Review Responses:
Dark Purity-I actually thought of using their last names, but I used the names I did for the purpose of medieval European authenticity, and also to distinguish them from their actual Tenipuri counterparts...although I sometimes forget which name to use while I'm writing... ;;;
Ammeh-I'm glad that you liked it! I'm trying to make it good thus far, and I hope it continues that way! Also, as to the Eiji/Oishi comment...I'm a Golden Pair fan myself, as well as a Tezuka/Fuji fan, although I won't say more than that! Oh, and I think I'll take your advice and put a note about the names in the first chapter! Thank you!
-Heir's Choice, Chapter Two-
Kaoru was woken early the next morning by a gentle shaking and a "Beg pardon, milord, but you asked me to wake you before fifth stroke today." The young manservant, Katsuo, sounded sleepy himself, and for good reason. It was a full three strokes before Kaoru usually asked to be gotten out of bed, and the sky was still dim and gray out the window.
Kaoru nodded. "Thank you, Katsuo," he said, forcing himself out from under his warm, down-filled comforter. The days were warm now, at the tail-end of summer, but the nights had a chill nip to them, and night was not truly done at the moment.
"Welcome, milord," Katsuo replied with a bow, and left to the sitting room to prepare Kaoru's clothing for the day. Kaoru sat up in bed, running a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet contacted cold stone, and he winced. The sun hadn't come up to warm the grey stones yet.
Hastily he stood and looked around for his slippers to wear for a bit, until he put on his boots. They were across the room by Kaoru's personal fireplace, which was nothing but a pile of ashes until the colder winds of winter arrived. Kaoru tried not to flinch with every step he took on the near-freezing floor, and it was bliss when he reached the slippers and put them on.
Katsuo re-entered the room with Kaoru's preferred sword-practice wear, plain brown trews and a green tunic, with a simple belt and short boots, and the leather practice armor. "Do you need-" Katsuo yawned, then looked utterly horrified with himself. "S-sorry, milord, it's just the time. I haven't properly woke yet, and-"
"It's all right," Kaoru told the boy, knowing that the young one's apologies were often longer and more self-effacing than was really necessary. "It is a bit early." Kaoru rubbed tiredly at his own eyes, which refused to stay open.
"Yes, milord," Katsuo said, with a grateful smile. "I was just wondering, do you want me to stay and help with your armor and your belt and all?"
Kaoru shook his head. Sometimes he did like the help with all the fastenings and buckles, but more often he wanted to do it himself. "No thank you, but if you'd please bring me a basin of water, I'd very much appreciate it."
Katsuo dipped his head, eager to please as ever, even so early as this. "Yes, milord." He left the room at a quick trot, hand raising to suppress another yawn.
Kaoru stripped out of his sleeping clothes, white, loose and comfortable, made of good linen. He shivered when the pre-dawn air touched his bare skin, and did not hesitate in pulling on his day clothing. He'd only been up this early once before, when his mother had started birthing Hazue, and he'd been so little then that he barely remembered it. He certainly hadn't remembered it as being quite this cold. He sat down to change his slippers for his boots so that his feet wouldn't have to touch the floor again.
Katsuo returned again, this time with careful, easy steps as he balanced a porcelain bowl filled with water. "It's cold, milord," he warned. "It's all I could get, sorry..."
Kaoru nodded acknowledgment. Cold was fine, although he inwardly dreaded the feel of it. It would wake him up, though, which was what he needed. Katsuo held the basin as Kaoru steeled himself, then used his hands to splash the water up onto his face. The liquid was colder than the stone floor, frigid as snow, and Kaoru shivered again despite himself. It had woken him up a bit more, however, and that was all he could ask.
"Th-thank you," Kaoru managed after he was done. Katsuo took that as the dismissal it was and left the room to empty the bowl. He paused on the threshold of the door, calling back over his shoulder, "Do you need anything else, milord?"
Kaoru considered for a moment. He was hungry, but his past experiences told him that it wasn't wise to eat so soon before exercising. "No, thank you, Katsuo," Kaoru told the boy, who then exited the room.
Kaoru himself left the room through his sitting room several minutes later. The keep's corridors were odd when they were so deserted. His footsteps echoed almost eerily all through the empty hall. The cousins were all still asleep in their barracks-style shared bedrooms, which Kaoru was privileged not to share as well.
