Disclaimer: Twelve Kingdoms world, plot, and characters legally belongs to Ono Fuyumi.
I made some changes to chapter 3. They're not, however, enough to make my readers go 'huh?' later in the stories (...uh, I hope not), just hint-like details about the new characters. I didn't like the relationship between Karyuu and Rinchu, so I altered it a little.
Kei-Ou Youko laid aside a newly written order to dry, and stood up to stretch. She noticed it was late afternoon, and the world had on a fierce glow. When she just began to rule, her office was quite spacious and clean, and had one table in it. Now the individual shelves in her office were mostly filled, and she played with the thought of adding tables. Next to her own office were that of the sankou's[1], and that of the taiho. Keiki's probably still in Ei Province, she thought, and Rakushun should have been at his house by today. She wondered too if he got home safely. At that moment the taishi[2] entered her office, carrying a letter. She walked up to receive it personally from the thin, old man. "Enho," she said after quickly reading through the letter. Only when Keiki was not within earshot could she call the scholar by his name. The taiho was very uncompromising about rules, one part of him that sometimes got on her nerves. "There's a lieutenant Batou asking for my kindheartedness and re-admittance into formal service," she past the letter back to Enho.
Enho scanned the letter. "He said he was serving under the Lord of You province, but fled with some of his men at the final year of Yo-Ou. He claimed to have left upon disappointment with the government at that time," he looked up from the letter calmly at Her Highness' young face.
"Were there a lot of runaway military officers?" Kei-Ou asked.
"It was not unheard of, but not so much so that it was common," the taishi answered.
"If he ever feels I should be ruling with trouble, he might pack up and leave again. I don't see what good there is to have someone like that working for me,"
"I might suggest otherwise," said Enho, "Kei has been in confusion since the final years of Yo-Ou. Years of corruptions require a lot of power, and time, to cure. As authentic as Shuujo are Kei's new Ou, some people are still uncertain, and some are still mindless of laws. It is much as possible that there be other riots. Batou has his little fame in You province as a powerful warrior. Perhaps his morals aren't as well trained as his muscles (here the taishi and Kei-Ou shared a mischievous little smile), but his abilities are undoubted, therefore I recommend Shuujo to use people for their abilities over their morals. Forthwith, Shuujo might wish to consider questing for and using people of exceptional abilities, for the time is quite chaotic yet."
Kei-Ou was silent for a second, and then she smiled. "I don't really like doing so, but you have a good point. I'll accept lieutenant Batou's reenlistment," she dampened her brush in a sculptured inkstand bigger than both of her palms – an unnecessary luxury to her like many other things bestowed upon her enthronement. She gently tapped the end of her brush on her chin while composing in her head a reply letter to lieutenant Batou. Stopping the motions, she added, "I should like to speak with him as well."
"As of now lieutenant Batou is camping outside the city gates with a troop of one hundred, waiting for Shuujo's reply. His messenger is in waiting room," said Enho.
"I'll see him tomorrow at noon," said Youko as she finished writing. She allowed the ink a few seconds to dry, added the royal seal, and secured the letter, "Please give this to lieutenant Batou's messenger for me."
The taishi bowed with the letter in both hands, and exited her office. Kei-Ou watched him walked out of her office's door frame, and looked back down at the unread documents, but made no move. She picked up her brush, doodled a bit on a screwed up letter, and suddenly stood up defiantly. "Well I'm hungry. Guess I'll have a break!" she said out loud to apparently no one but her diligent half of self, strode out of the door, and
"AUGH!!!"
Hankyou's long, unsmiling face was but a finger's length away from her own, his thin, long eyes pierced through hers like two knives. "Shuujo," he said without moving a muscle in his face, "Is there something you need?" Like master, like sirei[3].
"No… I thought I might take a break…," said Youko, bewildered by the unusual intense care from the sirei. She turned around to walk down the other end of the aisle, and came face to face with Hyanki's big, grinning face. Jakko, the rabbit-like little youma sat on his shoulder with innocent big eyes. Behind him, the taiho[4] and the taisai[5] had both rushed out of their adjacent office, hearing her bellow, and looked both as confused as she was.
