It's About Time

Kagami remained beside Marinette as the pair strolled back toward the former's home, speaking jovially as a brother and sister happened to cross behind their path. It was when the older of the two siblings stopping in his tracks, that recognition reached his eyes. "Come on, Jamil. We're supposed to be home soon." Alexandria groused, looking at her older brother as he leered at the two females. When she saw who he was staring at, the young woman scoffed. "Can't you go one day without ogling women?" her hand slapped his shoulder playfully.

"You don't understand..." Jamil gasped. "It's her!"

Alexandria cocked her eyebrow. "Which one? The pig-tailed girl, or the one in the red?"

"The one in the red." Jamil's voice took on a dreamy quality. "She's my warrior goddess. Isn't she perfection personified?"

Looking the Japanese teenager over as she walked away, Alexandria shook her head. "You don't pay attention do you?" She then motioned to the home they were approaching. "That's the Tsurugi residence, which means that is Kagami Tsurugi." He turned to look at his sister, his mouth dropping open. "That can only mean her mother is Tomoe Tsurugi, and she's part of the council along with papa. You have no chance with someone like her." She then looked at her brother with a smirk. "In fact, you'd have a better chance with the pig-tailed girl, and she's betrothed to Adrien Agreste."

Jamil took one look at both young women, and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Sis, you don't understand! She was the one that saved me from the insurrectionists during the night of the coup." He returned his gaze to the young woman for several seconds before the pair turned into the Tsurugi compound. "I have to meet her. Talk to her..."

"Do you really think she remembers you?" Alexandria asked. "More than likely you are one of a dozen people she saved that night."

"Pff What would you know about love?!" Jamil hissed.

That caused his sister to glare at him. "I know enough to understand that it has to be mutual!" Alexandria retorted. "What if she rejects you? Says that you're completely beneath her notice, and has no desire to be around you at all?"

"Even if she rejects me, at the very least she'll know my intentions." Jamil answered wistfully. "I want to know about her, understand her." They continued on their way back toward home but her bother's lovesick quality didn't diminish. "Lady Tsurugi has the right to know that someone in this town has an interest in her beyond friendship." Placing a hand on his chest, over his pounding heart, he smiled. "Who knows? Maybe she'll be so moved by the courage to put myself out there, to risk the pain of heartache, that it will open the door to a potentially life-long friendship?"

"You sound ridiculous." Alexandria scoffed as she turned her face away. "But if you've made up your mind to pursue this girl, I guess I could always give you a few pointers." She smirked at her brother. "I've been reading a bit of their lore, and there are families who're very particular about courtship rituals." Noting that they were only a block or two from home, Jamil thought about the prospects and possibilities of speaking to Kagami of potential courtship. "Your best bet may be to make your intentions known to her mother. A formal introduction by someone she knows, like say... another council-member would help with that."

"Wait! Do you mean I could ask father to introduce me to Lady Tsurugi?" he asked as the pair arrived at their home. Upon opening the door, he stepped into the foyer. "Do you think that would help me meet her?"

"Her, son? Could it be that another lady has turned your head?" Liam asked as he was gathering what he needed for an impromptu meeting between himself and his patron. He had just pulled up a collection of papers when his son spoke again.

"I... um... father, I found her." Jamil said a little breathlessly. "She and her friend walked past as Alexandria and I were returning home."

"Your "Warrior Goddess" I'm guessing?" Liam asked in good humor, watching as his son's face started to turn scarlet. "Then tell me of this lady. You've kept me in suspense for weeks, never once even hinting at her identity."

Jamil smiled, his eyes sparkling. "That's because I didn't know who she was, father. I would've told you had I even a hinting at her name, but now I know it's Kagami Tsurugi."

"Kagami Tsu... You don't aim low, do you, Jamil?" Liam asked, a smile on his face. Alexandria leaned against a wall with a smirk plastered on her face that neither of the males missed. Stopping for a few seconds, he rubbed at his chin. "Considering that I'm planning on being in their home for the next couple of hours, would you like to join me? Perhaps we can give your "Warrior Goddess" an official introduction. Just... don't go overboard."

For several seconds Jamil just stood there, blinking, his mouth dropping open. "A-Are you sure about this, father?"

"Of course. It's the polite thing to do, and since she is our patron, it gives you an opportunity to meet and thank the demure woman that saved your life. Right?" Looking upon his son, he watched as those eyes lit up with undisguised joy.

"Yes. Please, go." Alexandria scoffed. "Give me a few hours to myself."

Liam leaned in, kissing her forehead. "What are you planning on doing while we're gone, Alexandria?"

"Not sure." she said with a smile. "How about I let my imagination run wild for a few hours?"

The happy laughter of her father filled her ears as he nodded. "Okay. We shall be back just after nightfall. Enjoy yourself."

