hand to his heart. "We wanted t'boldly undertake the darin' mission of infiltratin' enemy territory, bravely strikin' out so we could further th' noble mission of the RAFT! Spoil th' food, screw up th' missions, even get one of us turned into a taii!" He cocked his head to the side as if listening to something far away. "Ah, ya hear that, boys? That's th' sound of th' gods praisin' our courage!"
Kirei, the female cook, flashed him a wry grin. "Is that how you remember it? Funny, I thought it had a lot more to do with that decree demanding one son from every family." Her grin turned into a frown. "Twelve boys called away, and here we are with seven left. I know we decided to do this for the good of the RAFT, but I can't see what good we're doing way out here, just waiting to get shot at or starved to death." She tilted her head towards Yuki, watching the young taii hopefully. "Tori-kun said you mentioned something about going home. Were you serious, Yuki? Is that why you called us out here?"
"I called you out here to assure you that I am seriously considering it," he said. "But I won't risk a desertion if I can't see everyone safely back to Takkan. So for now, keep your eyes open and your wits about you. Stay to the back during the battle; I don't care if you have to take a couple lashings from your taii, it's far better to leave the field bruised than to not leave it at all. I'll figure out an alternative just as soon as possible, I promise you that." He grinned at the others. "I don't particularly care to have my stomach devour itself either, you know."
oOo
Aoi wandered the training rings aimlessly, pausing every so often to look at an invisible person and rehearse a speech that never quite came out right. "Akai," he began, facing a pillar, "about last night, I wanted to apologize. See, I'm really sorry for... er... not taking your side." He groaned, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "But I'm not sorry about that!" He glared at the pillar. "I mean, I can't agree with you about everything, right? So I'm sorry for... for not respecting your opinion." And again his hands grabbed at his hair. "No, that's not it either! I do respect your opinion, I really do, it's just... uh..." He spread his arms helplessly, staring once more at the imagined image of his friend. "I'm sorry for... something? Aaaaaagh!" Aoi's head thumped into the pillar. "Great. I'm talking to a pillar, and I'm still messing it all up. I'm crazy and an idiot."
"I wouldn't say all that. At least you know that you're talking to a pillar no da."
Aoi yelped at the unexpected voice and jumped a full foot in the air. "Gyah!" He whirled, jerking his head up and finding himself staring into a familiar smiling mask. "Oh!" He bowed low to the seishi. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Chichiri-sama!"
The monk rubbed the back of his head. "Gomen, I didn't mean to scare you no da."
Aoi straightened again. "Oh, don't apologize. I just didn't know you were there. I wasn't really paying attention I guess, seeing as how I was..." He pointed back to the pillar and sweatdropped. "Er, anyway, I don't usually see you at the training rings. Is everything all right?"
Chichiri leaned against the railing next to Aoi, watching as a group of soldiers took turns practicing sword techniques. "I wanted to talk to Tasuki and Akai about last night. Could you point me towards either of them no da?"
"I'd love to, but they aren't here. The last I heard Tasuki-sama was attempting to fix Ritsuka-sama an 'I'm sorry' breakfast," Chichiri chuckled at the thought of his seishi friend in the kitchens, "and as for Akai..." He sighed. "I wish I knew where she was, but I don't have a clue." He forced a smile. "But why do you need my help finding them? Can't you just locate their life forces?"
"I could, but I prefer to track people down the old-fashioned way if possible," Chichiri said. "Keeping myself constantly attuned to every ki in the area can be a little... well, imagine standing in a room shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone in the palace all day and night no da."
Aoi winced. "Sounds crowded."
"That's a good way to put it no da," he said. "Anyway, I've learned to suppress it so I can pick up any sudden, malevolent presences, but beyond that I can't sense much outside of a few bù. It's a little inconvenient, but I think things are a lot less cluttered that way no da."
"You prefer simplicity, don't you, Chichiri-sama?"
"I suppose so, though simplicity doesn't seem to prefer me," he admitted with a smile that was a bit strained. "So are you looking for Akai as well no da?"
"Oh..." Aoi sighed again, staring hard at his clasped hands. "Yes, actually. I need to talk to her about last night, too, though I'm not really sure what to say. I feel like I should apologize." He glanced up at the monk with wide eyes. "Chichiri-sama, what do you think I should apologize for?"
He couldn't help but chuckle. "Nothing no da. You have no reason to apologize, because you didn't do anything wrong. Akai knows that too, I think."
"I guess you're right," Aoi said. "But I still feel bad about yesterday, about how she ran out of the room practically in tears. I feel like I should've done something... I don't know what exactly, but... something to, to make her feel better, at least..."
Chichiri set a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Daijoubu no da. It's only natural that you'd be worried about someone you care about, even if it wasn't your fault that they were upset. But there's no need to beat yourself up about it no da. Just let Akai know you were worried about her. I think that would mean a lot to her. It might even cheer her up a little no da."
Aoi glanced up at the monk, surprised to find a smile sneaking onto a face that had been so anxious just moments ago. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Chichiri-sama. You really are as understanding as everyone says."
He rubbed self-consciously at his nose. "Well, I don't know who 'everyone' is, but I'm happy I could help no da. Oh!" His head jerked up as if someone had called his name. "We've got company no da."
"Akai?" Aoi asked hopefully, but Chichiri just shook his head, turning to meet the newcomer. Aoi didn't miss the way the edges of Chichiri's masked mouth seem to twitch up a little more, as if he were smiling with both faces this time. "So who—?"
But before he could finish his question a woman jogged around the corner, her skirts hitched up in one hand and her kesa-sash looped around the other. Both Chichiri and Aoi waved to her, though Aoi knew full well that when Kiori's flushed face lit up and her lips all but burst into a smile that she wasn't offering that smile to him. The pair waited as Kiori hurried over, dropping both sash and skirt so that she could fiddle with a pair of somethings stuffed into her waistband. "Chichiri, I'm so glad I found you, I had to use the sash because you weren't in your room, and I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm really excited about this! Oh, hello, Aoi-kun."
"Hello, Kiori-sama." he said, biting back a giggle as she pulled a scroll triumphantly from her waistband – only to drop it in her haste to show it to Chichiri. "You're in a good mood."
"Mm!" she agreed, stooping to snatch up the scroll again. "Because I'm on to something, or at least I think I am."
"On to something?" Aoi and Chichiri repeated, cocking their heads to the sides in perfect unison.
"Mm!" Kiori held the scroll out to Chichiri as if offering him a sacred relic. "About the legend, and those riddles, and the clues to the other Element battles! I was working in the infirmary, not even really thinking about it, when – wham! – the idea just came to me. So I excused myself right away so I could check the scrolls. And I think I'm right!"
Chichiri took the scroll from her outstretched hand. "That's great no da! I'd love to hear about it." He glanced around, but neither Akai nor Tasuki were anywhere in sight. "But I think it'll have to wait. I did want to talk to Tasuki and Akai today no da..."
Kiori's eyes dimmed and her shoulders drooped, excitement dying as quickly as it had ignited. "Oh. Okay. Well." She smiled, though it held none of the enthusiasm of her previous one. "Um... later, then? I'll be out by the gardens, under the fruit trees. So, you know... just when you get a chance."
She turned away, but Chichiri's voice stopped her. "But on the other hand, they're late and you're right on time no da." She glanced over her shoulder, the spark of excitement back in her face. That spark stamped out whatever uncertainties Chichiri might have still possessed. "Let's go down to the gardens and I'll hear this idea of yours. I can always catch up with Tasuki later no da."
"Oh, wonderful! Thanks a lot!" She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, taking the scroll back from Chichiri's willing hands and turning it over and over between her own. "And anyway, I helped Tasuki with breakfast this morning and he seemed just fine to me. I think he felt bad about whatever happened at the ring with Ritsuka, but other than that…" She forced her feet to settle down. "So, shall we?"
