Koiji

(Love's Pathway)

A TGS-based story

By C.S. Hayden © 2006

Disclaimer: Gargoyles is the property of Disney and Buena Vista Television. Characters from the fanfics of Kimberly T. appear by permission. Roslin is the property of Kiwifluff, Mozu's #1 fan. All original characters and plot are the creative property of Christi Smith Hayden.

Part VII

"Go, do what you must. I will see you later." Kirin bowed low to her mother. "I beg your pardon, most noble Ancestress, for causing Ariana to neglect her duties."

Something about the way that Kirin nodded his head towards Sata and the way he called her 'the Ancestress' was playing on an endless loop in Ariana's mind. She had the strangest feeling that she'd seen it before somewhere but she couldn't recall where or when. As she replayed the memory in her head, it was as if there was another image layered behind it with another voice saying the exact same words. Just thinking about it made her feel dizzy and disoriented. She stumbled as she followed Sata up the steps to their guest rooms.

"Are you all right?" Sata asked sharply. She had dropped the motherly act as soon as they were away from the males. The kimono showing had just a handy excuse to leave the males behind and they had both known it. "Have you been drinking?"

"No!"

Sata sighed. "I almost wish that you had been." She opened the door and ushered her daughter inside. "Honestly, Ariana, what possessed you to accept his courtship proposal? We're were expecting Happa or Mawson or some other young warrior to ask for you but this? Do you have any idea how old he is?"

"The same age as Kai and Sakaki," Ariana said with a shrug, "It really doesn't matter, does it? Yama and Sora are from different generations and everyone's okay with the age difference."

"That is all very fine for them but Ari-chan-" Sata gave an exasperated look and threw up her hands. "Why didn't you come to us first? We could have helped you look at your choices carefully and despite what you may think, there are other males just as worthy." She sank into a chair, curling her tail gracefully around her. "What will everyone think?"

"Mom, it's not the end of the world." Ariana sat down next to her in an adjoining chair. "I haven't chosen anyone yet. Kirin wants us to date first, you know, to get to know each other better." She grinned. "I think it's kind of sweet that he wants to go slow. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Sata gave her a long hard look before reaching out and brushing her knuckles across Ariana's brow. "Promise me that you will come to us before making any big decisions, please? This isn't like picking out a new outfit or going for a joyride on Brooklyn's motorcycle. You can't act on impulse like you always do – choosing a mate is a lifelong commitment."

"Okay, then what should we do about Dad? I'm not sure if I can face him right now."

"Brooklyn is my mate. I will deal with him, not you."

Ariana gave a rude snort. "I can't believe him, can you? I don't care what Kirin said, Dad looked really guilty when I pointed out that fresh scar."

"No, I can't and trust me, he and I will be having words later." She frowned. "This agreement he made with Kai is bad enough but the other! Still acting without thinking, stupid baka!"

"Why would Dad want to shoot him anyway?"

"Oh, Ari-chan, I'm only surprised that he hadn't done something sooner." Sata stood up and turned around. "Help me with my obi, will you?" She began to untie the elaborate obi-jime cords. "Brooklyn has been in a strange mood ever since you got back from Osaka. My guess is that he found out about Kirin's intentions and decided to take matters into his own hands."

They worked in silence for a few minutes getting Sata out of her kimono. Ariana busied herself with putting it on the wooden rack to air out while her mother changed back into her everyday tunic. She frowned. "It's been bothering me – why would Kirin make up an excuse like that? Why would he cover for Dad?"

"That's simple, Ari-chan," Sata said as she prepared her tea things as she always did in times of stress. "He did it to save face for your father. Brooklyn is a guest and outranks Kirin. Bushido dictates that the lesser must bow to the greater. The question is how absolutely sure are you that Brooklyn shot Kirin? I did not get a good look at it but it did not seem like it was made with a sword. Most of his other scars are."