Alexandria smiled as her brother and father exited the home. "I plan to." Heading upstairs to her room, the young woman never noticed the oval of light that appeared below the stairs, or the figure that stepped out. She only approached her room, never hearing the words "counter-clockwise" in her own voice. The much older woman smiling at the floating rabbit as the door closed above her. "Go ahead, Fluff."

Sitting in her room, she was in the process of tinkering with an old pocket-watch her father said once belonged to her grandfather. It had stopped working a couple of years ago, and she asked if she could try her hand at repairing the device. Even now, as she removed the jeweled cogs, part of her mind thought about how best to keep the watch from running out of time without needing constant winding. Even as she tore apart the device, the young woman sketched each piece painstakingly with graphite until the paper she was drawing on was filled with information. Never once did she see, or feel the little floating rabbit come up behind her, nor touch the back of her head.

Within a matter of seconds, she was adding information to the margins, changes she would need in order to enhance the watch, then grabbing papers from all around the desk. On a separate piece of paper, she wrote out a list of materials, her script no less legible as she scrawled quickly. Some of the items she needed, she designed on another piece of paper, her mind going millions of miles per hour until her fingers ached, and her brain hurt. When she was done, Alexandria leaned back to look at the collection of papers on her desk. Folding them together, she saw as each layer folded in on itself until a new watch appeared.

The design was simple, yet elegant, with a body of pure platinum it would require more wealth than what she or her family could come up with in a score of years. "This will take time to create." she breathed, not noticing the little rabbit that floated through the floor, only to return to her mistress. One collection of whispered words later, and the oval returned, sending the pair back to her Burrow where they belonged.

oOo

While his daughter was plumbing the depths of her own creativity (along with a helping paw from Fluff), Liam was bowing to the matron of the Tsurugi household. "I apologize for inviting my son unbidden, Lady Tsurugi, but he claims to finally know who the "Warrior Goddess" is that saved his life the night of the coup." Jamil also bowed to the older woman, as they sat back on their heels in front of her.

"Oh?" Tomoe didn't look amused as she turned to regard the younger male.

Jamil bowed lower to the older woman. "Yes. I happened to see her and her friend pass by, and my sister recognized her instantly." He straightened up to look the woman in the eye. "Only with your permission I would like to thank your daughter for her bravery in saving me that night."

"Kagami was the one that saved you?" Tomoe asked, slightly taken aback. Jamil closed his eyes bowing his head again in a nod.

"Yes, Lady Tsurugi."

Nodding at the young man, Tomoe motioned down the side of the house. "You may speak with her until our meeting has concluded. After which, if she finds you to be worthy of continued visits, I shall accept her word on the matter." With that she dismissed the younger male as she regarded Liam. "Now, you were talking about the creation of a primary school?"

"Indeed, Lady Tsurugi." Liam answered as Jamil bowed in respect. Standing up, he turned from his father and the matron of the house. He left just as they were talking about the strain it would put on their already thin budget. He closed the door, and started down the walkway on the side of the Japanese home.

He had only taken a few steps before Kagami stepped out of a room with a small wooden tub in her arms, a collection of bottles and a white block inside, with folded clothes on top. He marveled at her beauty from afar, from the strong lines of her body, to the thoughtful look on her face. Dressed in a long white kimono, and little else, he shivered as some ungentlemanly thoughts reared their ugly head.

Kagami noticed him instantly, and he saw as she slid a hand in one of her sleeves. As the pair approached each other, the young man stopped and gave her a cordial bow. "Greetings, Lady Tsurugi, my name is Jamil Kubdel..."

"Liam Kubdel's son?" Kagami asked. Her facial expression never changed, and her hand stayed in her sleeve.

Jamil nodded. "He is currently meeting with your mother on the prospects of creating a school for younger children."

Kagami nodded. "... and your presence was warranted for..."

"I..." giving her a bow of his head, he spoke softly, "I only wished to thank you for saving my life on the night of the coup." Looking back up at her, he saw her mouth open ever so slightly. "I'm sure you don't remember me, but I wanted the opportunity to offer my deepest gratitude for that night."

"You were the one holding the scrolls." Kagami breathed. "I do remember you."

Smiling at her, he nodded. "That was indeed me. I was on my way back from transcribing some ancient Egyptian for a dissertation my father was planning to make at the university."

Kagami held the tub against her abdomen, her hand returning to the side from her sleeve. "Please don't think me rude by asking, but you seem less French than most of my friends."

"That's because my family are initially from Turkey, and can trace our family lines all the way back to Egypt." He watched as she turned her face away.

Looking down at the edge of the walkway that surrounded the house, she nodded. "Was that all you really wanted? Just to thank me for saving your life?"