"Mm, just one second." Chichiri's eyebrows scrunched together for a moment, then he glanced back at Aoi. "It looks like Akai is with Houki-sama right now no da. You might be waiting a while."
He shrugged. "Oh, I don't mind. Thanks for letting me know. I hope you didn't have to wade through too many people to find that out for me."
"No problem at all no da! The more time I spend around someone's ki, the easier it is for me to find it. Akai's like a little red lamp these days no da." Aoi chuckled and Chichiri turned back to Kiori. "Ready?"
"What was that all about?" she asked as they headed off down the walkway.
"Nothing important no da," he assured her. "So what's this about the riddles?"
"Oh, right!" Kiori shoved the scrolls back into her sash, pressing one hand against the bundle and grabbing at Chichiri's arm with the other. "It'll be easier if I show you. Come on, let's get comfortable somewhere and I'll tell you all about it!"
"Hai, hai…!"
Aoi couldn't help but chuckle as Kiori half-dragged Chichiri out of the training rings, speaking excitedly the entire way. He leaned back against the rail, turning his eyes up to the clouded sky and the few flitting sparrows. 'Simplicity is nice, Chichiri-sama… but you know, I think that sometimes complex can be a lot more fun.'
oOo
Kiori dropped the scrolls on the grass beneath a fruit tree, fidgeting from side to side as she waited for Chichiri to take a seat beside her. "Okay," he said once he'd made himself comfortable, "let's hear this idea no da."
"Well, truth be told, I don't have everything figured out just yet. But here's what I've got so far..." She spread out the scroll with the seven hints and the Element's names. "Here's the thing: You and I have thought all along that this was the scroll that had everything we needed to know in it, that somewhere there was a pattern to Element and Konan Warrior order." Chichiri nodded. "I still think we've got a good point there, but here's what we've been overlooking..."
The monk's eyebrows rose as Kiori spread another scroll out on the ground. This one had all the original poems for the assembly of the Konan Warriors. She tapped her finger against it triumphantly. "Not once have we tried putting these together with the ones on the other scroll!"
"That's true no da!" Chichiri leaned forward so he could get a better look at the pair of prophesies. "So what's the pattern?"
"It's really pretty simple once you think about it." Kiori pointed at the Konan Warrior's scroll, then at the series of lines that provided hints for defeating the Elements. "It's all about the order of clues and names. See, watch: The first person described on the Konan scroll is you, right?" He nodded. "Now, read the first Element clue!"
Chichiri did as she said. "'When the cold night strikes, selfless power is all that can win,' no da."
"Now tell me that doesn't sound like your battle with Tsuki!" Kiori said, smacking the paper triumphantly. "Go ahead, try it on the second and the seventh. You'll find descriptions to Tasuki's and Koji's battles."
Chichiri could already tell that the college girl's theory was right, but he obligingly did as she suggested. "'Two: A fiery will can defeat the darkest light. Seven: When the chill gale blows, courage will be valued over power''" His face lit up as he looked to Kiori again. "You're right, it's a perfect match no da!"
She blushed and stared at the ground, though she couldn't hide her smile. "I couldn't believe it when I figured it out. Oh, and see," her finger traced a line from the warrior riddles over to the Elements, "my name matches up with number three, the weird one that says 'The frozen warms even as the warm freezes.' And Ritsuka's matches with number four, the one about two fighters, and Akai's with—"
But Chichiri dove forward before she could continue, blocking her view as he ran a hand down the list of Elements' names. "Wait, Kiori, this is so obvious no da! The Elements are listed in the order they'll attack!"
"Eh?" She shoved her head down next to his, too excited to notice that they were sitting cheek-to-cheek. "Tsuki… Taiyou… Kaze… You're right!"
They both sat up straight, slapping their own foreheads and crying, "How could I have missed that?"
They stared at each other for a moment, then Kiori's face broke into a smile and Chichiri's followed suit, and before long they both had their heads bent, laughing quietly at their own foolishness. "This is too much," Kiori said between giggles. "We've been staring at these things for weeks, and now we get everything all in one go? I can't decide if we're that smart or that stupid."
"Maybe we just needed one spark to light all the candles no da," Chichiri suggested. He straightened so he could look her in the eye, and even his mask couldn't hide his admiration. "Great job, Kiori."
And again Kiori found herself staring at the ground and rubbing at her nose. "Oh, it wasn't anything... and anyway, don't start praising me yet. We still don't know how this all fits together." She fluttered a hand at the two scrolls. "I mean, we know that Sora will attack next, but we don't know which of the warriors will have to face her. Although…" She leaned down over the scrolls again, chewing her lip and tapping at the sixth clue. "This thing about lighting up a 'midnight sky' might be a good first clue. Say, Chichiri, d'you think that means that the next battle will be…"
Kiori looked up and trailed off, surprised to find Chichiri staring at the scrolls with unhidden surprise – surprise, and something that looked like horror. "Chichiri? Is everything okay?"
He blinked, but when he turned to meet her gaze his smile was back in place and he was as impenetrable as ever. "Shouldn't it be no da?"
She opened her mouth to respond, but her words were drowned out by the all-too-familiar beat of the war drums as they echoed through the palace. "A battle?" Kiori said the word like it was foreign. "It's been so long… I thought for sure that Takkan had just decided to lay siege on us. Well—"
Chichiri scooped up the scrolls before Kiori could say anything more, flashing another of his disarming 'daijoubu' smiles. "Sounds like you're going to be needed in the infirmaries no da. I'll take care of these before I head up to the wall."
"Oh…" Kiori hesitated, but the persistent drums refused to be ignored. "I guess you're right. We'll talk more about this later, okay? Stay safe during the fight."
"Don't worry about me no da," he assured her, too cheerfully.
She took two steps away before she turned back again, a pucker of a frown set between her eyebrows. "Um, Chichiri, if you figure out something else, you'll tell me, right?"
He opened his mouth and the drums rattled out around them again. "…should get going, right?"
"But—" RUM-puh-puh-RUM! The battle call drowned out everything. "Oh, never mind, I'll tell you later!" Kiori groaned, throwing her arms up and whirling away from Chichiri. "I'm coming, I'm coming…!"
Chichiri waited until she had disappeared before allowing the smile to slip off his face. He turned his attention back to the scrolls, masked eye flicking down the list of Elements' names, then over to the Konan Warriors' riddles. He sighed, pressing thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. 'It's a perfect match no da.' He jerked up, eyebrows shooting up his forehead. 'But, if that's the case… then…!'
He cut off that train of thought with a sharp jerk of his head. "No," he whispered aloud, as if to reassure himself. 'I've been wrong before no da. There's no reason to get worked up over another theory. I'll just have to keep a close eye on everyone, and make sure that those repercussions don't hurt anyone else… no da…'
oOo
The Takkan army had nearly reached the city by the time Chichiri made it up the steps of the north wall. He crouched down between Ritsuka and Akai, nodding a greeting to both of them, as well as to the bandit seishi kneeling on the other side of Akai. "You all look cheerful this morning no da."
Akai giggled. "Ritsuka-san's still in rapture from her breakfast feast this morning. Apparently Tasuki-sama's a good cook when he puts his mind to it. Typical of a seishi, really."
Tasuki grinned, stretching his arms above his head. "Yeah, I'm kinda awesome like that."
Ritsuka rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. "So what's your excuse, Akai? Yesterday you looked about ready to run away and join the circus."
"Is it because you spoke to Aoi-kun?" Chichiri asked.
She blinked at him. "Um, no. Was I supposed to?"
"He was looking for you no da. I think he wanted to apologize."
"Apologize for what?"
Chichiri laughed. "That's the mystery no da." Akai tilted her head to the side. "I think he felt bad about what happened yesterday. He just wanted to cheer you up no da." She flushed and looked at her feet. "But if that's not why you're feeling better, then I'm as stumped as Ritsuka no da. What's up?"
