Innocence Drowned
Morning court was --
"Hush," he whispered angrily to Gokuu.
Morning court, Konzen decided, was --
"Not now," he added furiously. "Just keep quiet."
Morning court was among the things he usually tried to avoid, and rightly so. If it wasn't for the fact that he hadn't been able to find Tenpou anywhere else, he wouldn't have bothered coming along, and even now he wasn't convinced that it had been a good idea. All the less so because Gokuu had insisted on coming along, had refused to be left behind, and was needing increasingly loud whispers of Shut up! to stop him from saying or doing anything irretrievable.
"I should have left you back at the office," he muttered, "and I'll take you back there if you don't shut up now!"
Gokuu clung to his legs and eased round behind him. He could imagine the monkey's face, a combination of oh Konzen please Konzen please please Konzen and I'm so sorry Konzen and what did I do wrong anyhow Konzen, all at the same time and somehow not disagreeing with each other.
"Bah." He looked over at where the Bodhisattvas would be sitting, had they chosen to attend, but they weren't and they hadn't. If he wanted to go and question Kanzeon Bosatsu, he'd have to seek hir out in hir own territory. The thought irritated him.
The rest of the court was much as usual -- no, wait, that was the first toushin taishi over there, Nataku, next to his father and apparently healthy again. Several army officials hovered nearby, though their attention was clearly more on Litouten than on his son. Litouten himself seemed pleased about something, as sleek and purring as an overfed cat.
No sign of the toushin he'd helped get into place. Konzen had to reluctantly concede some sense to Homura, if Homura was avoiding court on purpose.
The situation had grown more and more tense over the last few days. Konzen was aware that there were things which Tenpou wasn't telling him, but he wasn't quite prepared to ask what they were yet. He'd actually done something -- supported Homura's nomination, backed Tenpou's request -- to try to protect Gokuu, but he wasn't sure if it was going to work. Yet again, he wished that he'd locked Gokuu in his office rather than let the brat trail after him to court.
He felt far too exposed.
There was also -- also? -- the point that Litouten's position didn't seem noticeably weakened. It was more, perhaps, that the Great Minister hadn't managed to expand it any further. Which in itself is something, I suppose, he thought grudgingly. He'd been backtracking Litouten's rise through the bureaucracy, and it was really quite impressive. If he hadn't disliked the man on general principles, he'd have wanted him in his own department. A bit of family disgrace had nothing to do with ability to work. Litouten's rise had been steady, though not so fast as to draw the eye or alert his superiors to a potential rival. Then a pause for a while -- the period when Litouten had realised that his family's shame, whatever it was, wouldn't let him get any higher, presumably, and when he'd been looking for some other way to advance. And then the arrival of Nataku, and -- well, and the current situation.
When Tenpou hadn't shown up in his office this morning, as he'd requested yesterday in a series of notes, Konzen had decided that he'd track the Marshal down himself for a conversation. The situation was not improving. If this meant that Konzen had to go to morning court to find him, so much the worse for Tenpou.
No, the situation wasn't improving. There were orders being issued through the bureaucracy that Konzen couldn't trace. He knew that they were going through, he could track their passage like sharks in the water, and he was aware that something was being arranged, but he couldn't find out what. It irritated him, but more, it worried him.
He became conscious that Litouten was looking towards him, and murmuring to his son, and now Nataku had those unchancy golden eyes fixed on him as well . . .
. . . no. Not on him. On Gokuu.
Abruptly Konzen decided that they would be better out of there. He bent down to tell Gokuu, "We're leaving. Now. We'll find the others later."
"But I want to see Ten-chan and Ken-nichan!" Gokuu wailed. He pulled at Konzen's tunic hopefully, then somehow managed to wriggle around him before Konzen could stop him. "And that's Nataku! I want to talk to Nataku --"
"Hush," Konzen hissed between his teeth, grabbing for Gokuu's shoulder. "Be quiet or you'll get hurt --"
But Gokuu was already dashing across the floor, running towards Nataku and Litouten, and for the first time Konzen knew the true meaning of the word horror, in the sense of seeing what was going to happen and not being able to stop it, being a moment too slow, a second too far behind.
"Nataku!" Gokuu's voice was childishly clear in the sudden shocked silence. "Nataku, I was trying to see you -- they wouldn't let me come, I wanted to, but you're all right now, aren't you, and it'll be okay . . ."
Litouten looked down at Gokuu. "This child -- someone's been letting him run wild. He's out of his depth. But no matter." He turned to Nataku. "Kill him. Here and now."
"You . . . bastard!" Gokuu threw himself at Litouten, hitting and scratching, and the Great Minister tumbled backwards under the child's weight, landing in an untidy sprawl of clothes.
