I am so~ sorry it is taking me so long to get this done. But.. agh, I didn't want to. I have no clue why.
But, here you go.
Katsumi looks out her large windows. Surizu had left her to herself after her bath and dressing. She chose one of the simpler of the clothes in her closet. It's a kimono with half sleeves of a bright red, reaching her calves. There is a darker red vest over it. The vest has a short skirt as well, over her hips, which is split from the top portion by a thick gold threaded belt.
Soft black slippers with the fabric wrapped over itself encase her feet. Surizu had pulled her silky clean hair back into a knot at the back of her head, the rest flowing out the center as a ponytail. The ends barely brush where her shoulders touch.
She breathes in the air, flowers peppering it with their sweet fragrance. 'Is this really home?' Katsumi asks herself, 'It is Tengoku.'
"..How is it I'm in love with an angel?" Katsumi turns around. Raphael is standing in her doorway, decked out in his Kame armor. He's watching her, smiling.
She blushes at the comment. "..I'm still the same person," she states, assuming he meant with the new clothing and fresh feel.
"Exactly," Raphael says, walking forward, "The grit and grime is washed away, showing who you really are. But since the Birthplace of Choices, you haven't changed."
"It's just the place-"
"You belong here, Kat.." he says, taking her hand, "nothing you can say can make me think otherwise." He reaches to his belt and takes out a necklace.
It's pendant is a flower, but the petals look like fire carved from a red ember. The stones are backed by gold plating, keeping it all together. The center has a dot of gold.
Katsumi recognizes it. Surizu's is carved of wood and painted over with blues. Akage's is chipped from a stone inlaid with a vein of amethyst. But both resemble flowers, as does this one.
"May I?" Raphael asks. Katsumi turns around and allows him to secure the chain around her neck. "One last person to meet," he states when she turns back around.
"..The king?"
Raph gawfs, "My brothers and I may be 'princes,' but my father is too humble to call himself a king."
"Then.. what shall I call him?" Katsumi asks.
"Great Master Hahen," Raph states, 'Or father,' he adds in his mind.
"..How is a great master different from a king?"
"He doesn't rule over the kingdom. He guides, teaches. Like a master to his students," Raphael explains as they walk into the hall. Katsumi notes she feels much lighter, for the first time not wearing hardly any metal or armor. Raphael, she notices, has a pair of large sais hanging from his belt.
He leads her back to the Main Courtyard and turns to the right. They walk between the pillars marking the edge of the large back patio. This is a different view than from the Katsumi's window. She is allowed a moment to stare.
She looks at the Red Wisteria rising from the gardens to their right. But Raphael guides her down the marble stairs, through the hedges directly behind the palace. "We'll go there after," he assures. Katsumi nods. They exit the maze of short hedges and come to a fork in the path, edged with wide patches of ground flowers. Katsumi sees the signs that point to what each branch takes. The one pointing left goes to the kitchen, the one pointing right leads to the training grounds.
But Raphael doesn't walk down either. He takes the path that keeps going straight, with no sign. They walk around the curve of the path, and come to a neat, secluded cabin. The path winds around the house, but also branches off to meet with the deck stairs.
Raphael is looking at the house, but then hears humming coming from behind. He gently squeezes Katsumi's hand. "This way," he says. They walk around the house on the stone path.
The path runs up to a simple wooden arch, the top beam passing the two vertical sides and curving up. There is no gate, nor is there a fence or hedge it is connected to. Raphael walks her through it. The path instantly changes to a single line of wide, round stones.
Raphael follows the path, Katsumi's arm tucked next to his. He listens as they near the humming, near the bridge spanning a small crick. Great Master Hahen is a dozen stones past the wooden structure, pruning a bush of peonies.
Raphael sees his father and smiles. Katsumi was looking around at the beautiful simplicity of the garden. But then she sets her gaze where Raphael is looking.
Great Master Hahen looks over at them, noting their presence with his warm chocolate orbs. Raphael smiles wider and starts forward again, walking over the bridge. He senses stiff hesitation from Katsumi, but she still steps with him.