Akai looked to the sky, shrugging airily. "Oh, well, I was upset, but I thought a lot about it last night, and I decided that it wasn't right for me to cause problems for all of you just because of that slimy traitor. So I've decided to be mature about this. I'm going to be polite to him, even if I do think he's scum." She flashed her teeth in a downright vicious grin. "It'll lure him into a false sense of security. That way, when he does betray us, I'll be able to stop him."
The others all sweatdropped. "If that's mature," Ritsuka grumbled, "then I hope I never grow up."
"What's the situation?"
All eyes turned to the wall steps just in time to see Hataku come into view, his injured leg dragging just a shade behind the rest of him. "Ah-ha, you see!" Akai whisper-shrieked to Ritsuka, forgetting her earlier promise and pointing wildly at the former shogun. "He's up here to fight! I told you he'd turned against his people! A soldier lives by a code of honor and loyalty, Ritsuka-san, and this man has—"
The redhead slapped a hand to Akai's mouth, smiling brightly at Hataku and answering his question. "Oh, you know, the usual. They're attacking, they're going to fail, we're going to laugh at their sorry attempts and get ourselves a well-earned lunch after they give up and slink back to camp. C'mon, you oughta know the routine front-to-back, Former Shogun-san." Hataku limped over to the group, leaning his elbows against the ramparts. Since the others were all sitting, they had a perfect view of the new sword hanging at his waist. "Oo, snazzy blade you got there. Where'd you get it?"
"It was a welcoming gift from Houki-sama," he explained. "She said it was fitting for the new combat instructor to possess a weapon."
Akai's jaw nearly smacked against the stones. "She… gave… you… a…?" Black waves of gloom emanated from her body as she pressed her face into the ramparts, shaking it back and forth miserably. "It's all over," she moaned to no one. "We'll be murdered in our beds for certain…"
Hataku ignored her, waiting as the two seishi and the college woman all stood as well, looking out at the approaching Takkan forces. His eye shifted across the ranks, quickly tallying up the troops. He frowned. "Have they been attacking frequently?" The others all shook their heads. His eye narrowed. "Desertions, then, and plenty of them."
"How can you tell?"
"There's too few men," he explained. "Even after that massacre of yours," he nodded to Chichiri and Tasuki as he said it, "we – er, the Takkan army, I mean – still outnumbered the Konan forces. Now, though… now I'd say they're almost even." He scowled. "Gods, what idiot could lose so many men in such a short time?"
Tasuki pointed with his bow to the man hovering near the back of the forces. "That idiot. Dunno his name, he never introduced himself. Know him?"
Now it was Hataku's turn to have his jaw drop. "Kawahito? You've got to be kidding me." He blinked a few times… then shook his head and laughed. "Oh, this is unbelievable."
"Is it really that funny no da?"
"That woman must be out of her mind," Hataku said, more to himself than the others. "Kawahito's a fine soldier, and he's a decent leader on the battlefield, but he could never lead an army as big as ours—" he had to check himself again, "er, as Takkan's. He doesn't have the leadership abilities or the brains for it."
"Maybe we should consider ourselves lucky that you got exiled," Akai grumbled. It almost sounded polite. "At any rate, they're almost in range. I guess Houki-sama gave you a bow, too, so you could help us kill your old friends today?"
"May I make a suggestion?" he asked, ignoring Akai once again and looking instead to the two seishi. Akai steamed, but the seishi just nodded and Hataku continued. "I'd like to speak with them, and give them a chance to surrender."
Ritsuka and Tasuki face-vaulted. "Are you nuts?!"
"Not at all," Hataku assured them. He turned his eye back to the soldiers, and even Akai couldn't miss his small, worried frown. "It's just that they're fighting a battle they're going to lose, and a pointless one at that. I'd like to give them a chance to save their families some grief, and the offer just might carry some weight, coming from me."
Tasuki shrugged. "I guess we c'd give it a try. Prob'ly won't do much good, but hey, it's yer call, 'Taku."
oOo
Yuki was the first to notice the white flag and the strangely familiar figure on the wall top. He touched a hand to Shogun Kawahito's shoulder, then pointed to the waving cloth. "It seems they want to speak with us."
"Whadda we have t'say t'them?" Utara-taii snarled from Kawahito's other side. "I say we kill their little flag-waver an' get on with th' damn war."
Kawahito scowled at him. "Er, I'm th' one who gives orders around here, not you. An' I say we see what they want! Who knows, they might wanna work out some kinda peace treaty."
Utara spat contemptuously. "Uh-huh, an' I'm a pretty liddle girl. But y'can keep on dreamin', Shogun-sama."
oOo
Hataku watched as Kawahito Goro, flanked on either side by Furosaki Yuki and Utara Benji, rode up to the main gate. Tasuki nudged him in the ribs. "So how weird is this fer you, huh? Starin' down at yer old subordinates from th' top-a th' Konan Wall."
The former shogun shrugged, impassive as ever. "Nothing is permanent."
"That doesn't mean you can't miss the things you lost no da."
If Hataku heard Chichiri's murmured remark, he didn't let it show, but instead kept his attention on the approaching soldiers. Utara kicked his horse out in front of Kawahito, puffing up his chest and bellowing upwards. "Yeah, you wanted t'talk t' us?"
Hataku tried a smile, though he doubted any of the men could see it. "Ohayou, Utara-taii. Still as tactless as ever, I see. You're looking well, Furosaki-taii. And Goro, they say you're the shogun now. You've done quite well for yourself since I left, though it doesn't look like the army as a whole has had the same luck."
Kawahito scratched his head, squinting against the overcast light at the figure on the wall. "Er, how did you know all of that?"
Utara rolled his eyes. "It's Hataku-sama, you idiot, though he looks like he's been dragged through a tiger's lair 'r somethin'." He craned his neck upwards. "Hey... I thought you said he was kill't."
"He was!" Kawahito snapped. He looked up once more, scratching at his head. "Er... wasn't he?"
Yuki shook his head at the pair and swung down from his horse, stepping forward and sweeping out a short bow to the wall. "A pleasant morning to you as well, Shogun-sama. You're looking quite well for a dead man."
"The Watanabe family is well-known for its stubbornness. Apparently that tenacity applies to death as well," Hataku replied easily, as if he were talking to an old friend – which, in many ways, he was. "And it's not 'Shogun-sama' anymore, you know. Just Hataku, Konan soldier, if you will."
Kawahito nearly fell off his horse. "Konan soldier! What are you, some kinda traitor?"
Akai prodded Ritsuka. "You see, you see?" she hissed triumphantly. "They think so, too, because—"
"I haven't turned my back on Takkan," Hataku said, interrupting Akai's outburst. His voice was quiet but firm, absolutely certain of itself. "My quarrel isn't with you, Goro. It's with the woman who has done so much to harm both my home and myself. That's all."
"But, but, Setsuka-sama said you were…"
"Oh, give it up, idiot," Utara hissed. He turned his gaze back to his former ally and shogun, but there was little friendliness in his tone. "All right then, Shogu – er, Hataku. You called us out. Whadda you an' yer new friends want?"
Kawahito thumped Utara over the head. "I'm the shogun here!" He glared at the wall, then flushed and repeated Utara's words. "Er... What d'you an' your new friends want?"
"Complete surrender."
Both shogun and taii slipped off their horses. "Are you nuts?!"
"There's nothing to be gained from this war, not anymore anyway," Hataku said. "Do you even know what you're fighting for? Do you even know why you're putting your men in danger, Kawahito-shogun?" He put extra emphasis on the title, as if he hoped to inspire some feeling of responsibility from the baffled soldier. "This is a losing war. You must see that. Even if your Lady does somehow manage to take Konan, she'll do it without the Takkan army. She never intended to use you as anything but a distraction, as 'something for Konan to kill' while her and her Elements fought the real battles." Hataku's voice lowered until it almost sounded contrite. "I realized that too late, and I apologize for it. You don't have to make the same mistake. You can do what's right for your men."