"No, it was definitely made by a blaster and Dad has the only one around." Ariana looked across the room at the weapons case on the closet shelf and chewed her lip thoughtfully. She went over and took out her father's gauntlet. She flipped up the control panel and began shaking her head slowly. "The fuel cells are showing a drop in energy. I suppose I should be grateful that the thing's on a medium grade stun setting and not totally maxed out."

"You're sure the weapon's been fired?"

"Graeme could probably tell you exactly when but yeah, it's been used sometime in the last thirty-six hours." She tapped the display. "Dad put it back in the case, not in the charger, so the evidence is right here."

"Elisa is right," Sata said with a certain amount of pride in her voice, "you do think like a cop."

Ariana set the gauntlet down on the table. It was future tech that Brooklyn had picked up during the course of his time travels. Looking at it reminded her of the strange feeling that had swept over her earlier and suddenly Ariana realized just what that was.

"Mother? There's something else."

"Neh?"

"I think I'm at a flux point in the time line."

Sata froze, poised to open the tea jar. She lowered her voice even though they were the only ones in the room. "Are you sure?"

"I had the strangest feeling, almost like an echo. Tonight..." Her eyes unfocussed as she struggled to put it into words. "Tonight there was a moment when Kirin called you the Ancestress and the way he said it, the tilt of his head, the tone of his voice – it was like I'd remembered hearing it exactly that way from somewhere else. It was someone that was like him but not like him, if that makes any sense."

"Do you know when?"

"No." She bit her lower lip. "You know, from the moment the idea popped in my head to go find the Tengu until tonight's little showdown, it's been one thing after another – bam-bam-bam." She looked up at Sata with wide eyes. "You don't suppose that's why all this has happened? Because it's supposed to?"

"Damned time traveler's paradox."

Sata rarely swore but Ariana knew how her mother felt. When the Phoenix Gate returned them to the beginning of Brooklyn's time dance, they had all experienced odd moments when they knew something was going to happen. If it involved them directly, they would feel compelled to act, sometimes with unforeseen results. Brooklyn had tried to prevent Lexington from becoming the cybernetic gargoyle they met in the future but despite his best efforts, the end result had still been the same. The family had decided then that they would have to keep their adventures in the future a tight secret. All they could do is to try to cope with the changes as they occurred and hoped that they were doing the right thing.

Putting the tea set away, Sata got out a jug of sake and two tiny cups. She poured them each a cup and looked firmly across the table at her daughter. "We will need to proceed very carefully," she said. "Ishimura is the model for all the gargoyle/human communities to come."

"Really?"

"Your father left me in the Manhattan of the future for many years while I was pregnant so I could lay my eggs and have a safe place keep them. I spent a great deal of time reading up on our history and what I know is that this is a very dangerous time. There are things that must happen here in Ishimura and that was the main reason that I wanted to be here at this time. A slip one way or the other could change the course of the world." She drank her sake in one long sip and nodded to the other cup. "Drink up, Ari-chan."

"Really?"

"I don't normally approve but this is a special occasion and I hate to drink alone." She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "Just when I think we're done with time travel, here it comes again."

Ariana drank and coughed slightly at the taste of the strong alcohol. "Did Kirin's name come up in any of your reading?"

"I'm not sure. His name is common to Japanese culture but among our kind, who knows? I will meditate on it and try to recall those memories." Sata refilled their cups. "We will need to think carefully of what to do next."

"Midori invited me to go stay with the other girls in the compound. I think it might help if I'm not here when Dad gets back." Ariana sighed and stood up. "I'm still angry with him. I don't want to make it worse by saying or doing something I might regret."

"Yes, that might be wise." Sata nodded. "Leave your father to me."

o o o o O O O O o o o o

"All right, mate," Mawson said as soon as Galena had been sent away on the pretense of bringing more refreshments, "I got here late in the game so I don't know what's going on. Who's this Kirin and why's Ariana hangin' all over him?"

Happa sighed and briefly summarized Ariana's wayward adventures for Mawson and Yong, starting with Ariana's time with the Tengu and all events that led to his ill-fated fight, ending with, "And to top it all off, Ari-chan seems to think that Galena's sweet on me!"