She thinks about what to do once they reach the wise rat Hen'i-tai. With the emperor, she had to bow. But Raphael said that his father is not a king, so bowing doesn't seem right. There is a fountain they pass on their left, sending a constant stream of soothing sound to Katsumi's ear. She allows it to calm her down, but it doesn't help as much as she wants it to.
Raphael stops walking, so she does as well. She looks up at him. He's still smiling, looking down at her. She looks forward again. Great Master Hahen is standing only a few feet away.
Katsumi panics and does what she's used to. She falls to a knee, her eyes cast to the ground. Several seconds roll by and she wonders what he's thinking. But then, the fabric of an elaborate kimono appears in her view and a gray paw touches the scarred hand on her knee. Her eyes widen as it curves underneath, taking hold of her hand. A matching paw finds her fist which is planted on the ground.
She looks up. He is on one knee in front of her. He is smiling at her and helps her stand back up. "What is your name, my dear?"
"..Katsumi," she answers coyly. She would have sounded more confident, but she's nervous beyond her wit can handle. Great Master Hahen's eyes soften with compassion. He recognizes the name as one of Hamato Kingdom origin.
He motions to a bench nearby. Katsumi sits down, and he sits next to her. "I'm sure you have an interesting story to tell," he guesses. Katsumi looks at him, then at Raphael. Raphael is on one knee next to her, since three can't fit on the bench.
"Y-Yes.." She slowly explains her backstory. All the while peeking at the great master for clues to what he's decision will be. She finishes the tale and waits. Great Master Hahen continues to smile with compassion and places a hand on her shoulder.
"I would be honored to have you here, kodomo," he states. She smiles, relieved. She hugs him, which he returns with a happy heart. She sits back and takes Raphael's hand.
"Father," Raphael states, "Our friends passed the mountains will need assistance. I promised them that they would have it."
"And have it they shall," Hahen states, standing up. Katsumi stands too. She slips her arm under Raphael's. "Tadao," he calls. The servant comes over.
"Yes, Great Master?" He asks. The seams of his clothes are gold.
"Send a message to all four sections. Able men are required to face this task," the great master orders.
"As you wish, sensei," Tadao bows. He walks away.
"And.. Father," Raphael says.
"Yes Rafero?" He asks. Raphael looks at Katsumi and his father's gaze follows. He sees the necklace against her skin. It is beautiful, luminescent almost. He knows Raphael must have spent a lot of time making it.
"We.. we're ready," Raphael says, looking up, "I'm ready." Great Master Hahen smiles.
"I'm glad. We will start preparations tomorrow. But for today, enjoy the palace and help it feel like home again." Raphael and Katsumi bow. They walk out of the garden and through the hedges again. Katsumi thinks they are going back up to the palace, but Raphael turns and goes through the red garden arch.
He walks a little faster than she can keep up with, but he holds firm to her hand. The path dips down and raises up. There are curves, weaving around beds of flowers and clusters of trees. Finally, he slows down at an opening to a grove. It's darker than the rest of the garden, but it adds less of an air of evil and more of mystery.
Katsumi looks at the very center. There is a wisteria tree, a large one. It has branches spread over them, bright red tendrils growing down from them. They are lit from the sunlight shining through. On the trunk, There is a symbol carved there. It's the same symbol in her dream, and on the armband Raphael now wears.
She walks over and traces it with her fingers. Raphael comes up behind her and wraps her in his arms. Her free hand starts at his bicep and trails up to his jaw. She turns her head and he kisses her. "It's beautiful.." She whispers.
"It's yours," he states, "You can come here whenever you want."
"And the others?" She asks. She remembers the three other wisterias poking out of the green.
"If one of your sisters asks you," he states. Katsumi smiles, joyful for all she's been given in the past few hours.
'Home.. Sisters.. Brothers.. A father.. A neice..' She turns around and he pushes her back into the tree. A loose strand of tiny red flowers falls into her hair. Raphael doesn't brush it away, but kisses her again. 'Soon a husband..'
Completely mushy fluffy moment. But it's all uphill from here.
I'd have it longer where the guys are getting ready to stop the Foot and everything.. again. But.. this is Raph's story, not the 'Lets save the world!' story.
*shrugs* Two chapters left. Who wants getting ready for you-know-what to be in 1st POV, like the last one?