Some of the servants were awake, however. Kaoru heard voices whispering and soft footfalls somewhere along the way, and saw a groups of maids carrying laundry. They quickly silenced when they saw him, lowering their eyes to the floor as he passed, shooting only sideways, coy glances in his direction. Kaoru ignored them as he usually did, even when they started murmuring and giggling his name as soon as he was ten paces away. They flirted with him persistently whenever they were performing some task in his vicinity, and the only way Kaoru could tolerate it was to pay them no mind. Takeshi, of course, loved the attention and flirted right back, as did most of Kaoru's other cousins.
The clash of blades was a far more welcome sound as Kaoru pushed open the outside door, forgetting to dodge the shower of dust that always fell from it. He was still brushing it out of his hair when he walked out to see Captain Kunimitsu exchanging blows with a smaller brunette man. Syuusuke, Kaoru tentatively identified him, the one who'd wagered with Lady Sumire on his and the captain's fight.
Kunimitsu used the sword style with which Kaoru was familiar, with a medium-length blade and the standard parries, ripostes, and footwork. Syuusuke used a different style altogether. He held only a short dagger, a weapon Kaoru would have thought useless against a sword of any size.
But Syuusuke used the tiny blade to best effect. He did not block Kunimitsu's blows so much as let them flow off his weapon like water. He darted and dodged, lithe and graceful, looking as though he wasn't even expending much effort.
The captain circled Syuusuke warily, sword at the ready, hunting for an opening. Syuusuke stayed where he was, smiling slightly, in a fighter's half-crouch. The other guardsmen watched, talking softly amongst themselves. Everyone's breath fogged and turned to smoke in the morning air.
There was a collective gasp as Syuusuke suddenly lunged, impossibly fast, at the captain. But Kunimitsu had evidently been expecting just that, because his sword also moved at that precise instant. It took Kaoru a moment to register what had just happened, it was so quick.
Syuusuke was behind Kunimitsu, dagger in a position to cut the other's throat. The captain had flicked his blade upward so that it, too, was resting at his opponent's jugular.
A good-natured laugh spread through the crowd of watchers. Syuusuke laughed as well, despite his precarious position. Even Kunimitsu smiled slightly, a sight that made Kaoru blink and look a second time. It was rare that the captain looked so happy. "A draw again, Syuusuke," Kunimitsu said dryly, lowering his sword.
"Yes indeed," Syuusuke replied with a chuckle. "You can still catch me, even when I use all my tricks, Captain." He removed the knife from where it rested, slipping it into a sheath at his belt.
"The rest of you, continue," the captain ordered the guardsmen. "You've had enough of a break, I believe." The groan that followed this was just as good-natured as the laughter had been. The men, some of whom had been leaning on their blade-down swords, picked up their weapons and began performing drills with their comrades.
The captain caught sight of Kaoru and beckoned him over. Kaoru jogged to the center of the packed-earth practice yard, approaching Kunimitsu and Syuusuke.
"Kaoru," Kunimitsu said, reverting to the way he usually behaved, stoic and very properly military. Kaoru felt a pang of guilt for having intruding on the time that the guard spent alone, without children or nobility. But he paid careful attention to Kunimitsu's words, pushing his guilt to the back of his mind.
"You've improved very much in traditional sword-style, as far as I believe is necessary, and perhaps beyond that," the captain said, as close to a compliment as he would ever come. "If you don't object, I would like Syuusuke to train you in his discipline."
"Yes, sir," Kaoru said, inclining his head. "I wouldn't object, sir." He tried to stop himself looking at Syuusuke, whose smile had been ever-present since he'd started guard duty at the manor, two or three years earlier. Kaoru did not know the man well, but his fighting style intrigued the young heir. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite place what it was...
Syuusuke's melodious, near-feminine voice answered his unspoken thought a moment later, startling Kaoru immensely. "I was formerly an assassin with the Griffon's Pride mercenary company," he told Kaoru. "I wasn't often involved in close combat myself, but when I was, there was often only a dagger or knife within reach."
That made sense with what Kaoru had learned in his books and lessons. He thought of the tactics books he'd read, both the ones belonging to his father and the more colorful ones he'd read with Lady Sumire and on his own. An assassin, he remembered, could frequently be caught with only a small weapon, one easier to conceal than a sword.