Kawahito hesitated, glancing back and forth between Utara and Furosaki. He scratched at his chin, then shrugged helplessly. "Setsuka-sama's word is law. As long as she orders us t'keep fightin', then it's my duty t'keep us fightin'. That's what a soldier does, right?"
"Blind loyalty is a dangerous thing," Hataku murmured, though not loud enough for anyone but the surrounding Konan Warriors to hear him. Akai frowned but said nothing. He sighed and raised his voice again, speaking to the Takkan soldiers this time. "Well, if that's your decision then there's nothing I can do. I hope you survive this war, Goro. I'd very much like to visit The Turtle's Shell with you again."
Utara spat and turned away. A moment later, Kawahito followed suit, though he was frowning as he did it. Furosaki Yuki ducked another short bow to his former shogun, then led his horse away from the wall and back to the other Takkan soldiers. Everyone was too busy talking about the reappearance of Hataku to notice as Yuki swept past the soldier Tori, murmuring into his ear as he walked by, "Gather the others after the battle. I've got an idea."
Back on the wall top, Hataku stood, waiting until Kawahito had resumed his position at the back of the army. "I suppose that's that," he said, turning away from the northern plains. "Best of luck, though I don't think you'll need it."
"Where're you goin'?" Tasuki asked, ducking behind the ramparts again.
"Back to the palace, of course."
Akai blinked. "But, but I thought you came up here to…"
"To fight?" Hataku finished. "Not a chance." He patted at his stiff leg. "Assuming I could even crouch behind the ramparts, I don't think I'd be able to get back up again." He turned his back on the Konan Warriors. "No, my days of sniping are over. It's just impractical now."
Chichiri smiled at him. "You're not a very good liar no da."
The former shogun grunted but didn't respond. Ritsuka grinned as he disappeared from view, back into the streets of Eiyou. "You know, I get the feeling he actually thought he could get those guys to surrender."
"Maybe not," Chichiri said, "but I do think he wanted it so badly that he made himself believe it no da."
Ritsuka clapped her hands to her cheeks. "That's just too damn cute. He's a big, grouchy teddy bear at heart, isn't he?"
"He's not," Akai murmured, staring hard at the stones beneath her feet. "He can't be. He's a traitor. A scumbag. So… so…"
"Oops, Takkan soldiers with bows at th' ready!" Tasuki called, risking a peek over the wall just in time to see the men pull back their arrows. "'Chiri, you on teleportation duty fer the wounded?"
"Of course no da."
He grinned. "Then get outta my way. I got me some Takkan soldiers t'turn inta little porcupines. Akai! Red! Flank me 'r I'm kickin' you off, too. This is th' first chance I've had in weeks t'let out some-a my anger on th' real enemies, an' I plan on doin' jus' that."
"Yes sir, Tasuki-chan, sir!"
"Ah, hai, Tasuki-sama…" Akai turned, readying her bow and sighting down the shaft at the soldiers standing beyond the wall. She threw herself into her work, firing and reloading with practiced ease, forcing herself not to think about anything but the job at hand. But even so, she never stopped frowning, and she could never quite get herself to forget about that little flash of concern she'd seen on Hataku's face.
oOo
The stifling Konan heat kept the battle short, and before long Kawahito, mopping a near waterfall of sweat from his brow, called for a retreat. The men were too hot, exhausted, and occupied with the wounded to notice as seven soldiers and a cook one-by-one disappeared from the ranks. By the time Yuki had excused himself from the cluster of captains, slipping back into the trees and making his way to the arranged meeting place, there wasn't a soldier in the camp who could honestly say that those seven soldiers hadn't died on the battlefield, just more bodies on a long list of casualties.
And, in a way, they might have been right.
"Lady and gentlemen," Yuki called, stepping into the clearing with all the officiousness of a commanding officer, "there has been a small change in our plans."
Tori leaned forward, drumming his fingers against his knees. "We goin' home, Yuki?"
A muted cheer went up from the others, but Yuki held up a hand for silence. "Not exactly, Tori-kun, but it'll be the next best thing, I promise you." He paused to build the tension, then smiled secretively. "Have any of you ever wanted to see the inside of a palace?"
oOo
After the Takkan army beat its retreat, life in Eiyou and the palace quickly returned to normal. For Aoi, that meant an afternoon watch duty on the northern wall. He sat with his back straight and one hand on his bow, staring out at the horizon with all the intensity of a hungry hawk. He was so entranced in the surrounding countryside, in fact, that he didn't notice Akai until she spoke. "You're taking that really seriously, huh?"
"Oh…" He looked back at her with a weak smile. "Yeah. After what happened with Koji-san, I know I can't afford to slack off anymore." As if to prove his point, he immediately resumed staring off into the distance.
"Chichiri-sama said you wanted to talk to me."
"I just wanted to see how you were doing. You were really upset last night."
"Yeah." She took a seat next to him, following his gaze out to the horizon. "I'm okay now. Or at least, I'm not upset anymore." She sighed. "To tell the truth, I'm sort of… confused." Aoi waited for more, but Akai just said, "Anyway, thanks for being worried about me. You're a great guy."
He shrugged. "Not really. I just…" He flushed, looking down and rubbing at his nose. "I just like you. A lot. So… so I don't like seeing you sad, is all."
Akai leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. Aoi's eyes snapped open and all the blood seemed to rush straight to his face. The young soldier whipped around to face her, except that he wasn't so much facing her as he was facing her feet, and stammered, searching for the right reply. But just when he thought he might have found it, Akai said, "Uh-oh. I think we've got company."
"Huh?" Aoi looked out over the fields, sharp eyes immediately spotting the cluster of people-shaped specks moving towards them. "Oh, well, they're still really far away. It might not be anything." He slipped sideways, one arm snaking out around Akai. "We could probably sit here, you know, talking about… things… for a long time, still."
She pursed her lips. "Maybe. But maybe not." Akai leaned forward, hands tight against the ramparts, and when she spoke again it was as the Palace Champion. "Get your bow ready, and keep it trained on them. If they're Konan-jin, fine. If they're not, you know what to do."
Defeated, Aoi let his arm fall back to his side. "Yeah, I know what to do." He sighed and reached down for his bow. "Stupid visitors," he grumbled under his breath.
oOo
Furosaki Yuki and his group of deserters arrived at the main gates of Eiyou to find two young soldiers already waiting for them, gazing down from the top of the wall. The boy kept his bow trained on them, but it was the girl, the one with the shock of violet hair, that seemed to exude command. Even from this distance, Yuki could tell she was the one he needed to win over first. He swept a bow to the pair, keeping his gaze on the girl. "Ah, a welcoming committee. And here I thought Konan's famous hospitality was just a myth."
The female glared at him, barking out orders in true shogun fashion. "Names and business, Takkan-jin."
"My name is Furosaki Yuki, formerly Furosaki-taii of the dreaded Takkan army. These are my compatriots. And whom might I have the pleasure of addressing this fine afternoon, Soldier-sama?"
"I'm Akai, Konan Warrior, and this is Aoi, a fellow soldier."
Tori sniggered. "So where's Murasaki?" Kirei tweaked her friend's ear. "Yowch!"
Yuki sighed. "You'll have to forgive my friend, his tongue occasionally moves faster than his brain." He spread his arms, a gesture of friendship and a way to show her that he was unarmed. "We are, I suppose you could say, deserters from the Takkan army. We would greatly appreciate entrance to your city, and perhaps a chance to aid you in your war against our dastardly enemy."
Kirei shook her head in admiration of her friend's eloquence. "He and that brother of his could talk a starving wolf out of eating them," she murmured to Tori.
He snickered quietly. "An' if that didn't work, their scary faces'd do the trick." He earned a light cuff to the head for his impudent – and quite false – remark, courtesy of Yuki himself.
The former taii turned his attention back to Akai and Aoi. "We are harmless, if not a bit cheeky at times." Everyone glared at Tori, who whistled innocently in response. "And I can assure you beyond a shadow of a doubt that we shall fight by your side to the bitter end."
