Troublesome. It was all too troublesome.
From her first day of living at Castle Aurum, Kurohoro expected a smooth move-in. Alas, the stars from the prior night foretold otherwise and now she understood why.
She was currently standing in the doorframe, dumbfounded at the sheer disorder the room she was looking into in. Drawers pulled out of their cabinets and laying on the ground, furniture flipped upside down, clothes strewn all over the place. And in the middle of all this was a girl with long blonde hair clad in a long white dress, sitting primly on the edge of a bed. Leo, her leader.
"Is… everything alright?" Kurohoro asked, trying and failing to find better words to express her shock.
"Everything's in order. Are you having any trouble with the move-in, Kurohoro?" Leo replied with a smile.
"No, it's been going smooth. Syuri and Aimu came down to help with moving in. Well, Syuri helped, while Aimu-" Kurohoro bit her tongue. The way Leo addressed her nearly made her forget that the girl had dark circles under her eyes. To say that her lack of sleep was concerning would be an understatement. She's seen her asleep just as often as she was awake.
Kurohoro walked inside, stepping around the cast-aside clothing and underwear. "I'm not blind, I can tell something's trapping you. Spill it."
"There's no need for you to bother yourself with it. I can deal with it myself." Leo insisted.
Kurohoro knelt down and picked up a pair of laced panties. "How did all of this happen? Your entire wardrobe is all over this room."
Leo smiled. "That's merely what an average teenage girl's room looks like. Don't tell me it's an unfamiliar sight to you."
Kurohoro might've agreed if those panties weren't squeaky clean and smelled of flowers. "I believe I can tell when someone's barely standing." She marched over and sat down next to Leo. "You're gonna pass out any minute now. Tell me what's wrong."
"I am sorry to disappoint you, but I'm far more energized than I appear. Keeping up one's appearance is part of shinobi's disciplines, after all." Leo continued. Her head then swayed forward slightly, before springing back upwards just as quick.
Kurohoro rolled her eyes. The family resemblance here is much greater than she'd expected, she was stubborn just like her sister. So unlike, yet also so similar. Perhaps the same trick will work on her.
"Very well then. Can you do me a favor? "Kurohoro stuck two fingers up in front of Leo. "Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"
Leo narrowed her eyes at Kurohoro's fingers, perplexed by such a banal question. "Two, of course."
"Correct." Kurohoro said, pulling her hand back. She then raised a golden-backed scroll up with her other hand. "Took it from you when you weren't looking."
Leo blinked, her mouth agape at the scroll right in front of her. Finally, she pulled her the front of her dress and looked down. A similar-looking scroll laid there still within her cleavage.
Kurohoro swiped her free hand, poaching the scroll from Leo's hold with two fingers. She smiled and held both scrolls up. "Can't even remember if you've got your scroll on you or not. Do you really expect me to believe you're fine after this, sunshine?"
Leo attempted to find words for the next few moments before giving up. "Fine." Leo sighed. "I'll tell you what happened. I've lost something. Something that is very dear to me. I've been trying to find it and…" Leo trailed off, looking over the state her room is in.
"Your servants will deal with it later." Kurohoro said, sliding Leo's scroll back into place. "Please, continue. What did you lose?"
Leo took a deep breath before continuing on. "A pendant. A gold, circular pendant with a sun motif upon it. It was affixed to a chain last time I saw it. I was certain it'd be somewhere here, but it appears that I've lost it before coming back to my room. It's important, I cannot afford to lose it." She explained, trembling at the thought of it being gone.
Kurohoro laid her hand atop Leo's and squeezed it. "Don't worry, I'll help you look for it. Is there anything else peculiar about it though? There's quite a lot of gold here, it might help if there's something else to look out for."
Leo hanged her head down, her mouth opening and closing in close intervals. It was clear that she was trying to decide what and how much she should reveal about the pendant. Kurohoro understood that feeling well, she's had a whole life to get acquainted with it.
"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. It'll just take me a bit longer to-"
"It has a notch in the front." Leo cut in. "A cut from a past accident. If it has it, that's thee pendant you're looking for."
Kurohoro smiled. "I see, thank you. I won't miss it for certain with that in mind. I've just one more thing to ask, however. Where do you think you might've lost it?"