Konzen stood there, frozen with shock and uncertainty. Where did he learn that language. Kenren. Of course. This isn't supposed to be happening. Litouten's minions are taking their time about picking him up. Gokuu. I have to get Gokuu out of here.
"This is your fault, telling Nataku weird stuff like this!" Gokuu crowed triumphantly, sitting on Litouten's chest. He turned towards the other child. "Nata--"
Nataku's eyes were as clear and as distant as the autumn moon. He reached out with one pale hand to grasp Gokuu's wrist. "Get away from my father."
Silence spreading like ripples now, not the earlier silence of shock, but the deeper silence of fear.
"My father is my lord," Nataku continued, and even Konzen could feel the growing swell of power around him. "Whatever he tells me to do, whatever he does to me, my father is my reason for living." His great sword appeared in his free hand, balanced as easily as a ribboned toy. "Whoever harms my father, no matter who it is --"
-- and Konzen wanted to shout to Gokuu to get away from the killing puppet, but there was no breath in his lungs to do it, and his heart was beating so fast that he could not speak --
"-- I'll kill him."
Gokuu looked at Nataku, and there was nothing but trust in his eyes. Nataku's sword might as well have been a toy, and the whole hall with silenced courtiers and trembling guards, just a field of flowers. "Nataku," he said, smiling. "Nataku. About my name . . ."
Nataku's sword touched the metal plate at Gokuu's neck.
"I'm Gokuu. Nice to meet you."
As if there were nothing to be afraid of. Konzen should move, he knew it, he wanted to, but fear held him tighter than chains. As if there were no reason why he should be afraid.
The two children were frozen in their own tableau. Slowly, slowly as death itself, Nataku said, "Gokuu . . ." It might have been a question. It might have been an answer.
In a flash of steel, Nataku reversed his blade, and sliced into his own shoulder. Blood jetted out, splashing against Gokuu's face, and Nataku fell to the ground in a slow crumple of pale robes, the blade tumbling from his hand to clatter on the marble.
Gokuu shrieked, jumping off Litouten, and threw himself on his knees next to Nataku. "Nataku? Nataku!"
There was screaming in the background, screaming and shouts and questions, but Konzen didn't hear them. He was running towards Gokuu, able to move at last.
Nataku grabbed at Gokuu's wrist. "Gokuu -- it's not over there . . . it's here. Look . . ." His words were lost in coughing, and he spat out blood. "Can you see it?"
Litouten had pulled himself up to a sitting position, but his face was blank, stunned. Clearly he hadn't expected this. Who could have?
Nataku's hand opened and fell, releasing Gokuu's wrist, and Nataku's eyes closed.
"Hey -- where? Where is it?" Gokuu grabbed for Nataku's shoulders, shaking the unconscious child. "You gotta . . ."
We have to get out of here, Konzen thought, mind suddenly working again with a vicious cool clarity which would have surprised him if he'd had any spare time or thought for surprise. We have a moment before Litouten comes out of shock and orders Gokuu arrested or killed, and I am Kanzeon Bosatsu's nephew and have that much authority to use, but after that -- He caught Gokuu's shoulder and pulled. The blood that was pooling across the floor squelched under his sandals.
". . . stand up," Gokuu was still saying, desperate, uncomprehending. "You gotta tell me, cause I can't see it . . ."
He doesn't understand injury, he doesn't understand death. "We have to go now." Konzen went down on one knee to pick Gokuu up in his arms. On the other side of Nataku, one of the military officers was trying to stop the bleeding, a pale man in pale robes with his eyes shut and with light glimmering at the edge of the lids like the lightning which edged stormclouds. He didn't even spare Konzen a nod. Konzen didn't return one. "Gokuu. Come on."
Gokuu was still trying to hold onto Nataku. The officer reached across with one pale hand and broke Gokuu's grip.
"Now," Konzen said desperately. He pushed himself upwards, knowing how ungainly he was, but for once not caring, and turned to stagger towards the great doors.
In the background, Litouten was shaking his head, comprehension slowly coming into his eyes. The Great Minister rose to his feet, and said to the pale officer, "My son -- how is he?"
Gokuu buried his head in Konzen's shoulder, his tiny body shaking with hiccupping sobs. Hot tears soaked into Konzen's robes, and the blood still on Gokuu's hands smeared dark foulness on the white silk.
Konzen drew himself up to his full height and walked past the guards. They looked at him for a moment -- I am Konzen Douji, nephew of Kanzeon Bosatsu, and you are nothing next to me -- and did not try to stop him.
Outside there was a fragile silence, but behind him the throng still in the hall buzzed like frantic wasps. There was no time. Time had run out. He had to find Tenpou, or Kenren, or even Homura, or even his aunt. He had to do something.
"Konzen -- Konzen, will Nataku be okay?" Gokuu asked tearfully.
No, he won't. "Yes." No, he won't, and I have to protect you somehow before you're killed for it.
