You know something? Document manager only holds 50 documents, so I had to delete stuff. /cry/

Disclaimer: and we'll never be royaallls...wait...we'll never be the SHOOGUN shoogun

Who names their kid Nobunobu and Shigeshige?!

Like, roll call in kindergarten:

"Tommy."

"Here!"

"Sarah."

"Here!"

"Joey."

"Here!"

"Shigeshige."

"Present."


Eyes of Wolves

- 51 -


.: SEPTEMBER, ONE WEEK AGO :.

A flustered Tsukuyo was the most entertaining Tsukuyo, seeing as she was unable to even muster a complete sentence. Her seemingly cool, level-headed demeanor had been shattered, and she attempted to cover it up with overtly exaggerated conversation.

Breakfast the next day was, to say the least, awkward.

"Seita, how did ya sleep?" she blurted. The boy cast her a dubious glance, one brow arching higher than the other. Tsukuyo blatantly avoided Zenshi, who simply sat down at his usual seat, imparting nothing but a polite "good morning" to Hinowa, who wheeled in across from him.

"Fine," Seita replied warily. "Why?"

"Oh, nothin'."

" 'Oh, nothing' sounds really suspicious." Seita had developed an incorrigible little half smirk half frown, as if constantly regarding everyone with disdain and a touch of amusement. Where he learned it, they weren't sure, but there were several unspoken, incriminating arrows pointed in the general direction of their resident Yato, who was prone to taking up such an expression whilst poking fun at Tsukuyo.

"And how was your sleep, Tsukki?" asked Hinowa.

"F-fine."

"That sounds suspicious too, yes?" quipped Seita. Everyone stared at him, because he had just tacked on an indignant little aru to the end of his sentence, sounding like a human version of Kagura. He had, in fact, been dawdling about with the Yorozuya, mostly to get Kagura to introduce him to Soyo-hime, and was a very impressionable boy.

Seita shrugged when Hinowa asked him about it, and they spent the rest of breakfast in faithful, albeit tongue-tied, silence. But at least then, Tsukuyo didn't have to continue talking, leaving a few accusatory peeks at Zenshi to suffice for her flustered anxiousness.


.: ELEVEN YEARS AGO :.

Mei's parents are indelibly charmed by Zenshi, who has abandoned his loose braid for a neatly tied back appearance. Mei herself has an inclement glower brewing on her face, looking like she might explode if he dares make another move.

But then, as luck would have it, that famous father of Zenshi's swoops in and steals the conversation like nothing has happened.

To be fair, it seems more like Zenshi simply passes the baton with effortless ease, wanting nothing more than to be done with social interactions. Almost immediately, Mei's parents stiffen; a keen Amanto can even smell the tension in the air. With utmost respect, they almost worshipfully greet the renowned politician.

Sometimes, Zenshi doesn't even know what his father is anymore. Is he a politician? Is he a diplomat? Is he a dictator? What does he rule over, anyway? What gives him the right to so much power? Surely the Yato government — which is inconspicuous and novice compared to most — has better men to appoint.

But unfortunately, they do not, and that is why the genius Linter has taken over their planet, as well as the hierarchies of foreign allies. There is a reason why the Yato are the greatest mercenary clan, out of both strength and foreign relations. There is a reason why those such as the merciless Shinra and the fearsome Dakini Tribes are unable to compete with them.

Linter has such impossible power that he is not even a man anymore.

And Zenshi does not know what to regard him as. Not a Yato, not a father. The man who has tried, for all sixteen years of Zenshi's life, to bend his son to his will and his role, has assured himself of a successor.

Zenshi hates him for it. The man who leaves his wife alone to take care of their only son, only to come home and pretend as if nothing has changed. And those rare visits are designated only to snatch Zenshi away for yet another public tour with the boy as an "apprentice" in the works. The man who has carved Zenshi into the eloquent, manipulative character he is, irreversibly.

The young Yato is his father. He cannot part from it, cannot separate his own blood from Linter's.

No matter how much he tries.


.: SEPTEMBER, PRESENT :.

The two regarded one another with the same impassive blue eyes, the same imperious stare. In fact, the one who wavered first would lose; a battle of silence ensued.