"Isn't she?" Yong said, his voice lower and more rumbling than it had been in the five years since they'd last met. "If a female was that attentive to me, I'd certainly think so."

"It isn't that way with me and Galena," Happa said. "We've been friends ever since our rookery days. That's all!"

"Uh-huh." Mawson smirked. "Right."

Happa scowled at them both. "You two leave Galena out of this – she has nothing to with it. We need to focus on getting Ariana away from this ronin schoolteacher."

"What's a ronin?"

"Historically, it's a masterless samurai," Happa said, "but we refer to a gargoyle that leaves the clan as a ronin."

"Well, given the state you're in, he must be a pretty good fighter."

"Worse, he's a weapons master." Happa gestured at his body. "He did this in unarmed combat. If he had met me with a weapon, I'd be dead now."

Mawson whistled. "That good, eh?"

"I've heard of this," Yong said. "To become a weapons master, one must obtain the top level in a number of martial art disciplines, both with open hand and with weapons. To become a master, one must win face the top warrior in each discipline in a challenge match, one after the other."

"The weapons master is the only member of the clan allowed to kill without reprisal," Happa added. "It does not happen often but there are times when it has been necessary." He lowered his voice. "There are stories about Setsu during World War II that used to turn my blood to ice."

"Setsu? That elder with Kai?"

"That's right, he was the one that trained Kirin."

"Kirin." Yong stared thoughtfully into space. "I've heard talk of a warrior by that name before."

"Here?"

"No, in my home clan. We trade with Ishimura from time to time and new stories are always popular." Yong paused with his mouth open for a moment as if he wanted to say more but then shut it with a small frown. "Weapon masters from Ishimura are legendary."

"Lucky for me," Mawson said with a shrug, "I never heard any of those stories. As far as I'm considered, this Kirin is just another rival. What we need to do is to find out all about him, what his strengths and weaknesses are, and quick."

"The gossips say that he used to be a teacher and that he became a weapons master to win a female. He was mated for a few years but shortly after their first mating season, she petitioned the elder council to be dismated." Happa narrowed his eyes. "No one really knows why because the council sealed the records but there's been rumors for years. Kai put him up at the remote post at Mount Zao but one night he just up and vanished. The clan would catch glimpses of him in photos from time to time but he wandered for years until he hooked up with the Tengu."

Mawson shook his shaggy head. "Rumors won't do. We need current information on him, not just old auntie tales from long ago. If we want to get Ari away from him, we need to prove that he's no good for her."

"He arrived with with his three students from the Tengu clan – Takakura, Tancho, and Mozu," Happa said. "I don't know much about the other two but Midori has taken up with Tancho."

"Really?" Mawson grinned lasciviously. "Is she still as big a flirt as ever?"

"She settled down after she started working as a miko but yes," Happa grinned back, "Midori is just as you remember her. She has an understanding with one of my rookery brothers but since she can't commit while she works in the temple, she's free to do as she likes."

"Midori was always a free spirit." Even Yong managed a small bemused smile. "I remember her fondly from my time in New York. Her kindness and generosity were as great as her beauty."

"Do you think she can help?" Mawson asked.

"Knowing Mi-chan," Happa said as he settled back against the pillows, "she's already gotten his life story out of Tancho and that of his rookery and probably all the Tengu gossip for the last ten years."

"Then you stay here and rest up," Mawson said as he and Yong rose to their feet, "and we'll go have a nice little chat with Midori and her new boy toy."

o o o o O O O O o o o o

The steely hiss of a honing stone against a blade should have tipped Brooklyn off that all was not well with his mate. Unfortunately, after Ariana's announcement and Sata's subsequent response, he and Kai found it necessary to share a bottle to recover their composure. Kai only had time for a social drink or two before leaving Brooklyn alone with the bottle. He had spent the time pondering the mystery of why his females had decided to be so difficult all of a sudden and he was still clueless by the time he had reached his quarters.