---
Morning court was --
"Hush," he whispered angrily to Gokuu.
Morning court, Konzen decided, was --
"Not now," he added furiously. "Just keep quiet."
Morning court was among the things he usually tried to avoid, and rightly so. If it wasn't for the fact that he hadn't been able to find Tenpou anywhere else, he wouldn't have bothered coming along, and even now he wasn't convinced that it had been a good idea. All the less so because Gokuu had insisted on coming along, had refused to be left behind, and was needing increasingly loud whispers of Shut up! to stop him from saying or doing anything irretrievable.
"I should have left you back at the office," he muttered, "and I'll take you back there if you don't shut up now!"
Gokuu clung to his legs and eased round behind him. He could imagine the monkey's face, a combination of oh Konzen please Konzen please please Konzen and I'm so sorry Konzen and what did I do wrong anyhow Konzen, all at the same time and somehow not disagreeing with each other.
"Bah." He looked over at where the Bodhisattvas would be sitting, had they chosen to attend, but they weren't and they hadn't. If he wanted to go and question Kanzeon Bosatsu, he'd have to seek hir out in hir own territory. The thought irritated him.
The rest of the court was much as usual -- no, wait, that was the first toushin taishi over there, Nataku, next to his father and apparently healthy again. Several army officials hovered nearby, though their attention was clearly more on Litouten than on his son. Litouten himself seemed pleased about something, as sleek and purring as an overfed cat.
No sign of the toushin he'd helped get into place. Konzen had to reluctantly concede some sense to Homura, if Homura was avoiding court on purpose.
The situation had grown more and more tense over the last few days. Konzen was aware that there were things which Tenpou wasn't telling him, but he wasn't quite prepared to ask what they were yet. He'd actually done something -- supported Homura's nomination, backed Tenpou's request -- to try to protect Gokuu, but he wasn't sure if it was going to work. Yet again, he wished that he'd locked Gokuu in his office rather than let the brat trail after him to court.
He felt far too exposed.
There was also -- also? -- the point that Litouten's position didn't seem noticeably weakened. It was more, perhaps, that the Great Minister hadn't managed to expand it any further. Which in itself is something, I suppose, he thought grudgingly. He'd been backtracking Litouten's rise through the bureaucracy, and it was really quite impressive. If he hadn't disliked the man on general principles, he'd have wanted him in his own department. A bit of family disgrace had nothing to do with ability to work. Litouten's rise had been steady, though not so fast as to draw the eye or alert his superiors to a potential rival. Then a pause for a while -- the period when Litouten had realised that his family's shame, whatever it was, wouldn't let him get any higher, presumably, and when he'd been looking for some other way to advance. And then the arrival of Nataku, and -- well, and the current situation.
When Tenpou hadn't shown up in his office this morning, as he'd requested yesterday in a series of notes, Konzen had decided that he'd track the Marshal down himself for a conversation. The situation was not improving. If this meant that Konzen had to go to morning court to find him, so much the worse for Tenpou.
No, the situation wasn't improving. There were orders being issued through the bureaucracy that Konzen couldn't trace. He knew that they were going through, he could track their passage like sharks in the water, and he was aware that something was being arranged, but he couldn't find out what. It irritated him, but more, it worried him.
He became conscious that Litouten was looking towards him, and murmuring to his son, and now Nataku had those unchancy golden eyes fixed on him as well . . .
. . . no. Not on him. On Gokuu.
Abruptly Konzen decided that they would be better out of there. He bent down to tell Gokuu, "We're leaving. Now. We'll find the others later."
"But I want to see Ten-chan and Ken-nichan!" Gokuu wailed. He pulled at Konzen's tunic hopefully, then somehow managed to wriggle around him before Konzen could stop him. "And that's Nataku! I want to talk to Nataku --"
"Hush," Konzen hissed between his teeth, grabbing for Gokuu's shoulder. "Be quiet or you'll get hurt --"
But Gokuu was already dashing across the floor, running towards Nataku and Litouten, and for the first time Konzen knew the true meaning of the word horror, in the sense of seeing what was going to happen and not being able to stop it, being a moment too slow, a second too far behind.
"Nataku!" Gokuu's voice was childishly clear in the sudden shocked silence. "Nataku, I was trying to see you -- they wouldn't let me come, I wanted to, but you're all right now, aren't you, and it'll be okay . . ."
Litouten looked down at Gokuu. "This child -- someone's been letting him run wild. He's out of his depth. But no matter." He turned to Nataku. "Kill him. Here and now."
"You . . . bastard!" Gokuu threw himself at Litouten, hitting and scratching, and the Great Minister tumbled backwards under the child's weight, landing in an untidy sprawl of clothes.
Konzen stood there, frozen with shock and uncertainty. Where did he learn that language. Kenren. Of course. This isn't supposed to be happening. Litouten's minions are taking their time about picking him up. Gokuu. I have to get Gokuu out of here.