Suddenly, as if the blood had rushed too quickly from his head, flashes of Abuto and Mei and Tabs and Kamui came thundering through his mind. The torrent of memories featured Mei as she re-dyed her hair, of Tabs who learned to stand with his shoulders back and his chin up, of Kamui who licked the blood from his fingers, and of Abuto who repeatedly told him again and again that he was not his father.

But somehow he was.

And wasn't.

"Sir." Swiftly, both Raku and Jenhao took a knee. The employees milling about the hotel, doing their daily duties, halted and lined up along the walls, eyes respectfully lowered.

"At ease," Linter told them, waving a hand. If he was anything, he was many forms of leadership. He was an army commander, he was a president, he was the man who told the greatest wisdoms.

But he wasn't a father, was he?

"Jenhao," said the tall, authoritative Yato. The resemblance between Linter and his son was uncanny, so much so that the former petty officer found himself reacting immediately to his commanding voice. "I'd like you to secure the Kaientai. Surely they've fled the scene of the government raid."

"Do you know the status, sir?"

"No, I headed straight here, as you did. Turn on a channel, and you'll find it." Linter quickly surveyed the ragtag group that his organization had just taken in. "Since you're in charge here, Jenhao, I want you to organize a warehouse for storing goods."

And then came Sakamoto.

"Ah, you must be our trading partner!" chortled the human jovially. He reached out a bold hand, and Linter shook it with a gracious smile.

"Sakamoto Tatsuma, it's been quite some time. As always, a pleasure working with you."

"The pleasure's mine! Ahaha!" The brown-haired idiot pushed his sunglasses up his nose and grinned. "Pardon me, but I seem to have lost my ship. I'm sure Mutsu's got it under control, though. But in the business sense, this is a great time to share stories of our travels! Did you know that the terminal's lockdown was actually a raid?"

Several people wanted to clock the man with shovels, but refrained from doing so.

"I did not," Linter replied, playing along right with the man's idiocy. He didn't really mind, so long as Sakamoto shut up sometime soon. "I was also not aware of all the extra travelers you brought with."

"Oh," Sakamoto said, turning, "This here is Mutsu's old cousin, and here are some friends from Earth!"

Zenshi didn't have a shovel, but he did have an umbrella shotgun.

"He doesn't even know your names, does he?" whispered Jenhao.

"I don't think he remembers anyone's name," Zenshi muttered.

Linter returned his gaze to his son. "I was expecting Zenshi, but not his friends."

"You have yet to address me, Father." Zenshi had his hand habitually wrapped around the hilt of his parasol, despite the fact that it was his father's heirloom, golden insignia pressed against his palm.

"I didn't think I needed to. You're an adult, after all." It was an intended insult, and well-placed. Yet the older man seemed to abhor his own words, reluctant to ridicule his son, whom he was so proud of. Understandably, he was disappointed in Zenshi's choice to join the Harusame, but he was never exactly angry. It was Zenshi that didn't reciprocate his father's well-intentioned feelings, difficult as they were to decipher.

Father? Tsukuyo mouthed to Zenshi, who didn't supply her with an answer.

"Jenhao." Linter nodded towards the door. "The Kaientai, please."

"Right away, sir. Sakamoto-san, if you would please follow me. I'd like you to assist in locating your ships." Jenhao placed a hand on the former Joui warrior's shoulder, leading him to a conference room. "It'll be done quickly."

Another round of odious silence laid between father and son.

"I suppose my methods of calling you out were too extreme, hmm?" Breaking the silence, Linter mirrored the apathetic glare on his son's face. And then, breaking his train of thought, he asked, "How's your mother, do you know?"

"Why don't you?"

"Zenshi."

"She's fine, as far as I know. And I don't know much, yes?"

"Your accent, Zenshi."

It was the same. Nothing had changed. He was still a defiant boy, still a creature of nomadic thinking, wandering until he found something he liked. His deliberate slip into typical Yato speech was to irritate his father. And that was all he needed to know, all Zenshi needed to confirm that he was still just a boy, and that the years away had not changed him.

He disappointed himself.

"Well, nonetheless," Linter sighed. He angled his body away from his son, cutting short their unsatisfactory conversation, and found his next target in Tsukuyo. "You seem to have neglected your friends, Zenshi. Introduce me to these Earthlings."

