There was a moment of silence as the news sank in.
"Where is he?" Tasuki asked. "How is he? Why the hell didn't he write to tell me?"
These last words came out through clenched teeth. Aiko put a hand on her husband's arm.
"I told him that I would be happy to write to you for him, but he refused," Houki said.
"That damn monk's feeling sorry for himself again," Tasuki muttered.
No one spoke for a moment and Keiko suddenly wondered if she wanted to be there. The tension in the room was thick. From Tasuki's reaction she gathered that he and Chichiri were acquaintances, and very likely good friends.
"What's wrong with him?" Tasuki asked in a more subdued tone.
The door nearest Houki opened admitting an elderly gentleman with a long grey beard. He moved to stand next to Houki and Boushin and bowed to Tasuki.
"I believe what ails Chichiri-sama is a form of melancholy," the man said.
"This is the court physician," Houki said. "He's been taking care of Chichiri for the past few months."
"I've only seen Chichiri melancholy a handful of times in all the time we've known each other," Tasuki fumed, "and each time he pulled out of it. Now you're telling me he's been like this for five years?"
Houki gestured for another chair to be brought to the table so the old gentleman could sit.
"Perhaps you should tell them everything that happened, Han-sensei," the Empress said to the physician.
Han, the physician, took a seat, then looked at Tasuki, Aiko, and Keiko.
"A few weeks after he came back from you wedding, Tasuki-sama, Chichiri-sama left. He didn't tell anyone that he was going, he just left a note where one of the servants would find it. The note only said that he had begun to wander again and that he would stop in at the palace from time to time. His Highness had the guards that were on duty that night questioned to see if they had seen Chichiri-sama leave, and two of them said that they had seen him in the Shrine of Suzaku. He was weeping."
The room was silent for a moment, as Tasuki, Aiko, and Keiko digested the news.
"I had Chichiri-san's room kept the way it was," Boushin said. "I wanted him to feel that he always had a place to come back to."
"Thank you, heika," Tasuki said.
"Servants would report seeing Chichiri-san from time to time," Boushin continued. "Always when I tried to go see him, he was gone. Usually he was seen in the Shrine of Suzaku, and other times going to or leaving his room. I was never able to speak with him."
The young Emperor paused in his recitation and motioned for the physician to continue.
"About three months ago, Chichiri-sama appeared in the Shrine," Han said. "He had lost a lot of weight and he collapsed before anyone could speak with him. He had a high fever and a terrible cough. He was immediately put into my care and I have tended him ever since."
Tasuki continued to ask question, but Keiko tuned out the rest of the conversation. She smiled to herself. Now she knew why she was here. To help Chichiri heal from his illness.
"Can we see him?" Tasuki asked, bringing Keiko's attention back to the present.
"If he is awake, then yes," the physician said. "Otherwise, I ask that you wait until later."
Tasuki nodded his agreement and the physician left with a bow. Keiko remained silent while Tasuki, Aiko, Houki, and Boushin chatted and caught up with each other. Servants came bearing a trays with lunch and conversation continued while they ate. Keiko had never tasted food so good. The sauces were light and tasty, enhancing the flavor of the food they graced instead of covering it. The noodles were cooked to perfection and the vegetables were crisp and fresh. Han-sensei returned at the end of the meal.
"I'm afraid that Chichiri-sama is sleeping right now. I'll have someone check in on him from time to time and let you know the moment he wakes up."
He bowed and left. Tasuki pushed a piece of fish around his plate with a thoughtful look on his face. He set his chopsticks down and turned to Aiko and Keiko.
"Would you ladies like a tour of the palace while we're waiting for Chichiri to wake up?"
Aiko nodded enthusiastically while Keiko merely nodded once. It wasn't that she wasn't excited to see the palace, but the trip had been long, and all she really wanted to do was sleep. Boushin stood and excused himself, saying that he'd been putting off his duties long enough.
"I hope you will join me later for dinner," the young Emperor said.
Tasuki agreed that they would. Houki too, excused herself and left.
"Guess it's just us," Tasuki said with a grin.
He rose motioning for Aiko and Keiko to follow him. The red-head showed them all around the palace. From the smaller audience chambers, to the throne room, though they only took a peek before moving on, ending the tour at the Shrine of Suzaku. Reverently, Tasuki pushed one of the doors open so that they could go inside.
Keiko looked around the large room. A beautifully tiled mosaic covered most of the floor, depicting the four cardinal directions and the constellations that guarded each point. The walls were hung with silken tapestries that billowed gently in the breeze from the open door. Tasuki led them into the shrine and paused before a huge golden statue of the phoenix god, Suzaku. Keiko was awed by the workmanship of the statue. The delicately wrought tail feathers of the god seemed to sway in the breeze from the door and the noble eyes pierced one to the very center of the soul.
"Suzaku," Tasuki said in a reverent voice.
"It's magnificent," Aiko whispered.
A soft noise behind them made them turn. There in the doorway to the shrine stood a man. He was dressed in a simple yukatta with straw sandals on his feet. His hands were folded into the sleeves of his yukatta and he seemed not to notice them. Backlit as he was by the sunset from outside, they could not get a good look at his face. Tasuki started forward, but stopped when Keiko moved past him. She paused a few feet from the man, who still seemed unaware that there were others in the shrine.
"Houjun."
The man looked up sharply, bringing his face into the light. His lone eye was wide in shock, the other sealed by a horrendous scar. Keiko saw his lips move, but didn't hear a sound. The world was suddenly spinning and Keiko felt herself falling, falling down into blackness.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Later that night, a cloaked man left the palace. He moved like a man who had something to hide, always looking over his shoulder. He moved into the seedier part of the city and ducked into a tavern. He moved to a table in a shadowy corner where seven other men waited.
"What did you find out?" a man of medium build with a full beard asked.
The cloaked man pushed his hood back and grinned. "The one we're after shouldn't give us any trouble. He's very weak at the moment."
"What about his friend?" another man asked. "I've heard that the other warrior is here from Reikaku-zan."
"He shouldn't be a problem. He's staying in a different part of the palace. There is something else that might interest you though, Cho-Yen"
"Nani?" the bearded man asked.
"It seems that a girl from the mikos' world has arrived here. Might it not be prudent to take her with us?"
"A woman, no matter what world she comes from, would be a hindrance," the bearded man, Cho-Yen, said.
"This one is different though," the cloaked man insisted. "At least give it some thought. Double the ransom money, eh?"
"I will consider it."
The cloaked man nodded and rose. "I'll see you tomorrow night then the north gate of the palace."
The men around the table nodded and the cloaked man slipped outside and disappeared into the night.