"Actually, no. I..." Jamil blushed a little, looking away, "I wanted to get to know you. See if we could be friends, or... potentially more if you don't mind my company."

"I am in serious need of a bath right now, but I am more than willing to wait." Motioning for him to sit on the edge of the walkway that surrounded the house, she sat down next to him, the small wooden tub placed between them. Whether done consciously or by accident, it still created a basic barrier between the pair. "What would you like to know?"

"Everything." Jamil remarked. "In the moment, I only was able to notice your skill, and your conscious or unconscious desire to protect others, so there's really a lot of ground to cover as far as learning about each other."

Her lips quirked at the corners. "Understandable." Her eyes took on a far-off quality, as though seeing across great distance. "Okay. Everything..." She looked down at her knees that were still covered in a white bathing kimono, her hands closed as they were placed on her knees. "The only family I have ever known lives here with me. My mother is a capable council-woman, and holds the ear of our daimyo back home. Over the course of the past ten years, I have been taught swordsmanship, archery, horsemanship, heraldry, and proper etiquette."

"That's quite a bit to start with." Jamil offered a smile at the young woman.

"Quite the contrary. That's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg." Kagami retorted. "Our home back in Edo, the capitol of Japan, is much bigger than this compound. My mother's daimyo works with the Shogun in all matters of politics. It was he that sent my mother and I here because although our primary trade is silks, Baron Agreste was more interested in some sort of information that our culture possessed."

Jamil looked at Kagami. "Do you know what?"

"No, and I couldn't even hazard a guess. Mother has been very selective about who she confides in regarding business, and I feel that Baron Agreste is of the same mind." She glanced to her side, and saw Jamil nodding. "Ever since coming here, I have made friends; specifically Adrien Agreste, the son of the aforementioned baron, and Lady Marinette Dupain-Cheng, his betrothed." Turning back to look at the garden at night, she happened to glance up at the cloudless night sky, the twinkling of hundreds of stars reaching her eyes. "What about you?"

"My last name is a variation of the Jewish Kubel, which means "vat" or "barrel", but the variant really has no meaning since our family stopped being vintners." Jamil smiled at her. "During the times of the Romans, my family created wines, but around the 300's our family decided to compile lore, and transcribe it from various languages." Turning to look up, he watched as a light streaked across the dark sky. "My family is spread throughout the North of Africa, and up to Turkey, but my father moved us here when he met a French woman while teaching Ancient History in Israel."

"Sounds like he was smitten." Kagami offered.

"He was, and I would not dare to renounce such a coupling." Jamil sighed. "My mother was a lovely woman, kind, compassionate, and willing to step up when necessary. Only five years after the birth of my sister, Alexandria, she saw a child crossing the street in front of a charging cart, and rushed forward. She managed to push the girl out of the way, but was trampled and ran over. I never knew who she saved, but that proved to me that although bravery can lead to pain or heartache, one must always go forward without hesitation."

Kagami's mouth opened to a small "o" on her face, her eyes wider than before. "I'm impressed. Most people would've been angry at the little girl for being in the street in the first place."

"I watched as my mother saved her, and I couldn't have been more heartbroken, or more proud." Jamil felt his tears glistening in his eyes. "Proud that my mother was so brave to risk her own life to save another, but heartbroken because my sister would never truly know her loving embrace."

At the sound of the door sliding open behind and to their right, Kagami smiled as Jamil's father appeared, bowing at Tomoe. "It appears that our time together may be at an end."

Jamil stood up from where he sat, offering her his hand. "Yes," he said with a sigh, "I was only offered enough time to spend with you until my father's meeting was over."

Looking up at him, Kagami placed her hand in his as she stood up, retrieving her tub along the way. Offering him a smile, she kept her hand in his as they stood in front of each other. "Perhaps next time you come, there will not be such an arbitrary time limit?" she offered.

"I would like that, Lady Kagami Tsurugi." Jamil brought her hand up, placing a tender kiss in between her middle and ring knuckles, causing her cheeks to warm considerably.

As the two men left the compound, Tomoe stepped up beside her daughter. "Your thoughts on Kubdel the younger?"

"Kind, respectful, determined, brave," she then looked at her hand, "romantic, understanding, and passionate." Reaching up, she lightly touched her hand to her chest where her heart was pounding. "Would you be adverse to giving him a chance?"

"Quite the contrary." Tomoe answered. "His father is very much the same, but also thinks of others over himself."

Giving her mother a nod, Kagami smiled. "We had so little time to talk, but I could easily see that in Jamil as well." Turning to her mother, she bowed. "I will be out of the bath in a little while."

"Very well." Tomoe said before heading back to her rooms. Kagami looked back the way the two men had gone, her eyes going to her hand for several seconds before turning to have her bath, her thoughts on the prospects of Jamil's continued returns to the Tsurugi residence.