The room was reeling as he staggered in and tripped over his own feet, landing beak first onto the couch. The mostly empty sake jug rolled out of his hand and bounced softly on the rug. He got no welcome, just the coarse rasp of steel against stone.

Brooklyn endured several minutes of the harsh repetitive sound as he slowly gained his bearings. He levered himself up from the couch and looked over at his mate. Sata was totally focused at the task at hand and had apparently been at it for some time from the looks of it; she had her full kit out on the low table from her sharpening stone to the cotton lint used for the final polish. If she was doing sword maintenance at a time like this- Brooklyn winced.

Sata was mad at someone and that was never good.

Shifting to a sitting position, Brooklyn croaked, "I take it the talk didn't go well?"

"Ariana and I have come to terms over the situation," Sata said without pausing in her work. "You need not trouble yourself over it."

"So you straightened her out, right? She's dumping him?"

"Don't be foolish, Brooklyn-san," she said sharply, "Ariana has given her word. I would not have her go back on her honor."

"But-"

"However, Ariana has not chosen anyone to be her mate and she has promised that she will discuss it with me before she does." Carefully, deliberately, Sata set her sword down flat on the table before her and folded her hands in her lap as she composed herself.

Brooklyn held his breath.

Sata's head turned on a swivel like an owl's and her eyes flashed. "You, on the other hand, have behaved very, very badly. You know very well how I am regarded here in my home clan. I owe it to them and the honor that they have given me for generations to behave in an appropriate manner. It would be dishonorable to do anything less."

He raised a brow ridge. "Hold on, I thought we were talking about Ariana here."

"Ariana is only guilty of being too young and reckless to make a proper choice. You, on the other hand, are guilty of shooting her suitor! If this were the Ishimura of my time, I would be within my rights to take your head!"

"You heard what he said to Ari," Brooklyn said with a futile shrug, "one scar's like another to him."

"He lied."

"But, Sata," Brooklyn said, "he's lying to her!"

"Yes," she said as she rose and crossed the room, "I know." Picking up one of his gauntlets, she brandished it in his face. "And why do you think Kirin did it? He was trying to save face for you! Ariana may never forgive you for shooting him – I can't believe you actually did it!"

"But I-"

Sata fixed her mate with a flinty stare that silenced him in a heartbeat. "I may not be as technical as Graeme-kun but even I can tell that this thing has been fired recently. You charged it before we left Manhattan and now the fuel cell registers a drop in power consistent with weapon fire."

"So I snapped!" Brooklyn threw up his arms. "You would have drawn your swords on him if you'd been there!"

"That would have been foolish." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You are my mate, Brooklyn-san, but sometimes you are still that baka gaijin that fell out of the sky." Crimson light flickered beneath her lashes. "Ariana is a female in her own right – whether she chooses Kirin or Happa or anyone else, you must accept it!" She gathered up the rest of his weaponry. "I am locking these up until I think you can deal with this with a level head."

"But, Sata..."

"It's my trunk or the clan's safe."

Brooklyn growled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Fine."

Sata swept out of the room and left Brooklyn to contemplate the developing migraine beginning to pound against his temples. He was tempted by the sake bottle on the table but sober enough to realize that he didn't want compound things by risking a hangover the next evening. There was no point in making things worse than they already were.

"Now," Sata said as she came back in and sat down primly on the end of the couch, "we have something else to discuss." She poured him a cup of sake and held it out.

"Sata, I really don't want -"

"Ariana experienced a temporal anomaly. There's more going on here than a gathering of gargoyles."

The multi-colored flames of the Phoenix Gate flashed before his eyes and Brooklyn downed the sake before he'd had time to think about it.

o o o o O O O O o o o o

Sakaki was straightening the shelves in the schoolroom when she heard someone pause in the doorway. She turned her head gracefully like a swan. "Well?"

"I am so sorry, Sakaki-san," Kirin said as he sank to his knees and bowed to her. "Please believe me when I say that I never meant to hurt your son. I would have not done it if there had been any other way."