"Oh? And how can you promise that?"
Yuki chuckled. "Because we were never against you to begin with!" Akai raised an eyebrow, though the former taii couldn't see it. "I will happily explain everything to you and your companions. But really, all this shouting back and forth is quite a strain on my throat, and my elder brother would simply kill me if something were to happen to my angelic singing voice."
Aoi and Akai held a whispered conference that was lost on the Takkan deserters, then both turned back to the cluster of soldiers. "All right," Akai agreed warily. "But don't try anything funny. The two of us may not look like much, but my friend here once killed a hundred Takkan soldiers single-handedly." Aoi blushed – did Akai still remember that conversation?
Yuki chuckled. "But of course, O Nightmare Warriors."
A few moments later the small side door opened. Akai hustled the group into the city, with Aoi slamming and locking the gates behind them. "Now, I'm going to have to check you for wea—" Akai stopped short, staring in open-mouthed shock at the young taii. "Hey, I know you!"
"You do?" Aoi and Yuki asked as one.
Akai's head bobbed up and down. "Mm! You're that taii, the one who stopped Koji-san from burning down the last of the supply tents!"
Yuki's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, that's right! You're the friend of Bandit-Who-Never-Gave-Me-His-Name-sama!" He shaded his eyes and scanned the area, as if searching for someone. "And where is he? I wrote that ballad, just as I promised. I really must share it with him as soon as possible. Any chance we'll be meeting him tonight?" Akai and Aoi both looked away, faces darkening with sorrow. Yuki wilted. "Ah. I know that look. I'm sorry for your loss. It's a true tragedy."
"Yeah," Akai agreed. "It was." She shook her head, unsheathing her sword and facing first Yuki and then his followers. "But that's not important right now. I have a job to do, and just because Koji-san liked you doesn't mean I can trust you. Jackets off and hands on the wall, please. We have to search you for weapons."
The deserters obliged, allowing Aoi and Akai to move down the line, Aoi with his bow trained on them while Akai frisked them for any hidden blades. Tori whistled as she patted down his waist. "Hell's teeth, but yer young fer a Konan Warrior! Couldn't find anyone older fer the job, huh?"
"Don't underestimate me." Akai's swordpoint pricked at his back. "And watch what you say – you're on enemy land, you know."
Tori squirmed as the steel dug into him. "Yowch! Easy where you're jabbing that thing, Warrior-sama!"
Akai kept her sword unsheathed but relaxed her guard, nodding to Aoi. "They're clean. I'll take them up to the palace. You go on ahead and get the other Konan Warriors together in Houki-sama's study." She gnawed on her lip for a moment, then scowled and added, "Hataku, too. He might have something to say about this."
"Hataku?" Kirei set a hand to her forehead, swooning dramatically into Tori's arms. "Now I know we're doomed!"
oOo
Aoi was lucky enough to find Chichiri first, who was then able to ki-search and find the others in just a few minutes. The Konan Warriors, Hataku, and Aoi arrived in the study as a single group, filing into the little room where seven soldiers, a cook, and one taii sat against a wall, Akai standing guard over them. Hataku took one look at the group and scowled. "I was hoping the deserters would be real soldiers – just my luck that it would turn out to be you miscreants."
Kirei's smile dripped sweetness. "Aw, you don't really mean that, Shogun-sama."
"Former shogun," he corrected automatically. He nodded to Yuki. "Hopefully you've managed to keep these delinquent friends of yours out of trouble, Furosaki-taii?"
"Former taii," he echoed, closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall. "And it'd be an impossible task, as you must know."
Houki hesitated, eyes roving over the motley group dressed in the whites and greens of Takkan. "Are you well-acquainted with these people?"
Hataku nodded, but he looked like it hurt him to do it. "How could I forget them? They made a living out of causing trouble for the other soldiers, particularly that one." He jerked his head at Tori, who just grinned and waggled his fingers in greeting. Hataku shrugged. "I don't know what else I expected from RAFT members, though."
Yuki jerked upright. "What? Hataku-sama, how could you have possibly—?"
"Did you really think I was that dense?" Hataku couldn't help but smile. "The truth is I never knew for sure, but I always had a hunch." Yuki opened his mouth, but Hataku stopped him with a raised hand. "And before you even ask, I promoted you to taii regardless of that hunch, because you were the best for the job. I don't care where my men come from; as long as they do their work properly then they can send information back to Enma-sama himself, for all I care." (1)
Yuki shook his head admiringly. "I must admit that I never particularly cared for you, Hataku-sama, but I always had a healthy amount of respect for you."
Ritsuka raised an eyebrow. "Hold on. RAFT members?"
"Remember, Ritsuka? I told you about how they helped me rescue Chichiri," Kiori said. The redhead looked at her blankly and Kiori sighed. "Rebel Alliance Forces in Takkan. In other words: friends." She turned her attention back to Yuki, a puzzled frown on her face. "You know, you sort of remind me of someone."
He chuckled, rising to his feet and striking a pose. "Well, if you've been to Takkan and met the RAFT, then one must conclude that you've met Aji, something of the second-in-command." She nodded and he jerked his head skywards. "That would explain it, then. He is none other than my dearest elder brother."
"That would explain it," Kiori agreed. "I don't know how I could have missed it – you've got that same theatric way of talking, and you look a lot like him, too."
"Dashingly handsome, you mean?"
Kirei shoved him off-balance. "Oh, get over yourself, Captain Narcissist!"
"So," Houki began, "is it your wish, then, to temporarily join the Konan army?" They all nodded up at her, clasping their hands together and smiling their most innocent of smiles. Houki frowned, tapping at her chin. "Well, if you are truly RAFT members then I suppose there is no harm in it, but still…" She looked to the scowling shogun at her side. "Hataku-san, you know them well. What is your opinion on the matter?"
He glared down at the rebels, slipping almost unconsciously back into his role as their stern, proud shogun. "I don't know. Furosaki-taii was dependable enough, but the others never seemed to do anything but cause trouble. Maybe they're lying about helping you."
"Oh, yer Majestyness, we'd never lie about somethin' like this!"
"I swear on my RAFTly honor, I do!"
"C'mon, y'wouldn't turn a group-a starvin' rebels out in th' cold, would'ja?"
Hataku fought to hide a smile. "But then again, they seem to be an honest bunch of troublemakers, at least." He nodded decisively. "Houki-sama, if you have any worries about this group, then rest assured that they're completely trustworthy – if not a bit of a headache."
"Then it is settled," Houki said, though her words were nearly drowned out as the Takkan deserters all burst into cheers. "Now, I suppose I shall need to escort you to the soldiers' barracks so that we may find living quarters for you. If you'll follow me…"
"Don't trouble yourself, Houki-sama," Hataku interrupted. "I was heading that way for dinner myself. I can take charge of them for you."
She thanked him and he bowed low, turning back to the rebels and gesturing for them to rise. They all scrambled to obey, Tori moving fastest of all. "H'oh boy, I heard the magic word: Dinner! So I'm guessin' the food here's somethin' t'sing about, ain't it?"
"It is," Hataku agreed. "Though I suppose anything will taste good to you after living on army rations."
"You got that right!" Kirei cried, rubbing at her flat stomach. "My poor belly's been complaining ever since that Konan Warrior flamed our supplies..."
Kiori smiled as she watched the group depart. 'It's good to see some other RAFT members alive and well. I bet Aji-san would be happy to know his brother is all right. Huh, he'd probably dance me around and try to kiss me, the shameless flirt.' She set her chin in her hands, eyes turning to the nearby, north-facing window. 'I hope they're all okay, too…'
"Something wrong no da?"
The monk's voice jerked Kiori out of her somber thoughts and back to reality. "Oh, it's nothing," she assured him. "Say, did you get a chance to work on the scrolls at all this afternoon? I would've helped but I had a lot of work to do."