"Would you like one of us to accompany you?" Hyanki asked, trying to look kind, but, alas, he was born with a face that petrified crying babies.
"No," Youko stated, and gave her two advisors an all-is-well with her hands, "Why aren't any of you with Keiki?"
"Taiho said he will be fine with his works, and has sent us to assist you," Hankyou replied.
Can you read a file? No. Can you use my seal? No. Can you write? No. Do you even have hands? No. Youko began counting off in her head. She noticed her deteriorating mood, and reminded herself not to get carried away by exhaustion. "I think I'll call this the day. I'm going for dinner," said Kei-Ou. She started to walk past Hyanki, and when she felt the two shireis moving toward her, she turned back and put her foot down, "And don't you follow me!" Both sireis shrunk back at the royal order and sat together while their eyes followed Her Highness until she turned a corner. Jakko, the rabbit-like sirei Keiki had caught as demonstration, danced down the path of Kei-Ou in invisibility.
"Really," Kei-Ou complained loudly to her two friends, "It isn't as if I run away all the time like En-Ou. Even Enki doesn't keep so close of two eyes on his emperor."
"Since you slipped away without warning last time despite taiho's request for you to stay," Shoukei reminded her empress, "He seems to have become afraid that you're picking up on a bad habit."
"And you aren't, are you?" Suzu asked. She sat next to the dark-hair ex-princess on her bed, leaning back on her hands, while the owner of the room sat properly with her knees together and a cup of tea in her hands. Night had fallen since Youko left her office.
"Of course not!" Youko puffed once and stood up from a chair next to Shoukei's window. Too much of the sceneries were lost to darkness to sit there for. She began pacing very slowly, as if window shopping, a sign that her thoughts were flying with seriousness and business in mind, "I want to investigate the gathering bandits at the southern border myself. They got quite a reputation that even reaches Gyouten. I need to do something about it, in case it turns out to be another rebellion." When she said that, an involuntary smile flowered on her face at the memory of her first rebellion upon ruling this country. The eyes of the other two girls met, and they smiled as well. They found it hard to believe they actually risked the crime of revolts.
"You have to do everything yourself, don't you?" said Suzu, "Watch out don't over work."
"When are you leaving?" Shoukei asked.
Youko stopped pacing, "I thought of leaving earlier this evening…"
"…before Taiho returns?" continued Suzu with a mischievous grin.
She looked like a child caught in action taking cookies out of a jar before snack time, and denied too quickly to be convincing, "No, I wasn't…besides, I'll be meeting an escaped military officer tomorrow, so I won't be able to leave until the day after." She proceeded to explain about lieutenant Batou to her girlfriends.
"Will you be telling the taiho about this?" Shoukei asked, "He might want to join you for lunch. After all, you're meeting with a military officer who deserted his responsibility to his Ou."
"Then I'll just limit his men outside the city gates, and his sword outside the dinning room," Youko said, "And besides, if anything happens I still have the Hinman." She thought about the pending lecturing and persuading between her 'servant' and her, and sighed. Keiki was, naturally, always worried about her, and made a fuss whenever she wanted be outside Kinpakyou without him. It couldn't be helped. He drew too much attention. Sometimes, she felt like the 'servent'-emperess relationship was reversed.
"Would you like us to go with you?" Shoukei asked, "Taiho might be less worried if you aren't alone."
"And more people can gather more information," Suzu added.
"Sounds good," said Youko, "Come have dinner with me. I'll talk to Keiki about this later."
[1] The three advisors of the emperor/ess of a country who served directly under the saiho (taiho, the kirin)
[2] One of three advisors.
[3] Sirei: youmas submitted to a kirin for his/her command.
[4] Not the kirin taiho, but one of the sankou. Its kanji is different than the commonly known title of saiho.
[5] One of the sankou.