"My son?" Sakaki feigned disinterest. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't be coy – you carried him on your hip for so long it's a wonder he ever learned to walk." Kirin blew out his whiskers as he rose to his feet. "Besides, Kai could use him for a mirror."

"I can't," she said. "You know that." It was the curse of being the head rookery keeper; she could never favor one hatchling over the others no matter how it might affect her personally. "It's bad enough that you called him Okaa-chan' s little 'dumpling.'" Putting both hands on her hips, she glared at him. "Do you have any idea how many hatchlings asked me about that?"

"And what did you say?"

"Oh, I told them that it was perfectly true – that when Happa was little, he loved to eat dango with sweet sauce and he would stuff his cheeks full like a hamster." She rolled her eyes. "You're just lucky that all the hatchlings have called me Okaa-chan at one time or another. They didn't think anything of that."

"No harm done then." He came towards her. "I saw him at Kado's place. He seemed well enough."

"You hurt his pride more than anything," Sakaki said as she went back to sorting workbooks. "He had plans with Ariana and you spoiled them."

"So I gathered." Kirin returned a basket of art supplies to an upper shelf. "I toyed with him as long as I could. He's a fairly decent fighter – does Kai spar with him?"

"He tried not to in the beginning, in case anyone accused him of favoritism," Sakaki smiled at the memory, "but when Happa started outgrowing his opponents, only Taiju and Kai were of a size to match him."

"Kai worries too much about what others think."

"It is the way of Bushido." She paused and gave him a long look. "It is our way."

"I have not forgotten."

They worked in silence, Kirin straightening the top shelves and Sakaki doing the low ones. It helped ease the awkward tension between them and soon the room was ready for the next night. They were discussing lesson plans when Kirin changed the topic.

"Sakaki," he said slowly, "do you remember if Ikeike ever spoke kindly of me?"

She blinked. "What kind of a question is that? Don't you know?"

"My memories of her are all bitter ones." Kirin sighed. "She and I had been so disagreeable to each other at the end."

"Well….," Sakaki frowned for moment, "in all honesty, I can't remember anything other than the nasty things that she said about you and I wouldn't repeat them in any case." She studied him. "Why do you ask?"

"It's stupid." He gave a brief half-smile. "And wonderful."

"Oh?"

"Ariana used a pet name for me." He took a deep breath and let it out. "I doubt she even thought about it – but my reaction was so strange. I thought my heart would leap out of my chest." His fur-tipped tail swept back and forth over the tatami mats. "I felt so happy."

"What did she call you?"

His ears turned a deeper pink. "I'd rather not say."

"Really?" Sakaki crossed her arms and tried not to smirk.

"It's not important!"

"It must be or you wouldn't have mentioned it."

Kirin curled his lip and growled but Sakaki merely smiled at him until he gave in. Finally he huffed out his whiskers noisily and muttered, "She called me 'honey' - I said it was stupid!" Before she could comment, he continued, "I'm glad that she did it but it bothers me because I can't remember anyone ever having a pet name for me." He frowned. "Not even my own mate."

"Well, can you blame them?" Sakaki said. "You've always been so serious! Who would dare to tease you, you great woolly beast?"

He gave her a baleful stare. "If I want Miya's words tossed back at me, I'll go get them from her."

"You are making too much of it." Sakaki said, amused at his discomfort. "I should really be discouraging you for Happa's sake. Kai has always thought that Happa and Ariana would make a good match. It would bring the bloodline back to Ishimura."

"I overheard Ariana say something to that effect to Happa earlier but I don't know how she learned about it." Kirin frowned. "I can't imagine why Kai is meddling like this."

"When Lady Sata returned to Ishimura, it was like a kami brought to life. Her story has been passed down for generations and the clan has flourished since her return. To have her among us and for her to have a daughter the proper age – well, Kai felt it was fate. He's been encouraging Happa to pursue Ariana for years. We even sent him to New York to get better acquainted with her."

"I begin to see why he was so peeved with me. When did he get so political?"