"I was in the kitchen right before coming to my room. Before that, I was in the garden for some fresh air, went to the library for business study material-" Leo explained, slowly beginning to doze off.
"I'll start with the kitchen, thank you." She had utterly no idea where any of those places were. "How about you take a nap in the meanwhile? It'd do you good."
"No, I'll be fine." Leo started, standing up. "If we work together, we can cover more ground. There's no time to-" She barely made three steps forward before her legs gave out. Kurohoro leaped to catch her by the shoulders.
"I'm afraid you haven't got any say in that regard, sunshine." Kurohoro said, hoisting up the lioness and laying her down on the bed. Leo attempted to rise up, but Kurohoro pushed her down. She didn't have to use much strength there. "Catch a few winks, won't you?" Kurohoro said. "I'll get it back to you before you wake up."
"…If you insist." Leo said and closed her eyes. She fell asleep instantly.
Kurohoro held herself for a moment, to make sure she's asleep for real.
Leo lay on her back, her head turned to the side. She breathed gently, her soft breasts gently outlined by the constraints of her light summer dress. If the act of sleeping could be considered a work of art, she was making an argument for it at this very moment. Graceful. Elegant.
Vulnerable.
Kurohoro turned cold when she realized what was before her - a perfect assassination opportunity. Nobody was around. No one who'd know she's there at this very moment. With Leo unconscious, all it'd take to do was a single action. Take her by the throat, smother her with a pillow, make her swallow poison.
Kurohoro pulled herself away from Leo, turning for the hallway. That was not her, not anymore. She wouldn't betray her trust. Never again.
She closed the door behind herself. Hopefully, that'd stall any maid from looking inside and witnessing the pandemonium beyond. Nobody would dare to interrupt Leo's napping.
She turned and headed to whence she came. Not as though she knows where she was going, the only place she can place any certainty as to it's location is her new room and that's not far out from here. She passed it and continued walking the unfamiliar hallways.
Castle Aurum. An isolated mansion hidden in the valleys of northeast Japan, belonging solely to Leo's family. As part of joining the Zodiac Star Committee, she's obligated to live with the other members under the same roof. It all sounded well up until the point she actually arrived here.
The mansion's marble walls and golden furnishings were as unfamiliar as they could be for Kurohoro. They were grandiose and dramatic in their splendor. It made her feel tiny. A rare feeling for her, being taller than the average among women.
She was more accustomed to living at the bottom. Finding food during the day and seeking shelter for the night were her daily priorities, until a few years back. Even after beginning work as a shinobi, she rarely stayed in one place for long. Work called from all across Japan. It wasn't until she met Hyoki that she stayed in one place for longer than a month for the first time in years.
Kurohoro sighed. She couldn't begin to fathom what would become of her after she left Senki Shu. Some days, she thought it might've been better to not have left in the first place. It was too late for that now. She's made her decision.
She passed by maids and butlers, who were scurrying about and cleaning the mansion. Apparently, one of the projects Syuri was working on blew up and sullied the surrounding area. Syuri didn't tell her what she was doing, but she assured her that it wouldn't happen again. With this project. No promises about others.
Kurohoro froze in place. Since she moved right into that area, that meant she was right by the kitchen. And if I'm right by the kitchen, then…
A great force took Kurohoro, squeezing all around her waist. "Hello, Kurohoro! I didn't know you've arrived already!" Said Ginrei, wearing a forced smile.
…I've flown right into the face of danger. Kurohoro thought, cursing herself for dropping her guard and forgetting about yesterday's fortune-telling.
"You're so busy already. I thought you shouldn't need more work added on." Kurohoro mumbled out through her teeth, straining to not wince from pain. Ginrei's arm tightened around her with strength that would crush an ordinary person like an insect.
"Nonsense, nonsense! I need to welcome our newest member to Castle Aurum, it's the least I can do to pay back for all your work up until now." Ginrei grinned, her hold growing even tighter. "Here, I'll treat you to something. I insist."
"I have no choice, do I?"
"Nope!" The silver-haired girl said, forcibly taking Kurohoro in tow.
Kurohoro's mind scrambled to figure a way out of this.
Lie? No dice, Ginrei won't be moved by anything she'll say.
Poison? She's too close and she doesn't have a paralyzing agent potent enough for her.