"This is your fault, telling Nataku weird stuff like this!" Gokuu crowed triumphantly, sitting on Litouten's chest. He turned towards the other child. "Nata--"
Nataku's eyes were as clear and as distant as the autumn moon. He reached out with one pale hand to grasp Gokuu's wrist. "Get away from my father."
Silence spreading like ripples now, not the earlier silence of shock, but the deeper silence of fear.
"My father is my lord," Nataku continued, and even Konzen could feel the growing swell of power around him. "Whatever he tells me to do, whatever he does to me, my father is my reason for living." His great sword appeared in his free hand, balanced as easily as a ribboned toy. "Whoever harms my father, no matter who it is --"
-- and Konzen wanted to shout to Gokuu to get away from the killing puppet, but there was no breath in his lungs to do it, and his heart was beating so fast that he could not speak --
"-- I'll kill him."
Gokuu looked at Nataku, and there was nothing but trust in his eyes. Nataku's sword might as well have been a toy, and the whole hall with silenced courtiers and trembling guards, just a field of flowers. "Nataku," he said, smiling. "Nataku. About my name . . ."
Nataku's sword touched the metal plate at Gokuu's neck.
"I'm Gokuu. Nice to meet you."
As if there were nothing to be afraid of. Konzen should move, he knew it, he wanted to, but fear held him tighter than chains. As if there were no reason why he should be afraid.
The two children were frozen in their own tableau. Slowly, slowly as death itself, Nataku said, "Gokuu . . ." It might have been a question. It might have been an answer.
In a flash of steel, Nataku reversed his blade, and sliced into his own shoulder. Blood jetted out, splashing against Gokuu's face, and Nataku fell to the ground in a slow crumple of pale robes, the blade tumbling from his hand to clatter on the marble.
Gokuu shrieked, jumping off Litouten, and threw himself on his knees next to Nataku. "Nataku? Nataku!"
There was screaming in the background, screaming and shouts and questions, but Konzen didn't hear them. He was running towards Gokuu, able to move at last.
Nataku grabbed at Gokuu's wrist. "Gokuu -- it's not over there . . . it's here. Look . . ." His words were lost in coughing, and he spat out blood. "Can you see it?"
Litouten had pulled himself up to a sitting position, but his face was blank, stunned. Clearly he hadn't expected this. Who could have?
Nataku's hand opened and fell, releasing Gokuu's wrist, and Nataku's eyes closed.
"Hey -- where? Where is it?" Gokuu grabbed for Nataku's shoulders, shaking the unconscious child. "You gotta . . ."
We have to get out of here, Konzen thought, mind suddenly working again with a vicious cool clarity which would have surprised him if he'd had any spare time or thought for surprise. We have a moment before Litouten comes out of shock and orders Gokuu arrested or killed, and I am Kanzeon Bosatsu's nephew and have that much authority to use, but after that -- He caught Gokuu's shoulder and pulled. The blood that was pooling across the floor squelched under his sandals.
". . . stand up," Gokuu was still saying, desperate, uncomprehending. "You gotta tell me, cause I can't see it . . ."
He doesn't understand injury, he doesn't understand death. "We have to go now." Konzen went down on one knee to pick Gokuu up in his arms. On the other side of Nataku, one of the military officers was trying to stop the bleeding, a pale man in pale robes with his eyes shut and with light glimmering at the edge of the lids like the lightning which edged stormclouds. He didn't even spare Konzen a nod. Konzen didn't return one. "Gokuu. Come on."
Gokuu was still trying to hold onto Nataku. The officer reached across with one pale hand and broke Gokuu's grip.
"Now," Konzen said desperately. He pushed himself upwards, knowing how ungainly he was, but for once not caring, and turned to stagger towards the great doors.
In the background, Litouten was shaking his head, comprehension slowly coming into his eyes. The Great Minister rose to his feet, and said to the pale officer, "My son -- how is he?"
Gokuu buried his head in Konzen's shoulder, his tiny body shaking with hiccupping sobs. Hot tears soaked into Konzen's robes, and the blood still on Gokuu's hands smeared dark foulness on the white silk.
Konzen drew himself up to his full height and walked past the guards. They looked at him for a moment -- I am Konzen Douji, nephew of Kanzeon Bosatsu, and you are nothing next to me -- and did not try to stop him.
Outside there was a fragile silence, but behind him the throng still in the hall buzzed like frantic wasps. There was no time. Time had run out. He had to find Tenpou, or Kenren, or even Homura, or even his aunt. He had to do something.
"Konzen -- Konzen, will Nataku be okay?" Gokuu asked tearfully.
No, he won't. "Yes." No, he won't, and I have to protect you somehow before you're killed for it.
---
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