"Things changed when we became aware of other gargoyle clans around the world." Sakaki went to a small map on the wall with labeled pins in it marking the various clans. "Before we in Ishimura only knew of the clans in Korea and China but now we exist as part of a global community. Only Ishimura, London, and Manhattan co-habitate with humans so we have to set the examples for the others."

"Kai must be under a great deal of pressure then." Kirin studied the map carefully. "I was just at a meeting with Takakura and the other clan representatives. Do you know that Korea is proposing to re-colonize the Okinawa clan site?"

"Really?" Sakaki frowned. "But that was originally a Japanese clan site. If anyone should go there, it should be us."

"I don't think anyone should go there," Kai said, puffing out his whiskers. "Thanks to the American military base, Okinawa is heavily populated and not worth the risk. Still, it was an intriguing proposal. There are a number of suitable islands in the South China Sea that could be easily settled by a new clan. They suggest an equal number of gargoyles from Korea, China and Japan plus an even number of eggs."

"Hmm." Her smooth brow wrinkled as Sakaki considered the idea. "What did Kai think of this?"

"He was not there," Kirin said. "Yama presided over the meeting."

"What did you think?"

"I think if Korea and China are thinking of setting up colonies so close to Japan, Ishimura might want to think of sending a flight of warriors to help the Tengu watch the western coast." The map of Japan that he'd used for his geography lesson was still out and he studied it briefly before letting it roll up to the ceiling. "My host clan has been kind to me but even they admit that their numbers are not what they were. Over half of them are elders and the others are not warriors. The Three and I fly most of the patrols ourselves."

"You should tell Kai this."

"I have voiced my concerns to Yama," Kirin said as he turned away. "It might be wiser if you pass the information on to Kai. At least, he'll listen to you – he wants to fight me and I've had quite enough of that tonight."

"I agree." Sakaki took her keys from her obi and started to lock the cabinets. "Oh! Do you want your swords?"

Kirin stood very still for a few moments. "No," he said slowly. "I think you should keep custody of them for now. I trust you and no one will ever think to look for them here."

"What of the hatchlings? I don't want them getting into them."

"Not to worry. The case is locked and I have the key to that."

"Very well then." Sakaki finished locking the cabinets and ushered Kirin from the schoolroom so she could lock that as well. "The hatchlings wanted to know if you would be back to teach tomorrow."

Smiling slightly, Kirin asked, "Will you let me?"

"The classroom is not where you got in trouble," Sakaki said, arching her brows and giving a little laugh. "Tomorrow's lessons are science, English, and reading. We have been reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe at story time so the lesson involves vocabulary words and discussion from that."

"I know this book," Kirin said nodding. "I can manage nicely."He bowed to her. "Thank you for trusting me with your students."

Sakaki bowed in return. "Trust has never been an issue between us." She looked at him beneath her lashes as she rose back up. "See that it never is."

Bowing again, much deeper, Kirin turned and headed towards the eastern wall of the compound. Sakaki followed at a slower pace and came around the buildings in time to see Kirin and the three young Tengu launch themselves airborne, setting off towards the old watchtower to the south. Taiju came up to stand besides her.

"You have been made his shadow, neh?" Sakaki said.

"It would seem the prudent thing to do,"Taiju said. The large horned gargoyle had been the clan's second in command for many years and was valued more for his calm nature than his fearsome appearance. "I don't like it but Kirin has a certain notoriety, as you well know."

"Unfortunately so." She sighed. "Was Kai very upset?"

"He tried to issue a challenge but Kirin turned him down."

"Good." Sakaki pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I have asked him to teach again and he has agreed. That should keep him out of trouble for a while."

"How can you be so calm? Shouldn't you be angry about all this?"

"I could be but it would not solve anything. Happa has learned the hard way not to pick a fight with a better warrior. I'm not happy about it, I hated seeing him hurt but he brought it upon himself." She turned and looked directly at Taiju. "Kirin and I have settled matters between us. I hold no grudges against him."

"Unfortunately, I don't believe Kai feels the same way."