"I'm also not very heavily built, as you can see," Syuusuke continued, with a sweeping gesture at himself. He was extraordinarily slight, although what Kaoru could see was all muscle. "Although you won't necessarily have that problem, you could still easily encounter an enemy who outweighs you at some point. As a nobleman, too, there may be times when all you can carry is a dagger."
Kaoru nodded slowly. That also made complete sense. If he was ever to travel to court at the capital, he would only be allowed a dagger or a knife in the king's presence, and only a ceremonial one at that. This fighting style of Syuusuke's would undoubtedly be useful to know, even if he never actually needed to use it. "Yes, sir."
Syuusuke repressed a laugh, although not a mean-spirited one. "No 'sir' milord, please. I'm sure our Captain appreciates the formality, but I'm hardly a captain."
"A-all right," Kaoru replied awkwardly, not sure what he i should /I call the man. "Syuusuke" certainly wouldn't be properly respectful. "Guard?" Somehow, that didn't sound right either. Kaoru settled for nothing at all for the moment, saying only "All right," again.
"Here," and Syuusuke flipped him the knife that he'd been using when he fought with the Captain. Kaoru caught it fairly easily by the hilt; he had good coordination even at the worst of times.
"Now, I'm sure the Captain has taught you how to fall without hurting yourself," Syuusuke said. Kaoru glanced to where Kunimitsu had been, but the man was already gone, correcting another guardsman defensive stance on the other side of the yard. "Yes, he has, s-" Kaoru cut himself off mid-word. "Yes." It had been one of the first things they'd all learned, how to drop to the ground while leaving all the muscles loose, so that the worst injury done to oneself was mild bruising.
"Well then, this shouldn't be too difficult," said Syuusuke pleasantly. "The main part of the assassin's technique is, of course, avoidance, as opposed to blocking. It's impossible to block a larger sword properly with only a knife. One way to avoid is to roll to the ground, but you must be able to get back to your feet i immediately /I and to end up where you want to be. And," he added, eyes sparkling, "you must also avoid stabbing yourself with your own weapon. You can't roll with a sword, but you can roll with a dagger, although it's difficult."
"All right," Kaoru said, thinking it through. He studied the knife as he did so, wondering how it would be best to roll safely with it.
"Now, I won't actually have a sword, but I'll come at you as though I did," Syuusuke told him. "I want you to use whatever sort of roll you want to avoid me. I would like to see if you have any bad habits that will hinder you here, that's the purpose of this exercise."
Kaoru found himself starting to like this man. He explained everything as thoroughly as Captain Kunimitsu did, gave Kaoru reasons for everything. Kaoru appreciated being treated as an equal in this way. "Yes, s-" Kaoru said, and cut himself off again, then went into a ready stance.
The exercise wasn't nearly as simple as it seemed, as Kaoru had half-suspected. The first time Syuusuke came at him, Kaoru rolled and ended up with the point of the dagger in his ribs, where it would have killed or severely injured him if it had been sharpened.
"Not a bad roll," Syuusuke said, not reaching down a hand to help him up, which Kaoru appreciated. He liked to do things on his own, and the look on the other man's face said that he knew that was true. "But you see that you need to keep track of where your weapon will be at all times." Kaoru got to his feet, his ribs protesting their newly-bruised state.
Kaoru spent the rest of the morning in this exercise, dropping and rolling then returning smoothly to a fighting crouch. It didn't look so difficult when Syuusuke did it, but Kaoru found it left painful marks comparable to those caused by the swing of a broadsword. It was hard to avoid his own knife, as Syuusuke had said, and although the blade was dull it was still unforgiving.
By the time Syuusuke called a halt, Kaoru was panting, nearly to the end of his endurance. "I think you'll find," he informed Kaoru with a smile, "that you'll be in need of a good breakfast, milord. Make sure you eat plenty."
Kaoru was sweating and exhausted, and felt he'd barely be able to manage a single bowl of porridge. But he gasped out, "Thank you, sir," unable to stop himself calling the other man "sir" in time. Syuusuke didn't complain, however, merely nodded, smiled, and took the dagger from Kaoru's clenched hand. Kaoru flexed the muscles of his fingers, which had seized up around the weapon's hilt, and winced. They'd be painful the rest of the day, probably longer.