"Not really," he said, though he looked away as he said it. "I don't think we'll know anything for sure until the next Element attacks no da."
"When... do you think that'll be?"
He shrugged, still keeping his eye fixed firmly on the other Konan Warriors – and as far away from Kiori as possible. "No telling, no da."
oOo
Afternoon gave way to evening, and evening found Setsuka gloomy.
"Oh, there's nothing to do anymore!" she complained to Mizu, pacing up and down her private chambers. "There are so few Elements left, almost no servants or soldiers, and we haven't caught and executed a single one of those slimy rebels in weeks!" She flopped over in her chair, setting her chin on the armrest and staring forlornly at her fingernails. "And to top it off, that idiot Kawahito made absolutely no progress today against Konan, and he says that talented Furosaki-taii has gone missing." She sighed, one hand trailing up to fiddle with her four remaining gems. "I need something to cheer me up, Mizu-chan."
"M-maybe we could play a game of go," Mizu suggested. "Or, um, we could take a walk through the gardens. It's really nice outside, so…"
The young Element trailed off as her Lady's hand came into contact with the glowing red gem at her throat. Her eyes and lips lit up with malice. "Show me Kaji, Mizu-chan. I have a much better idea."
oOo
After dinner, the Konan Warriors and Aoi decided to retreat into Houki's private study for the evening. The room was one of the coolest in the palace, which made it ideal for avoiding the sticky summer air. They had spread out around the cozy room, splitting into groups and entertaining themselves however they wished.
Houki read a story to her son, who sat listening in rapt attention, while Akai and Aoi played a lightning-fast word game with one another. The two college students and their seishi friends sat at the room's single table, a set of homemade, western-style playing cards laid out in front of them, with another cluster held possessively between their hands. Coins sat in stacks in front of each of the four players. The game would have been entirely alien to the eyes of a Konan citizen, but to Ritsuka – the maker of the cards – and her three companions, it was a battle of wits, luck, and most of all, money.
The Konan Warriors were playing poker.
Tasuki stared at his cards with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, Red, I can't remember all th' different hands you told us about."
"Talk to your memory about that, not me," she growled, her face stuffed behind her cards and her eyes narrowed in a challenge.
He sighed and threw his cards on the table. "Screw it, then. I fold."
"I'm with Tasuki," Kiori said. "My luck's terrible tonight. I fold, too."
Ritsuka glared over the top of her cards at her arch nemesis, who was sitting in front of a veritable tower of coins and looking like he had no idea how he'd managed to get them. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she studied his face. 'Dammit, look at that smile of his! I bet he's got something really good. But wait – what if he's just messing with my mind? It could all be an elaborate bluff! Oh, he's a sly one, all right...'
She shook her head and set her cards down. "No good. I fold too. What've you got, Chichiri?"
He held out his hand, looking a little lost. "Da... I have a pair of fives. That's pretty good, right no da?"
Ritsuka's face slammed into the table. "I had a full house, dammit! An honest-to-God full house! I could've massacred you!" She sprang to her feet, one hand smacking the table and the other pointing accusingly at the baffled monk's nose. "Damn you and your poker face!"
Chichiri sweatdropped. "Da..."
"You're cheating, you just have to be!" she went on, plunking back into her seat and shooting daggers across the table. "There's no way anyone can win ten hands straight and play fair."
"I barely know what I'm doing," Chichiri said. "You're the one who keeps folding no da."
Ritsuka leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding knowingly. "Oh, you're a slick one, but I'm on to your little game now." She held up her index and middle finger, pointing them first at her own eyes and then over at Chichiri. "Don't try any more funny stuff, or I'll catch you this time, just see if I don't."
"What funny stuff no—" Chichiri halted mid-sentence, sitting upright in his chair. His voice dropped a few octaves as he said, "I'm sensing an evil presence no da."
The others all stiffened, glancing around as if expecting an Element to materialize in the center of the room. Kiori kept her eyes on the seishi. "Who is it, Chichiri?"
He frowned. "I don't know. It's funny... I can sense it, but it doesn't seem to be coming from any one place, not really anyway..."
"You ain't much help then, are ya?"
All heads swiveled to face Tasuki, surprised to find him sitting tensely at the table, his jaw clenched so hard that the others could see the veins in his neck. Ritsuka paled; she knew that look. "Tasuki-chan, you okay?"
"Yer always askin' me that! It's so annoyin'!" He slammed his cards back on the table, standing as he did. "I'm sick of playin' this stupid game, s'all, an' I'm tired of Chichiri always sensin' danger two seconds too late."
"Tasuki-sama…!" Akai gasped, shocked at his cruelty.
"Something's wrong with him," Chichiri murmured, eyebrows and lips tight with worry. "He'd never say something like that no da."
"What th' hell d'you…?" Tasuki trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth together in a snarl of rage. "No, that ain't what I mean. Dammit, that ain't what I mean!"
"Tasuki-chan?"
"He's fighting it no da," Chichiri said, standing and moving slowly around the table. "Whatever's got a hold of him, he's doing everything he can to fight it. Now, if I can just—"
But as he reached out his hand Tasuki's arm jerked up, smacking him away. A crackle of energy passed between the two seishi, and then Tasuki whirled, storming across the room and towards the door. "I jus' need t'get outta here! So everyone jus' leave me th' hell alone, okay?"
He put on a burst of speed and disappeared from the room, slamming the door so hard that it bounced once on its hinges – but only once, because Ritsuka caught it on the second rebound, shoving it open again and taking off after the bandit, Chichiri hard on her heels. "Leave him alone? Like hell," she grumbled around a throat tight with frustration. "Damn it, this is just like before! He's losing it, I know he is…"
"It has something to do with that evil presence no da," Chichiri said. "If I could just figure out what it is, or where it's coming from..."
oOo
Tasuki barreled down the walkway, barely aware of where he was going but only knowing that he had to go somewhere as far away from the other Konan Warriors as possible. He was so busy focusing all of his sudden, unexplainable rage into his moving feet, in fact, that he never even saw Hataku limping around the corner of the walkway. Tasuki slammed straight into the former shogun, knocking himself off-balance and Hataku straight into the wall.
"Move, dammit!"
Tasuki grabbed at Hataku to shove him to the side, but the former shogun caught his arm, single eye wide, almost panicked. "This feeling… Tasuki, what—?"
"I said move!" he snarled, ripping his arm away and storming off again.
oOo
Setsuka's eyes snapped open. "Hataku!" Her concentration slipped, taking all of her fury with it. She shrank back in her chair, her fingers locked around her necklace and her face growing paler by the second. "But how... how could he possibly be...?"
oOo
"Tasuki," Hataku called again, calmer this time. "May I speak with you for a second?"
Something inside of the bandit seemed to have loosened, though only marginally. He turned, still livid but at least willing to listen. "Make it quick."
Hataku looked the seishi up and down, his gaze finally landing on the headband looped around Tasuki's wrist. "There it is," he murmured to himself. He held out his hand, palm facing upwards, too focused on Tasuki's volatile gaze to notice as Chichiri and Ritsuka darted around the corner. "Could I see that headband for a moment?"
Chichiri didn't wait for Tasuki to respond. The monk set two fingers to his mouth, muttering a low incantation. The headband glowed red, unwinding itself and flying off Tasuki's wrist. Hataku snatched it up, though Tasuki made no move to get it back. Instead, he collapsed back against the nearby wall, pressing a hand to his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut. "Wha… what th' hell just...?"
Hataku held Koji's old headband out as far from his body as he could, wrinkling his nose at it. "Tasuki, has this always belonged to you?"
"Eh?" He opened his eyes again, blinking at the headband in Hataku's hands. "N-no, it belonged t'my pal Koji. I've only had it fer a few weeks."
"And did it ever come into contact with an Element, or some Elemental magic?" Tasuki could only offer a dazed nod. Hataku nodded grimly. "That'd explain it."