"Then I will persuade him otherwise." Sakaki smiled serenely.

o o o o O O O O o o o o

Clad in the white and red of a shrine maiden, Midori stood on the low temple wall and waved as Tancho and his brothers swooped overhead before heading off to their roost. She wasn't sure why the three Tengu and their teacher had chosen the abandoned watchtower for their daytime rest but it did ease up space in the main compound. Hopping down, she picked up a willow broom and began to sweep the temple steps clean. It was a little thing but it made the old priest happy to have everything ready when he arrived in the morning.

"Midori!" She looked up from her work to see a shaggy gargoyle with tusked smile coming towards her. He was accompanied with a broad-chested bronze male who seemed uncomfortable in his finery.

"Mawson! Yong!" Midori put down her broom and threw open her arms. "I saw you at the ball game – I'm so glad to see you both again! How have you been?"

"I'm better now that I've seen you!" Mawson picked her off the ground with his hug for a few seconds before putting her back down again. "Happa said we might find you here. Finally found a job that suited you, eh?"

"Oh, I don't know about that," Midori said with a roll of her eyes. "I think I've only lasted this long because the resident priest only sees me a little bit at sunrise and sunset. He leaves me notes and I do my own thing once the chores are done." She smiled impishly. "It's a win-win situation, really."

"I know the feeling," Mawson said. "I'm the clan's liaison with the humans at McMurdo Station. Not many of my bunch are comfortable around the idea so the job fell to me."

"And how is it?"

"It's not so bad. We have a half-way point set up for travelers and I make the trek up to the station a few times a season." He gave a dark chocolate laugh that rolled out of his chest. "They've stopped flinching when I wander in and that's an improvement, make no mistake. I had a guy shoot a harpoon at me once."

"What was he doing with that?"

"Took it off a whaler, near as I can figure."

Midori laughed and turned to her other guest. "And you, Yong – still so quiet! How have you been doing?"

The broad bronze Korean gargoyle smiled shyly. "I have been well. Jin-ho asked me to give you her regards. She stayed behind at Pukhan to finish her healer studies."

"What a shame she didn't come! Toshi says that enough apprentice healers turned up that Master Kado is having a special class for them. He's been sharing information with other healers and he wants to pass it on to other clans."

"She will be furious with me when I tell her."

Mawson leaned back and took a seat on the low wall. "Toshi? So he's your fella, is he?"

"Oh, Toshi and I have been friends for ages." Midori blushed slightly. "We have an understanding at the moment. Tradition states that a miko must be an unmated female so until my term is up, that's how it is."

"Still I'm sure that doesn't keep you from looking."

She giggled. "No, it certainly doesn't."

"We just came from visiting Happa," Yong said. "I didn't get to see the fight but his injuries are quite severe. I wanted to ask him who he fought but didn't want to get him upset. Do you know anything about it?"

"Well, I didn't get to see it myself." She rolled her eyes. "I was on the outside of the crowd with Tancho trying to keep Ariana from getting in the middle of it. That would have been terrible!"

"Why?" Mawson asked. "What did she have to do with it?"

"Everything!" Midori threw up her hands. "Happa had prepared a tea ceremony for Ariana but she had already made plans with Kirin. She didn't know why Happa was wanting her to go with him, of course; we had to explain that to her afterward. She feels just awful about it but what can you do?"

"So the fight was over her?"

"Yes, can you believe it? I always imagined if anyone was going to fight over Ariana, it would be her and whoever was planning to court her!" She laughed. "Which, as I understand it, has already happened. She met Kirin when she went looking for the Tengu over in the mountains outside of Osaka. They got in a fight only minutes after they met and Tancho says that it was an amazing fight. He's never seen anyone match his sensei blow for blow like that."

"Ariana was an incredible fighter back in Manhattan," Yong said. "I can only imagine how much she's improved in the last five years."

"You have NO idea. She put Happa through a wall when they were doing the pre-lims for the tournament." Midori giggled and covered her face guiltily. "I shouldn't be saying this, but I think she hurt Happa's feelings. He wouldn't have anything to do with her for a while and everyone noticed. Ariana was feeling really self-conscious as it was and I think that's what pushed her into going to Osaka."