Call for help? Kurohoro looked around for anyone who could assist.
Aimu stood on the far end, sneaking by with a plate of chocolate pie. She was a tiny girl, the youngest in the Committee. She kind of reminded Kurohoro of a mouse, by her rolled-up twintails. With hope in her eyes, Kurohoro waved out to her.
She froze in place, shocked that she's been noticed in her heist. Aimu looked over Kurohoro, smiled mournfully and saluted her before scurrying off with her pie.
Kurohoro's hopes sank. She was left at Ginrei's mercy. She wasn't sure the girl had much of that.
Ginrei dragged her through the kitchen with an iron grip. One corner of it looked burnt to a crisp. Strangely enough, the char wasn't black but instead deep purple. Kurohoro had little time to look closer at it before Ginrei dragged her past.
She pushed Kurohoro out into the gardens, nearly toppling her over. "Wait here for a bit. I'll get you something nice."
Kurohoro watched her go and weighed her options now that she wasn't right next to her. Unfortunately, vast majority of scenarios she came up with didn't end well. Her shoulders slumped and she headed to sit down in a nearby wicker chair, resigned to await for whatever Ginrei will subject her to.
She knew it was going to happen, Ginrei getting a jump on her. The night before she came here, she performed a reading from the night sky to prepare herself as best she can. Sadly, there was an event around the area of her previous housing that made it difficult to get clear results, so she couldn't tell how and when exactly she'd get ambushed, only that she would. She was glad to move away from the city landscape, that sort of thing ruined far too many nights spent trying to predict the future.
Ginrei returned before long, carrying a plate and a pot of tea. She slammed a teacup in front of her and presented the plate of bruttiboni biscuits in front of her. "Freshly brewed, a special recipe just for our newcomer." Ginrei said sweetly, pouring tea into the teacup.
With a look of trepidation, Kurohoro prodded at one of the cookies. It was heavy. Dense, for it's small size. She picked it up with her fingers and broke in half.
A gray, rock-like interior presented itself. "Cement." Kurohoro stated simply.
Ginrei grumbled something under her breath, before smiling back to her. "A newcomer maid must've mixed up the ingredients in the pantry. You should try the tea."
Pushing plate of cookies away, Kurohoro lifted the teacup up before her. The aroma of this tea was… familiar.
"It's an old recipe," Ginrei cut in. "Reaches a long time back. You might've drank similar at cafes."
Kurohoro smiled gently and lifted the cup up to her lips, taking a sip of the tea.
Silence fell.
Ginrei nervously clutched onto her arm, pushing her generous bust up in the process.
Kurohoro put the cup down. "I've built up immunity to hemlock over a year ago."
"Damn it!" In a blink's time, the serving tray hit the floor, bending heavily from the impact. Ginrei's nervous expression disappeared, her anxiety replaced with sheer anger. "Why. Won't. You. Just. Die?" She growled through gritted teeth, drilling holes through Kurohoro with her glare.
"Dying wouldn't let me become an elite here." Kurohoro said, taking another tea sip.
Ginrei stomped the ground in anger. The stone floor cracked. "I don't know who sent you or for what reason, but I'll find what you're planning and put a stop to it." She said, taking slow and decisive steps toward Kurohoro.
"So, you think I'm a spy?" Kurohoro smiled.
"Yes."
"A fair assumption, if not utterly mistaken. I'm not working under anyone's orders. I joined of my own will."
Ginrei slammed her hand on the table and leaned in until mere inches remained between her and Kurohoro's faces. "That only makes you even more suspicious. The moment you trip up, you're out of the Committee."
Kurohoro put her hand up to her mouth. "Is that a warning? Could it be that actually you care about me enough to warn me?"
Ginrei slammed her other hand on the table. "It's a threat! So don't try anything. If you won't act, then I won't act either, got it?"
Kurohoro nodded with a smile. "You know, you're adorable when you're antsy."
Ginrei flushed lightly, although that didn't budge her away. "There's been other strange newcomers before you. I removed them personally."
Kurohoro leaned back against her chair and sighed. That girl is incorrigible, no wonder she's Leo's right hand. "I wonder, oh, I wonder. What could I possibly do to get you to trust me?"
