Chapter Four The Lady Hanairo

Nothing existed in that room but Naoe and Takaya. They just gazed at each other drinking in the site of one another. Takaya in his slightly rumpled school uniform and Naoe dressed impeccably in a pair of khaki slacks with a charcoal gray sweater. Thin, silver wire frames graced his nose giving him an even more sophisticated look.

For the span of eight seconds Takaya could not breathe. His heart had lodged itself in his throat and no air was moving. Finally some little voice in the back of his mind told him to react. And react he did, like a disgruntled child being left alone for too long.

"Since when do you wear glasses?"

Naoe blinked taken aback. He pulled the frames from his face and folded them nervously. He set them on the bookshelf by the door as he walked to the unoccupied cushion in front of the table.

"They are for reading."

Takaya snorted. "Ha… they make you look like a big dork."

Naoe cleared his throat as he sat down. "It's nice to see you too, Takaya."

"Yeah…" he drawled flicking at his napkin. His hands were still shaking and his stomach was full of butterflies. Damn Naoe looked good in those clothes. He had really only seen him in his expensive suites and silly Monk's get up. It was a nice change to see him dressed as a normal person for once. And those glasses… oh gods above they were sexy as all hell.

He felt the drool pooling in the corner of his mouth. He swallowed hard. Mercifully he had taken them off.

Naoe started fixing their tea. He even added a splash of milk just the way Takaya liked it. He pushed the cup over to him and poured himself one. Finally he said, "So, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Takaya spun his cup around in small circles on the table. He sighed inwardly. How to start? Sure he had questions about the woman, Hanairo, and yet he had also come to simply see Naoe. The man had avoided him like the plague for weeks and Takaya, though he loathed to admit it, was feeling lonely. All groping aside Naoe use to be his friend and he truly missed that.

"Takaya?"

"Why haven't you come to see me in three weeks!" Though it was a great question he only asked it in his mind. Before he could even say anything the screen door at his back opened up and a servant brought in a large bowl of rice along with some grilled salmon, seaweed salad, and pickled radish with some sweet dumplings for dessert.

Takaya's stomach rumbled.

Naoe nodded at the servant who left just as quickly as he appeared. "Please, help yourself. I had a feeling you'd be hungry, being so close to lunch."

"Thank you," he nodded filling his bowl with the treats before him.

Naoe ignored the food and instead sipped his tea. "So, why are you here?"

Takaya popped a bite of rice into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully the points of his chopsticks braced against his lower lip. He closed his eyes. I have to have a reason to come and see you? Can't it be that I missed you? Of course he had a reason, a completely legitimate reason: Hanairo. But why did he always need a reason? That thought spurred his irritation towards their whole situation.

He suddenly felt the need to poke and jab at Naoe, break him down and make him feel small.

"Does a master need a reason to check up on his pet?"

Naoe's lips drew into a tight line as he gazed into the golden eyes of his lord. No words were spoken between them for several long antagonizing moments. Takaya felt guilt clawing at his stomach. He had been so excited to see Naoe and now he was just being an ass. Why? What was it about the power struggle between them that made him act like that? Why couldn't they just be civil?

He sighed and took a huge bite of salmon. Swallowing he said, "Look, Naoe… I've been or… well, erm… I had this, um…"

"Takaya?" he interrupted gazing at the boy. "What is that noise?"

All of the hairs on the back of Takaya's neck stood on end as his ears finally opened to the sound. The ridiculously loud sound of purring.

"Stupid cat," he cursed.

"Cat?"

"Yes, well, I wasn't sure if you'd let me bring her in here so I hid her in my coat and…" he lifted the garment off of Helena who was stretched out and sleeping. The light disturbed the feline who opened her green eyes and yawned.

Naoe dropped his teacup.

The hot liquid sloshed all over the table spilling into the rice and running towards Takaya. A little spilled on Naoe's pants causing the man to grunt in pain while Takaya cursed and threw his napkin on the puddle. They both proceeded to mop it up with their napkins.

"Shit, Naoe what the…"

"That cat…" he asked his eyes wide and voice slightly breathy, "where did you find that cat…?"

"At school… and she sorta found me," he muttered relaxing again on the cushion having successfully stopped the flow of hot tea.

"Sort of found you…?" he repeated his body stiff over the table as he watched the feline stretch into a sitting position.

"Yeah, she followed me home from school last week. If you ever bothered to call me or see me you would know," he grumbled feeling slightly satisfied with his little after comment.

Naoe ignored the jab and leaned slightly to the left of the table holding out his hand. Helena stood and walked towards him brushing up against the outstretched digits. Naoe's fingers brushed the silken red collar and the tiny bell. He held it in his hand examining the name etched there.

"Helena…" he whispered as if he had seen a ghost.

"Naoe? What's the matter?" Takaya asked slightly concerned by the frazzled look on Naoe's face. Helena was just a cat, granted a very obedient and rather noisy cat, but a cat none the less… right?

"Naoe….?"

"It's nothing," he replied crisply pulling his hand away from the feline. He straightened and took two pieces of salmon from the table placing them in a bowl and then in front of Helena. The cat blinked up at him then daintily started eating.

"What do you mean it's nothing?" Takaya asked. "You just looked like you had seen a ghost. How can that be noth…?"

"Enough, Takaya." Naoe held up a hand and then poured himself a fresh cup of tea. "I told you that it was nothing… and it is. You still have not answered my original question."

Takaya gave him his best 'disobedient teenager look' and raised an eyebrow. "What question?"

"Why are you here? You made things fairly clear the last time I saw you."

Takaya flinched slightly as if struck. Naoe was gazing at him with those deep chocolate eyes of his waiting so patiently for an answer and yet he seemed just about as impatient as impatient could be.

