Ugh that moment when you have school the next day and can't sleep...


Chapter Twenty-Three: Sweet Sixteen


Other than Ranmaru deciding to ease my workload by taking care of breakfast with more success than his last attempt, as well as a small fan resting on my plate, my birthday went like any other day. Mizu took the pair of them up to Itsuki's small house to lock it up for the winter, bringing down her clothes and bedding, as well as the largest mallet I'd ever laid eyes on, but despite its visible weight, Itsuki had slung it over her shoulder as though it were nothing.

Grinning happily as she placed it in a corner, propping the handle against the wall, she then took an armful of bedding from Mizu, suddenly dithering. Glancing across at me, Mizu made the kind of noise that clearly said, "Well?"

Plastering a smile on my face, I pointed across to my room, "We'll be sharing over the winter. Is that alright?" Itsuki tilted her head, but nodded, running towards the door to stow her stuff inside.

Watching her go, Mizu gave a light shrug, "I'm going to check my traps. Ranmaru, want to come?"

"Sure, just let me get my bow."

Nodding to me as she pulled her straw boots on, the huntress waited patiently, shifting about a little, "Look, samurai? Thanks for doing this."

"Careful Mizu," I smirked, earning a playful glare from her, "Your mask is slipping."

Putting up her middle finger, Mizu quickly withdrew it when the kids bounced back in. Smirking lightly at her, I waved goodbye as Ranmaru followed her through the door, slinging his bow over his chest. Surprisingly, Itsuki was waving too, nearly achieving lift off with the force behind it.

Laughing and giving her braids a ruffle, I turned back into the house, grabbing the rest of her bags, "Let's finish getting you moved in, eh?"

"Sure." Watching her blue head disappear again, I settled on the front step, sighing a little. I would be lying to say that I didn't miss the luxury that had been afforded to me in the past, but at the same time, it was nice to have this freedom. That was perhaps the best birthday present I could think of right now.

The knocking of the doorframe took me out of my daydream, Saburo standing there with a pigeon on his head and a thick glove on, protecting his arm from Talon's grip. "They flew right onto Hanzo's head and nearly sliced his arm open." He shrugged by way of explanation.

Pulling my jacket off the peg and using it as a makeshift guard, I let Saburo nudge my falcon onto my arm. The transition was set to go smoothly, but then the pigeon decided to stick his beak in. Rather than waiting for either of us to do something about him, he gave his wings a flap, flitting right into my face, causing me to flinch and Talon to shriek loud enough to bring Itsuki running.

Screaming at Saburo to get him off, I was finally relieved when he got past Talon's claws, wrapping a fist around the dodgy pigeon, knocking something off his leg as he threw the bird out the door.

Taking a second to breathe out, I shook off Itsuki's concern, my eyes fixing on the small case on the floor. Kneeling to take it, my fingers had just closed around it when Hanzo entered, breathless from his running. "I heard screaming, is everyone okay?"

"Bird attack," Saburo explained, still staring at the door, "Fucking pigeon. Wonder what made it act like that?"

"I don't know," I murmured, looking down at the scroll case. "But whatever it was, it's over now, right?" Saburo gave a swift nod, glancing down at my treasure, but didn't question how my fingers tightened around it.

Meeting Hanzo's gaze, I slowly blinked, a grin taking over. Looks like my faith in Master Katakura had paid off brilliantly. Waiting for the boys to leave, which took longer than I would've really appreciated due to Talon taking his sweet time over picking a perch to rest on. Eventually though, he made a comfy nest for himself in the eaves, and Hanzo and Saburo said goodbye, leaving me with Itsuki. Once the door had tapped the frame, I tugged the lid off the case, eyes skimming its contents. Grinning again, I tucked it into my sash, reaching for my jacket.

As I tied it around me and told Itsuki where I was going, I nudged the door open, barely stopping to close it in my haste to get to the stables. Tsukiko, Kotone and Mariko happened to be playing outside, and they promised to tell Ranmaru where I had gone.


Like his letter promised, Master Katakura was seated at the table in the corner, tucked away from the eyes of the other teahouse patrons, his sword resting at the side of the table. As I approached, his head turned, suspicion filled eyes turning to a slight hint of relief. "You got my letter."

"You sound surprised." Waving Miyuki over, I asked for a cup of cha, waiting for her to leave before turning back to Master Katakura, "I don't understand why you wanted to meet in person."

Toying with his cup slightly, he swallowed, pulling out the letter I had sent him. Laying it between us, he pointed slightly to the last paragraph, "The tone of your writing seemed very different from your conversation style. When your falcon did not wait for a reply, I was worried you may have written it under duress, or that it was not you at all."

Letting a smile show on my face, I moved my arm slightly, letting Miyuki set my cup down and accept my handful of coins. "Nohime was the one who taught me to write. My dry wit comes as a side effect of being around soldiers for my impressionable years."

Taking a sip of his sake with a grin on his face, Master Katakura quickly scanned mine, "You look well, healthier, cheerier."

"As do you. The peace serves veterans well, it would appear."

"It serves everyone well, not just the veterans." I nodded lightly, seeing the truth in his words. A few awkward seconds passed between us, before Master Katakura cleared his throat, "I am glad that Kodokuna welcomed you and the boy. Those seeds I gave you should grow well in that area."

Smirking, I let my mind wander back to Ranmaru and Itsuki planting the entire pouch in the garden after Nobu had identified them as flower seeds. "We have been very lucky." I admitted, tucking one of my bangs behind my ear. It dangled awkwardly; slipping off a second after my hand had dropped.

Suddenly, a thought came to me, brought on by the drunk who was once again occupying a table nearby, "Not everyone believes we're dead. Rumours amongst the remnants of Oda's army run rampant."

"I know, which is why I insisted on this meeting." The mood had shifted horrifically, and I mentally cursed myself for bringing it about. "Do you keep weapons in your house?"

"Yes, my sword, Ranmaru's bow and a knife I picked up in town." Master Katakura nodded, apparently deeming it enough.

Determined to bring the conversation back to a cheerier topic, I struck out blindly for a subject, wincing when it left my mouth, "You chose an interesting time to meet. For future reference, I don't enjoy being attacked by messenger pigeons on my birthday."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," He smirked. For the next hour we allowed ourselves the luxury of forgetting the risks around us, chatting about nonsense things such as the weather and Masamune's continued rivalry with Yukimura. Apparently both young men were looking forward to their rematch with each other, and were training diligently for the day it arrived.

All too soon though, Master Katakura got to his feet, collecting his sword from its resting place. "Keep in touch, Sayomi. And stay hidden, you and the boy."

"We will. Goodbye for now, Master Katakura."

Nodding to me, he turned away, thanking Miyuki on his way out. Watching him leave brought an odd mixture of feelings up, part of me forced to cling onto my desire to follow him, reining it in harder than I ever had to do for Dango, or Talon, even in the early days.

Prescribing fresh air for myself, I paid for my second cup and waved goodbye to Miyuki, not stopping until my head was resting against Dango's neck. "Is it hard for you too, boy? Not charging into battle and trampling foes?" His whinny sent a vibration through my body, making me chuckle. "I guess not."