The guardsmen had also finished practice, and they were joking among themselves as they walked out of the training yard. They were going back to their posts, Kaoru thought wearily, not sure how anyone could stand to practice so early and then stand duty. He walked in the opposite direction they did, unconsciously heading for the back meadow that had been in his thoughts the previous night.
Kaoru stopped the instant he saw his target destination. The bright, colorful wagons in the back field reminded him that he did not yet have permission to visit the Travelers...although really, he had not been expressly forbidden, either. It wasn't past curfew, as it had been the night before, and the Travelers in their camp already looked bustling and busy, feeding and watering horses by the small stream. There was music that reached Kaoru's ears also; someone was usually playing or singing at all hours when the Travelers camped here.
Kaoru made up his mind to stop by for a few minutes only. It was still half a stroke until breakfast would be served in the Hall, and it was unlikely anyone at the keep would notice him missing yet. He hadn't brought any coin with him, besides; it wasn't as though he'd even be defying his father's wishes in regards to the books. He'd only say hello to a few of the Travelers he knew by name and tell them he'd be by later.
The younger children, playing in the grass at the edge of the camp, watched him out of bright, curious eyes as he passed by them. They were unafraid of strangers, living the life they did, one in which they saw new people near every moon-phase.
A few of the sentry-dogs barked when he passed the edge of the first wagon, going to their masters to alert them to the newcomer. Kaoru whistled once as he'd been taught in previous years, a strange whistle made by putting the tongue against the roof of the mouth, and the dogs quieted. But of course, his presence had already been announced, and heads turned to him from every direction.
The one who actually walked over to him was a fairly tall, light-haired boy, just a little older than Kaoru, who was still holding the reins of a flashy pair of black-and-white horses, both of whom had been unharnessed but still wore their bridles. The horses snorted and shook their manes, sending the bells on the leather straps jingling, but the boy quieted them with a tug on their leads.
"Milord Kaoru, it is a pleasure to see you again," the boy said softly, with a voice like the music of harp strings and a kind, sincere smile.
"And you as well, Seiichi," Kaoru responded. Another boy joined them then, taking one of the horse's reins. This boy was darker-haired, and nearly always wore the same sober expression he wore now. "Milord," he said shortly.
"Genichirou," Kaoru said with a nod. Seiichi and Genichirou were, from what Kaoru had seen of them in previous years, near inseparable. Best friends, having grown up together, they were both quiet and did not speak much. Seiichi was extremely polite and even sweet, reminding Kaoru more of his lady mother than of anyone else. Genichirou spoke curtly when he spoke at all, but he was a good person, and as Kaoru had seen, would defend Seiichi with his life.
"Are you here to look at the books, then?" Seiichi asked. All the Travelers knew well what it was that interested the young heir of this manor. All of them seemed to have an amazing memory for what everyone at the holding was most likely to buy. Truly, they were salesmen and bargainers ahead of all else.
They also knew that Kaoru was not, strictly speaking, permitted to buy these books, as Genichirou proved a moment later. "He'll send the lady to do that," he said, raising his hand to stop the horse's restless pawing. Genichirou was, of course, referring to the Lady Sumire, not to Lady Hozumi.
"Oh, yes," Seiichi said with what sounded like true remorse. He looked to Kaoru sympathetically and no words needed to be passed between them; they both understood that Kaoru's father still did not approve of his son's love for the books the Travelers sold. All of the Travelers also enjoyed stories and novels, at least as far as Kaoru knew. They were not illiterate in the least, as they were sometimes painted in tales. Most of them seemed to hold more learning and wisdom than anyone else Kaoru knew of.
"Yes," Kaoru said, with an unvoiced sigh, and then changed the subject. "Where's..." he asked carefully, looking around.
Seiichi knew who he meant. "Akaya has been ill since we passed the border," he said regretfully. Genichirou tried to look sorrowful to match his friend, but failed. Like Kaoru and Takeshi, there was no love lost between Genichirou and Akaya. Akaya was the living image of the Travelers in the tales, dark-haired, arrogant, and half-mad. He'd challenged Kaoru to a bout of swordplay each time they'd met in the past few years, and admittedly was very good at his cobbled-together, bizarre method of fighting. Kaoru did not necessarily enjoy Akaya's company the way he enjoyed Genichirou's and Seiichi's, but he was a good match for Kaoru's sword skills.