"So this Kirin fella, he's a Tengu?"

"No, he came from here but he had been living with the Tengu for many years." Midori picked up her broom and gave the pavement a few sweeps. "Tancho's very fond of him. He says until Kirin came and became their teacher, he and his brothers didn't think anyone cared about them at all. I gather that life is very hard in the Tengu village."

"Tancho?"

"Oh, you've seen him. He was on Happa's team, the tall grey one with the headscarf that was in left field." The corners of her mouth quirked up. "Tancho's a little sensitive because he has no hair. Why, I have no idea. It's not like he's the only one – lots of gargoyles have no hair and they are still very attractive."

Yong ran a hand over his own bald head. "How true."

"What do you think of Kirin?"

Something in Mawson's voice made Midori think twice before opening her mouth. He seemed friendly enough but the intent way he was looking at her made her feel uneasy. "He's very handsome, all that gorgeous hair, but you know, he's Ariana's so he's off limits." She giggled again. "The first time I met him, Ari-chan and I were serving in the teahouse. They kept looking at each other when they thought no one was looking. I thought I would die from the suspense!"

"I heard he was a weapons master too."

"Of course." Midori resumed sweeping. "That's very difficult to do. Not many warriors try for it these days. I think he was the last one that Master Setsu trained, although we do have several masters in different martial arts. Kusa, for instance, is the best at unarmed combat and Yama is amazing with the war fans."

"Will they be in the tournament?" Yong asked.

"I'm not sure." Midori glanced at him casually over her shoulder but his questions were starting to make her wonder about him too. "You might want to ask Taiju on that. He's refereeing."

"There's been a lot of talk about the fight earlier," Mawson continued. "They seem to think this Kirin is some kind of shady character. What do you th-"

Midori held a hand out. "Stop right there."

"But-"

"If you think I'm going to talk smack about Kirin, think again! Ariana is happier than I've ever seen her and if you guys are her friends, then you should be happy for her, not trying to come between them!"

"That's not what I -"

"Isn't it?" She began to gesture with the broom. "You guys think, 'Oh, let's ask Midori, she'll tell us anything we want, she's SO dumb!' Well, I have news for you! I've changed since then! I'm tired of people thinking there's nothing to me but boobs and a cute face!"

"A thousand pardons, Midori," Yong said with a careful bow, trying to keep out of broom range. "We did not mean to offend you."

"Yeah, we only wanted to find out more about the competition," Mawson said. He smiled lop-sidedly. "You see, I was hoping to hook up with Ariana myself. I just wanted to know who I was up against."

"Then you and Happa should have made your move sooner. Ariana didn't have a clue that Happa liked her that way and I expect you haven't made the effort either." She sniffed indignantly. "Males are so dense."

"Then what should I do?"

"You should go straight to Ariana and tell her exactly how you feel. You know how she is – subtle is not her thing. You want her – go face her head on." She smiled smugly. "After all, that's how Kirin did it."

"He did?"

"I should know. I was watching from the teahouse." She sighed and leaned the broom against her cheek. "So romantic, like a scene from a samurai movie."

"Hmm." Mawson got off the wall and stood up. "I can see I've got my work cut out for me." He nodded to her. "It's been nice talking with you, Midori. No hard feelings, eh?"

"Of course." She smiled pleasantly as she bowed. "We are friends, neh?

Waving as they walked away, Midori was not as calm and collected as she seemed on the outside. She tried to remember what she had said before she realized what they had been up to and hoped that it wasn't too bad. It was true that there was a lot of talk going around, mostly from the old aunties that had been around at the time, but there were some uniquely mean things being said about Kirin. She didn't want any of it getting back to Ariana. It was true that Kirin was older and unresolved issues but Midori had never seen her friend be so happy.

She would not be the one to ruin things for her.

Midori would see to that.

To be continued in Part VIII of "Koiji"...