Ritsuka and Chichiri hurried over to the pair as the rest of the Konan Warriors rounded the corner. "Explain what?" Ritsuka cried, exasperated. "Why the hell did Tasuki-chan just flip out on us – again?"
Hataku nodded to the headband. "I'm not especially sensitive to auras, but I spent enough time around Setsuka to know the feel of her power – and this thing is soaked with it." He offered it up to Chichiri. "I can't say for certain, but if Elemental magic seeped into it, that could have something to do with it."
Chichiri touched the material, recoiling as Setsuka's ki, so fierce and raw and filled with hate, raced through his body and sent a chill up his spine. "Hataku's right. It's crawling with dark energy no da."
Tasuki still stood leaning against the wall, face tight with baffled exhaustion. "So... so what does that have t'do with me goin' crazy?"
"You aren't going crazy no da," Chichiri said with a relieved chuckle. "You're an Element too, Tasuki, you've known that for a while now. Chances are the Elemental magic created a stronger bond between you and Setsuka. She was probably able to manipulate that bond no da."
He sighed. "In Konanese...?"
"She used her link with you and Kaze's magic to influence your emotions no da." Hataku handed the headband over to Chichiri, who accepted it with only slight hesitation. "I'll have to hang onto this for now, but it'll only be temporary. I'll purify it, and then it'll be good as new no da. So you don't have to worry… about…" Chichiri trailed off, frowning as Tasuki's head drooped downwards, fists clenched tight at his sides. "Um, Tasuki?"
"I'm such an idiot," he hissed under his breath. "I'm such a damned idiot!" He slammed his fist back into the wall, body flaring with crimson ki. "T'think that I let that... that bitch get control over me! An' I didn't have a damn clue, not one damn clue! I couldn't even fight it! I hurt Red, attacked Aoi... Gods damn it, I'm such an idiot!"
"Humph!" Ritsuka clenched her own hands and marched up to Tasuki, kneeling down and twisting her head up so she could glare straight into his down-turned face. "You're right, Tasuki-chan. You are an idiot." She grabbed him hard by his bangs, pulling him down so they were at eye level.
"Ow, ow, ow…"
Tasuki winced under Ritsuka's hold, but trailed off when he opened his eyes again and found her watching him with a smile – and the threat of a tear in the corner of one eye. "But who the hell cares? At least you're back, really back this time. That's all that matters, right?"
"Red..." She released his hair and he straightened again, meeting her smile with a tiny one of his own. "Yeah. I guess that's true. An' now that I know what it's like, her gettin' inta my head like that, I won't ever let her do it again." His eyes flicked over to Hataku, standing silently to the side. "Thanks a lot. I mean, hell, if you hadn't been here, I dunno what woulda happened."
He shrugged. "It was nothing."
"Come now, modesty is most unbecoming, especially when one is flanked by Tasuki and Ritsuka," Houki said with a teasing smile.
"Damn straight!" Ritsuka agreed. She snuck up behind Hataku, throwing one arm around his shoulder and grinding her other fist affectionately into his arm. "I like this one, you guys! I think I'm gonna adopt him into the Konan Family! He can be our grumpy uncle!"
"Call me that again and you'll have seen your last training session," Hataku growled, looking away as his neck flushed pink.
"Aw, would'ja look at that? I made him blush." Ritsuka cuddled him tighter, cooing as if speaking to her pet cat. "You really are just a big, gwouchy teddy bea-uh, yes you are, yes you are!"
Hataku glared at Tasuki. "Is this how she treats all of her 'friends'?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Wonderful."
"Yossha!" Ritsuka cried, keeping one arm around Hataku and throwing the other around Tasuki. "Now that that's all settled, let's get back to the study. I've still gotta win all my money back from Chichiri, that sly gambler."
"Da..."
"Say, Hataku, you look like you'd have a good, stern poker face. Care to join us for a round or two?"
"I don't have any money."
"Oh, that's fine! We'll just steal some out of Chichiri's pile! He's been cheating anyway, so it's not like he doesn't deserve it!"
"Da…"
Ritsuka hustled them down the walkway, swapping jokes with Tasuki, and teasing both Chichiri and Hataku the entire way. Houki and Kiori slipped in with the group, joining in the lighthearted banter, but Akai hung back, staring along the walkway with a soft, puzzled frown. Aoi hesitated, then set a hand to her shoulder. "Akai? You okay?"
"I don't understand," she whispered. "Hataku… he helped Tasuki-sama. When none of us knew what to do, he stepped up and actually helped him." She chewed at her lip. "Why would he do something like that? He's just a scummy, selfish traitor. He wouldn't look out for anyone but himself. I mean, he couldn't do something like that, right? I'm right… aren't I, Aoi-kun?"
Aoi shrugged. "Maybe. Or, maybe not."
She stared at the floorboards beneath her feet, face clouded with confusion. "Maybe not… huh…?"
oOo
Mizu kept her eyes on Setsuka, readying herself for one of her mistress' violent rages, but the Lady of Takkan remained silent and motionless, staring unseeingly into Mizu's seeing-crystal. "My Lady? Are you, um…?"
"You are dismissed, Mizu-chan." Setsuka's voice was flat, distant, as if she were speaking from someplace far away. "I will call you again when I need you."
The young Element frowned at her Lady, then glanced back at her seeing-crystal, surprised to see that it was still trained on the former Takkan shogun. Mizu's eyes shot back and forth between the crystal and her mistress, and it seemed that with every flicker of her gaze Setsuka grew paler and paler, as if the crystal itself were draining her energy. "Setsuka-sama, are you sure that you're—?"
The Lady's hand whipped forward, slamming into the seeing-crystal and knocking it to the ground. "I said that you are dismissed, Mizu-chan!"
She didn't bother to respond, but instead just squeaked and darted out the door, her crystals buzzing fearfully at her sides. Once Mizu had left, Setsuka slumped back in her chair, laying her cheek once more against the armrest. One hand remained clutched around her necklace, stroking each jewel over and over, but the rest of her was limp, loose, a breathing corpse. Even her eyes seemed clouded over with the white sheen of death.
And then she squeezed them shut, and she spoke two words, a whisper that had no breath behind it, as if it had slipped out of someone else's lips and landed, miraculously, against hers. But still, the words were hers. Somehow, some way, they still belonged to her.
"He's alive…"
oOo
The next morning found Hataku out at the training ring, bright and early as was his custom. The air was cooler than usual but still saturated with the sticky heat of a Konan summer, so the former shogun had stripped to his waist. The latticework of scars across his chest and back stood out as dark shades in the dawn light; the wooden sword in his hand was another shadow, slicing through the air as if threatening to scatter the light itself. His injured leg dragged anytime he tried to shift his stance, but his arms moved with a smooth grace, shifting through a series of morning exercises with the practiced skill of a true veteran.
From the doors of the training rings, Akai watched the awkward grace of the former shogun, soaking in the intricate warm-up routine – and the intricacy of the man himself. She hesitated, unsure what to do next, but Hataku spoke and made the decision for her. "You're welcome to come in, Akai-kun."
She stiffened and slunk in through the door. He never turned to look at her, but just continued with his routine. Slowly she made her way to the railing. Akai frowned, watching as the crosshatched scars on Hataku's back shifted and bunched with his muscles. The question slipped past her lips before she could stop it. "Those scars… did Setsuka do that to you?" He grunted, a noncommittal sound, but somehow Akai knew that it meant 'yes.' "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It has nothing to do with you."
"I guess not," she murmured. He returned to his routine. "Does it, um… does it still hurt?"
"That part doesn't, no."
"Just the leg, then?"
"Mm."
"I see." She hesitated, watching as he continued his exercises, unconcerned by her presence. "Do you come out here every morning to do this?" He grunted another yes. "Why so early? Do you just like the quiet?"
"That," he agreed, "and I don't have much of a choice. If I don't loosen up now, I'll be too sore later to train the soldiers."
"You're that dedicated to your new job, huh?"