"Ah, but that reminds me, milord," Seiichi continued, returning to his mild good cheer. "There is someone Renji wanted to introduce you to. He's helping the treatment of Akaya's illness, you see." He turned to Genichirou, whose somewhat sour expression melted the instant he met Seiichi's eyes. "Would you please take Whisper and Banner down to drink, Genichirou?" he requested, then added politely, "Unless you would rather take milord to Renji's friend."
"I'll take the horses, Seiichi," Genichirou replied, and his fondness for the other was evident in his tone. He held out his hand for the other horse's reins and Seiichi handed them over. Genichirou led the horses away, down to the stream bank, and Seiichi nodded to Kaoru and led him to a wagon that Kaoru remembered as belonging to the Travelers' unofficial healer. It was adorned with strings of different herbs, all hung upside down to dry and be used for medicines. Some Kaoru recognized: chamomile, basil, marigold and dandelion leaves, garlic, peppermint, and others. Others were completely foreign to him.
Seiichi rapped lightly on the door of the wagon, one foot on the steps leading up to the entryway. "Renji, Kaoru is here."
Kaoru heard a muffled thud through the wood of the door, and then Akaya's voice, which was much quieter than Kaoru remembered. " That Kaoru? I need to-" Another thud, and a startled yelp that most likely had also come from Akaya, and then silence.
"Ah, Seiichi." The door opened, and the wagon's inhabitant looked out at them. Renji, Kaoru knew, was a half-blooded Traveler only. His father had been a resident of a village the caravan had passed through, and Renji's mother had taken a fancy to him. Renji therefore had a mixture of Traveler and non-Traveler features, with neither dramatically light hair nor dramatically dark, one of which most of the other Travelers possessed.
"And milord Kaoru," Renji said, with a slight bow and a welcoming smile. "I apologize for making you wait. Akaya is not...ah...a very cooperative patient."
Kaoru did his best to hide his laugh at that statement, so as not to seem rude. "Yes, I can imagine," Kaoru said.
"Would you like me to talk to him?" Seiichi asked Renji quietly. "Akaya, that is."
Renji let out a sigh and brushed his hair back with the hand that wasn't holding the door. "Please do, if you would. You're the only one he'll obey." It seemed to Kaoru that Akaya obeyed Seiichi partially because he, like everyone else, cared for sweet, delicate Seiichi, and partly to annoy Genichirou further than he already did. Kaoru did not mention this, however. He didn't trust himself fully as a judge of character and didn't wish to offend.
"I'm sure I'm not the only one," Seiichi demurred, but he brushed past Renji, who held the door open farther, and entered the wagon anyway. He knew, as all the Travelers did, that what Renji said was true.
"So, milord," Renji said, carefully closing the door behind himself, apparently confident in Seiichi's ability to calm Akaya down without being thrown out of a window. "There was someone I thought you might enjoy meeting."
Kaoru tilted his head, slightly confused. He thought he'd met all of the Travelers on their last visit, except possibly any babies that had been birthed since then. It was always possible they had taken in someone new, perhaps from another clan, but that was a rare occurrence. The clans were as a tight-knit family, much like Kaoru's own at the manor, but without the fostered children who came to stay at the hold for years at a time. "Who?"
"A friend of mine, who is traveling with us for a time," Renji informed him, fingering a bunch of the herbs on the wagon's side thoughtfully. "Due to your interest in literature, I believe the two of you may have some similar interests...ah, there he is now."
Kaoru turned to see at whom Renji was looking, and saw a stranger making his way through the camp. The man had very unusual eyes, Kaoru noticed with a start, and then realized that they were only sight-lenses, like the ones Captain Kunimitsu wore, but with much thicker pieces of glass in them.
"I sent him along the stream to find some willow bark, and it appears he's found some," Renji explained. The stranger neared, then stopped about three paces from Kaoru. He regarded Kaoru evenly, looking over the top rims of his sight-lenses, and Kaoru could not help forgetting good manners and staring back. There was something about the stranger's eyes, peering out from behind the near-opaque pieces of glass he wore, that sent a shock through Kaoru. Certainly, they were lovely eyes, dark, but not particularly unusual, so Kaoru wondered at himself and his reaction. He shook his head just slightly, inconspicuously, to attempt to rid himself of the feeling.