"You can already stop trying. Trying to solve the impossible won't get you far with me." Ginrei said, sitting down in the opposite chair. "But I can stay here and watch you try. "
Kurohoro smiled. That was a bad turnout of events, she's not going to let her go freely about the kitchen, let alone the mansion. On one hand, she could just tell her about the missing pendant to help with the search. But on the other, Ginrei might leave an even bigger mayhem from the search than Leo did in her room.
Ginrei simply sat there, with hands split together and a self-assured smirk. Kurohoro rubbed her forehead. "You're enjoying this far too much."
The suit-wearing girl grinned wider, saying more with that gesture than words ever could.
Kurohoro watched the silver-haired girl revel in her seat of power and felt a realization set upon her. She wants power? She'll give her power.
Kurohoro reached into her sleeve. The moment she did so, Ginrei's eyes darted toward her hand, her body tensing up. Kurohoro's hand returned with four needle shuriken held between her fingers.
"It really saddens me to know that you have no trust in me, so I've come up with a little game to try and break the ice between us." Kurohoro said, moving her hand towards Ginrei. "I'd like to call it "Countdown to Death". Each of these shuriken is a question. If there's anything you want to know from me, just throw one in my direction and I'll answer it as fully as I can. No half-truths or omissions. Pure truth."
Ginrei narrowed her eyes. "And what happens once I use all of them?"
Kurohoro brandished a knife in her hand. "I agree to fight you with all I've got for my place here. On the spot and to death if need be."
Reluctantly, Ginrei picked up the four needles and held them before herself, focusing intently upon them. She then looked up at Kurohoro. "How will I know that you're telling the truth?"
"If you think I'm lying after using one of the needles, you can hit me square in the face and I won't dodge or block away from it." Kurohoro explained.
Ginrei's eyes darted back to the needles in her hand. She pocketed three of them and grasped the remaining one tightly. Corners of her mouth turned upwards. "This almost sounds too good to be true. I hope you don't mind if I use a needle right now."
Kurohoro smiled. "Go ahead."
Ginrei rammed the needle into the table. "Your True Name." She said, clearly and deliberately. "I want to see how far you'll go in the name of your game."
True Name. One of a shinobi's most guarded personal secrets. When a shinobi officially enters shinobi training, they forfeit the real name, taking on a pseudonym for their new life for henceforth. To invoke a shinobi's True Name, is to renounce them as a shinobi. Or so Kurohoro heard, at the very least.
"As you wish." Kurohoro said innocently and leaned in to whisper into Ginrei's ear. "My real name is ######### ####."
Kurohoro leaned back, awaiting Ginrei's response. The silver-haired girl sat in silence, processing what she just heard. Eventually, she frowned. "Crap, you were dead serious about this."
"Of course I was. Did you think I'd just lie to you like that?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm afraid you've much to learn about me." Kurohoro smiled. "We can fix that if you want. When are you free? I should have a free evening next weekend."
"Forget about it." Ginrei huffed as she stood up. "All my mornings, afternoons and evenings are dedicated to one person alone and that person isn't you." She said, turning to leave.
Kurohoro murmured joyfully. "In that case, I've got a tidbit about that person that I'd like to share with you."
Ginrei froze in place and slowly turned toward Kurohoro. "Speak."
"The pendant is gone. I'm helping her find it. I thought you'd like to know."
Ginrei's eyes widened for a brief moment, before turning her back toward Kurohoro. She knew. She knew exactly what importance that pendant held to Leo.
"You should've said that sooner. It needs to be found as soon as possible." Ginrei took off in confident, long steps.
"Also," Kurohoro called out to Ginrei. "Leo flipped her room upside down searching for it. You might want to set it back to order before she wakes up."
Ginrei sighed and bitterly turned to the kitchens. "I hate you so much." She murmured as she disappeared into the building.
Kurohoro sipped the hemlock tea, satisfied with the outcome. Everything went just according to plan.
Presented with conditions so geared toward her, it was natural that she'd grow doubtful and attempt to provoke her into backing down with a ridiculous condition, one that no sane shinobi would dare encroach upon. All she needed to do next was present her with the truth.
That said, it gives Ginrei a possibility to ask dangerous questions. As long as she doesn't know what to ask, however, the needles will only serve to slow her down and make her think before she acts in regards to her.
Easy. It was all too easy.