His voice was just short of contempt, as he was apt to do when manipulating others. Tsukuyo detested it; she didn't like it, not one bit.

"I'm Tsukuyo, leader of the Hyakka," she declared outright. "We're here because that man—" A finger pointed at Raku. "—terrorized our city and bombed our home. He's a Harusame hit for hire, and they're tryin' to extinguish human leadership in Yoshiwara."

Raku's long, serpent's tongue flickered between his teeth, his apprehension evident on his features.

"Miss Tsukuyo," Linter replied mildly, "I'm afraid you are mistaken. Neither Raku nor the Harusame bombed your home."

Tsukuyo whipped around then, as she had been facing Raku, to stare at Linter. The man's regal eyes, the same dark blue as Zenshi's, as well as the high cheekbones, the severe lines, they were so much of the Yato she knew and loved that she hesitated. But her perseverance, her willful determination to protect Yoshiwara, won out in the end.

"It's true, Raku is a hit for hire, but he's not responsible for anything that has recently occurred on Earth."

Suddenly Zenshi grabbed Tsukuyo by the arm and pulled her back. His fist clenched so hard around the woman's wrist that she winced, but the grip was protective, and she could not break loose anyway.

The younger Yato snarled, looking more and more like a wolf with its lips pulled back into a threat.

"Perceptive, as always," said Linter. "My son knows now the true reasons behind that attack. I must apologize for the damages and the confusion, seeing as you believe the Harusame had ulterior motives. But they're not the ones responsible."

Tsukuyo suddenly understood why Zenshi was shielding her with his body. Linter smiled, sadly and cruelly.

"I am."


.: -HARUSAME 7th DIVISION- SEPTEMBER, PRESENT :.

"This place is so colorful, it makes me want to barf." Mei tapped the glass.

"Don't tap the glass, it disturbs the asteroids," Tabs whispered, wiggling his brows.

"For the last time, Tabs, there is no asteroid belt here!"

"Lieutenant." Jinlin, looking plain and displeased as she always was, had been waiting for Mei to respond for the last ten minutes. Truth be told, Jinlin longed for the days when the sound of her footsteps alerted her lieutenant of her presence. Mei, prone to temporary, deliberate deafness, was more difficult to catch. "We've been informed by the Sciuttlan Department of Civil Safety that current landing in East Tomokaz's terminals is impossible. They're under heavy security lockdown."

"So, a raid." Mei stared at Jinlin, and Jinlin — somewhat surprised that the younger girl had actually been listening — stared back.

" 'Heavy security lockdown'," Jinlin offered, straight off the papers she'd been handed.

"Right. And?"

"Vice-captain Abuto suggests we simply land right outside the regular airport. There's a stretch of open land on that side of the city, where it's more suburban."

"Why are you asking me? That sounds good, go tell our stupid Danchou."

"Lieutenant, you're in charge of foreign relations."

"Oh just get Zen—" Mei froze. "Oh fine," she spat, snatching the papers from Jinlin's hands. She still had a habit of referring all tedious paperwork to the absent Zenshi, failing to remember that she had a little Harusame badge that assured her of his former title.

Stalking down the starboard side of the ship, Mei scanned the documents that Jinlin had so nicely handed to her. The ship traffic in the area was heavy, but continuing to lighten as a few ships touched down in the terminal's designated waiting areas, and others followed the Harusame lead and landed in the emptied lot of the Sciuttlan airport. The planes had all been docked at proper gates, leaving runways open for landing.

As they floated down the planet, transport officials securing the spaceships the best they could — after all, how is one to suspend a boat-shaped spaceship in a land-bound airport? — another ship rose up past them. Just the color and the tip of a cannon on the ship nominated a slim memory in Mei's head.

Tabs, who was always beside her, pointed out the window.

"Isn't that the Kaientai?"

Indeed it was.


You know, Tsukuyo, at least it wasn't any... puff puff action.

I've never seen a sukonbu in the flesh...

I cut my teeth on diamond rings, in my drawers

And I'm proud of my address

in the middle of Edo, yeah postcode envy

*some more lyrics*

And yes I'm a ROYALLL royalll

Tokugawa runs in our blood

Yes that luxe is just for us

Shigeshige's on a bus...

Wait, bus?

-sung by Soyo-