"Sadaharu, this is Kaoru," Renji began.
"The heir of Shibuki, Lord of the manor, whose lands we are currently staying on?" the stranger, Sadaharu, queried, turning his gaze from Kaoru to Renji. "The one who enjoys books, you said."
"Correct, as usual, Sadaharu," Renji said with a laugh. "I'm not surprised that you remembered. So, milord Kaoru," Renji said, reverting his own gaze back to the heir. "Sadaharu is an old friend of mine, from my father's village. He is writing a book on the customs of different peoples, and he requested to be allowed to travel with us for a time."
"Writing a book?" Kaoru asked. "That must be interesting..." he paused for a moment, wondering what the man would like to be called. The Travelers all scoffed at his usage of "sir" and "lady," but as this "Sadaharu" wasn't actually one of them, he decided it was best to be careful. "...sir."
"Oh, yes," Sadaharu told him, becoming more animated as though this topic was very fascinating to him as well. "It's been a highly educational experience thus far. Before I came along with Renji, I stayed with the nomads of the desert. It's not a comfortable climate, but some of their rituals are very unique because of it. They worship a god of rain, you know, and they pray for a good wet season, because that's all the water they'll get to last them an entire year-"
"Sadaharu," Renji interrupted him with a smile, "perhaps you'd like to save the lecture until later? I know you're a scholar first and foremost, at all times, but-" Then he spared a glance at Kaoru, who, although he enjoyed books and learning, would probably be overwhelmed by all the information just after he'd been introduced to this man.
But Kaoru was listening intently to Sadaharu's every word, and was not at all overwhelmed. It was wonderful, to him, to hear this from someone who had actually been to the deserts he'd read about but never truly i seen. And Renji's friend was writing a book, something Kaoru had longed to do but had never dared, for fear of risking his father's anger.
Kaoru would have liked to tell Sadaharu and Renji, both, all that he was thinking at the moment. But he'd never been much of a conversationalist, and worried that he would end up being rude when that was not what he'd intended. He replied only with a nod and another, "Interesting."
"Oh, yes, Renji, I found your willow bark, and another plant that I would like you to positively identify for me," Sadaharu said, and he held out the bark in one hand and a delicate yellow flower in the other. "I am no herbalist, but I believe I've seen it before and never discovered its name."
"It's lady's slipper," Kaoru said before Renji could reply. Both of the men looked at him in surprise. Kaoru turned his head, uncomfortable. He hadn't really meant to speak up just then, but he'd been unable to help himself. The flower was fairly common in the surrounding woods.
"Ah, you've been reading the book the lady bought for you last year, then," Renji said, with a look of delight. "I'm glad to know that it's being read and used. You see, Sadaharu?" and he looked at his friend, who was eyeing Kaoru with new interest. "He may not be the active scholar you are, but he certainly retains information, just as I remembered."
"Hmm," Sadaharu said, looking thoughtful. "Yes, it seems so."
It was at that moment that Kaoru's mind chose to register the fact that the sun had risen higher in the sky. Inside he panicked, knowing that his family would be gathering in the Hall, probably was already there, as a matter of fact. Outwardly he kept his composure, saying only, "Oh...I had best get back up to the keep, my mother and father will be waiting with breakfast."
"All right," Renji said, nodding.
"You'll be back later, correct?" Sadaharu asked unexpectedly. The question caught Kaoru off guard; he'd never met the man before and here he was, asking after the young heir's return. "I-yes," Kaoru said uncertainly. He i would /I be back, if he could manage to escape lessons soon enough, and if his cousins chose today to visit the back meadow after dinner, but he most likely would not be able to talk further with Renji's friend. He would be accompanied by too many people to discuss books and his interests openly. "Farewell, then."
Kaoru only broke into a sprint after he'd cleared the small rise that would hide him from sight as he made his way back to the keep. As he ran, his stomach complained loudly that he'd not yet eaten breakfast. Kaoru realized that Syuusuke had been quite right about getting something to eat; he found himself absolutely starving. He made it back to the keep, the Hall, and his waiting family in what was probably his personal best time for such a run.