"I intend to earn my keep," he said. "Besides," he added with a hint of humor, "I get the feeling both Tasuki and Ritsuka would follow me through the palace sobbing if I left early."
Akai giggled, but the sound quickly trailed off, leaving the ring coated in silence once again. She struggled to find another topic. "So… um… what's your, uh, favorite color?"
Hataku lowered his sword, turning to face the young soldier. "What are you doing out here this early, Akai-kun?"
"Who, me?" Akai shrugged. "Oh, you know, I was just in the area, and I sort of thought…" She sighed, turning her eyes up to at last meet him face to face. "I'm trying to start from the beginning," she admitted. "From the point where I don't know whether I hate you or not. Because I don't, not really. Not anymore. Because, see, I think that I…" She frowned, eyes sliding sideways, and it seemed that she had to drag the next words out of her mouth. "I think I might've misjudged you. A little. So I'm sorry about that. Really."
She watched him from beneath her bangs, surprised when he just shrugged and turned back to his routine. "I've been treated worse. It's fine, Akai-kun."
Silence hung over the rings once again, broken only by the soft hiss of air as it passed around Hataku's practice sword. Akai followed the sword's movements for a long moment, then clenched her fists at her sides and took a deep breath. "Hataku-san!" He stopped, startled by the outburst, and glanced over his shoulder. Akai took that as a sign to continue. "I was wondering… if, if you have enough time, and your leg doesn't hurt too much... d'you think that... well, maybe you could give me one of those… one of those private lessons that you've been giving Ritsuka-san and Tasuki-sama? Just whenever you have time, I mean."
Hataku hesitated for a moment, then turned, shifting his practice sword so that he held it loosely at his side, as if he were carrying a real blade. "Do you have anywhere you need to be right now?"
She blinked. "Uh, no, I'm free for another hour or so."
He jerked his head towards the wooden swords lined up on the far wall. "Then grab a weapon and get in here. I'm only free for the next thirty minutes."
Akai stared at him for a long moment, then felt a slow smile spread across her face. She nodded, clasping her hands in front of her face and ducking one short, professional bow to her new teacher. "Hai, Shishou!"
oOo
In a tiny, forgotten shrine tucked away in the Takkan gardens, Sora sat with her hands clasped before a stick of incense and a spirit tablet. Her lips moved again and again in a mantra, a prayer for a happy rebirth, yet there was nothing in her voice to suggest that she cared one way or the other if that rebirth actually occurred. When the ritual was done, she turned her eyes upwards again, trailing them over the characters carved into the tablet.
"Two more seven-days, Kiba-kun," she murmured to no one. "Two more seven-days and then I will no longer belong to anyone but Setsuka-sama. So please, let your soul leave this place for something better. I won't be around to keep it company for much longer."
She stood, turning from the shrine with long, purposeful steps, but paused just outside the doorway. She brought up her hands, watching her sweat-slicked palms as a ball of light began to shimmer between them. A moment later a long, slim sword lay in her hands, glistening in the dawn light. Sora stared at it for a minute – then, in a motion as swift and smooth as water sliding over rocks, she jerked it to the side, clanging it against the stone pillar that stood outside the shrine.
She shifted her stance so that she was facing the pillar, pulling her sword slowly away. Sora smiled, a lopsided, broken smile that was sad and dangerous all at once. "Yes," she promised herself, and Setsuka, and perhaps even Kaze, somewhere far away. "I am going to be perfection."
oOo
"'The Sky Element walked away with slow, deliberate steps, turning her back on her friend – and on the jagged dent that her sword had left in the solid stone of the pillar.'" Tetsuya winced at the ominous ending. "End Chapter Twenty-Eight."
--
Houki: At last, the conflicts between my fellow warriors have resolved themselves. Chichiri and Kiori are getting along splendidly, Tasuki and Ritsuka seem to have become even closer friends than before, and even Akai and Hataku-san have formed not only a truce, but the beginnings of a friendship. Yes, it seems that life within the palace may at last return to its usual state of… well, let us call it "chaotic tranquility," at least.
But tranquility, even the chaotic kind, can never last long during wartime. As the mourning period for Koji draws to a close, so too ends the vigil for the fallen Element, Kaze. And, with her friend at rest, the Sky Element Sora is prepared to serve her Lady – and she will destroy anything that stands in the way of that service.
The Next Episode of Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter: "A Passing Peace – The Final Rites, and Then…"
Minna-san, I pray for your safety.
--
End Notes:
(1) Enma-sama – the lord of the underworld. Like Hades, but you know... Asian-y.
Ye Olde Author's Note: 1/20/09
Happy Inauguration Day, minna-san!
Phew, was this chapter ever a chore to edit! I wasn't pleased with the original – it was terribly disjointed, and there were a lot of unnecessary/redundant scenes – but even so, I couldn't cut it out altogether 'cause there was a lot of Plot that happened, so I wound up performing a surprisingly gory hack-and-slash on the episode. Some scenes were changed beyond recognition, and others were deleted altogether. Seriously, it was like a Friday the Thirteenth movie on my laptop. Admittedly, it still feels a little disjointed, but overall I'm pretty pleased with the rewrite. Thanks to my super-special-awesome beta Alicia for helping me pull it off!
And, while it may be my least favorite episode, it also happens to contain my very favorite FY:NC one-liner. Extra credit points if you can guess which line that happens to be. (grin)
Not much else to say, so let's get to the ol' character profile! And guess who? Yep, it's our favorite of villainesses…
Character Profile – Rei Setsuka
Age: 27
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 123
Birthplace: Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan
Birthday: March 30th (Aries)
Blood Type: B
Hair: Blonde, falling to the middle of her back, though she usually wears at least part of it pinned up.
Eyes: Silver
Likes: Bein' a bitch? Also Mizu… and possibly Hataku, though she sure has a funny way of showing it.
Dislikes: Konan. The Seishi. The RAFT. Failures. Really, the list could go on for a while.
Favorite Food: Anything candied. She has a big sweet tooth.
Least Favorite Food: She really doesn't like the taste of duck.
So I know it makes me crazy, but there's a part of me that really likes Setsuka. Of course, there's another part of me that's constantly remarking to my beta, "Holy God, Setsuka is such a biiiiitch!" And still there's another part of me that's scared to death of her (I mean, seriously – I created this lady. What does that say about my inner psyche?). Overall, though, I have to say that she's a fun character to write, and a fascinating one at that, particularly when she's interacting with (or reacting to) Hataku. There's definitely something more to her than sadistic villainy, and it's those kinds of intricacies that I enjoy writing the most. I can't say too much about her for obvious plot purposes, but let's just say that, in terms of character development, the Lady of Takkan still has as far to go as the other characters – if not more.
My Roommate is a Very Bad Man (Part of the "Never Edit at 1AM" Segment)
For the record, most 21-year old man-boys are 12-year old boys at heart. My roommate just happens to be the sort of 21-year old man-boy who doesn't mind sharing his 12-ish-ness with the world. Or, more specifically, with me. Thanks to him, I now have to fight back giggles everytime someone says the word "duty" (teehee... "doody"). It's also impossible for me to write about Hataku's injured leg as his "stiff leg" without pausing to snigger under my breath. Believe me, I tried. I tried being a mature adult. I really did. I just couldn't do it. So I had to go through this episode and change it to "injured leg" every single time. Because, yes, that's the kind of person I've become.
You hear that, Roommate? You've won, you sick bastard. I hope you're very proud of yourself.
Hm… is that it? Wow, I guess it is. Thanks to (takes a deep breath) anytem13, Ayriel, MagicAnimeGirl, RK9, Halogazer, LordxxAxelxxLover, Mrs. Nyappy, Dimonah, Amaya-san, Warrior-of-the-flames, Jaspergurl, and Ritsikas for reviewing! I can't tell you how awesome it is to have so many dedicated reviewers! I hope to hear from you all again after this one, too!
Your Authoress – Dee