He sighed to himself and watched as Naoe took small sips of his tea wordlessly waiting for the answer. "Who is Hanairo?" he asked suddenly staring at the man before him.

Naoe choked on his tea and started coughing his face turning slightly red. Takaya blinked wildly already to his knees as if to jump across the table and perform the Heimlich not that he knew exactly how or anything.

Naoe waved a hand as if to calm the teen as he tried clearing his throat. "Wrong… pipe…" he muttered coughing a bit more.

Takaya watched him like a hawk to make sure he could still breathe. Naoe was not easily surprised. Nothing, honestly, could rattle the man's control; well except Lord Kagetora. But somehow in the span of five minutes he had managed to startle him nearly to death and not just once but twice!

Naoe stopped coughing and placed the pad of his thumb against his eye to wipe away any tears that managed to leek out as he choked. He set his cup at the far corner of the table and took a deep breath. Drawing his gaze up to the teen before him he asked, "Who?"

"Hanairo."

He nodded and smirked slightly. "That's what I thought you said." He coughed once more the smirk still tugging at his lips.

"Why are you smiling," Takaya asked slightly annoyed. "Who was she?"

"Why do you ask?" he asked calming staring right into the eyes of the boy before him judging his reaction.

"What do you mean 'why do I ask'?"

"Exactly… why are you asking me who Hanairo is? Don't you remember?"

"No I don't fucking remember!" he shouted not liking the tone Naoe was using on him nor the way he was staring at him. "I saw this chick in school and she walked by me and I saw this fucking nasty image of a body and then… then I said the name Hanairo."

"Really?" he asked his tone not sounding surprised one tiny bit.

"Yes, really!" Takaya growled. Naoe was giving him this 'look' as if he were better because he knew who Hanairo was. He really just wanted to punch that look right off his face.

"Huh," he said then went to try and pour himself one more cup of tea.

"Huh!" he croaked out his teeth clenched so hard he was sure his jaw would crack. Naoe's cool over this was really starting to irk him; then a little voice inside of him whispered: Minako.

His eyes widened and he slammed his fist into the table hard enough to make the china rattle. "Was Hanairo like Minako? Was she another one of my wives that you raped and then forced me to possess?" He was on his knees again yelling nearly at the top of his lungs and glaring into the eyes of the impassive man before him.

Naoe stared at him the picture of calm, but Takaya was sure he struck a nerve because he saw his eye twitch. Then he snorted and broke his gaze. "Hardly."

"Then who was she? If you defiled her, too, I'll…" he shook his fist in Naoe's face.

"She was your sister."

Takaya blinked slowly his mouth hanging open then fell back onto the cushion. Wide-eyed he gazed ahead and blinked once more. "M-my… w-wha…?"

"Your sister," he supplied calmly. "Uesugi Hanairo … Lady Hanairo Uesugi to be more precise."

The teen looked up at him mouth still agape and Naoe seemed to smile, but that smile did not grace his lips. Instead he stared into the amber liquid in the small china cup as if to remember the woman he deemed to be Lord Kagetora's sister.

"Hanairo…" Naoe breathed out his voice sounding oddly distant and sad.

Taking another deep breath he started into the tale of the Lady Uesugi.

"Do you know what Hanairo means, Takaya?"

"Blue," he supplied quickly.

"Light blue, actually… light blue flower." He glanced up at the ceiling and then back into his tea. "Hanairo was Lord Kenshin's only daughter and she was illegitimate. Unlike you, who was adopted, she truly was Lord Kenshin's daughter, but her mother was not his wife. You see Lord Kenshin like many of the lords and ladies of the time, was trapped into an arranged marriage and often sought the arms of other lovers. It just so happened that Hanairo's mother worked in the kitchens as a cook. I'm not sure exactly how they met, but Hanairo was the result."

"Apparently Lord Kenshin was very much in love with the woman and when his wife found out she was pregnant, she tried to banish her. Lord Kenshin would have none of it and kept his mistress under his protection. Once Hanairo was born he gave her his name and even gave her the name of Hanairo because she had light blue eyes. He was a devoted father and doted on her like any proud father would. I think, however, it put some estrangement between him and his wife."

"One day, when Lord Kenshin was away for a peace treaty agreement, his wife finally managed to banish his mistress. What exactly was said, I don't think anyone will ever know, but she was never heard from again. Hanairo was only three at the time. Lady Kenshin, I'm sure, would have tried to get ride of the girl, too, but Lord Kenshin returned sooner than expected and foiled her plans. When Lord Kenshin found his mistress gone and his daughter in tears he grew so angry he pretty much abolished their marriage. She still stayed there, Lady Kenshin, but as far as I knew they never spoke nor did they interact with each other unless absolutely necessary."

"Being that Hanairo was pretty much the reason for her loss of a husband, Lady Kenshin was unreasonably cruel to the girl. She was even campaigning to have her married off before the age of ten, which is not uncommon for Ladies of that era, but to men who were at least five times her age and also known for their cruelty. Though the matches would have brought about some peace between certain clans, Lord Kenshin loved his daughter too much to turn her into a chess piece. That and…"

Naoe paused and stared at Takaya who was drinking in his every word.

"That and what?" he asked. "What, Naoe, tell me."

He sighed and nodded. "Hanairo was special. To put it better, I guess she had special gifts that made her slightly crazy to the rest of the world. She was wild and rambunctious. She ran around without shoes and always kept her hair unbound. She dressed like a boy often and would escape the confines of the palace to roam the streets alone. Which was practically unheard of for a royal to do especially a girl. Things were different then and females were expected to behave a certain way. But she was just not like that. Sometimes if people she did not know or like touched her she would go into fits of terror and scream for hours. She barely slept and when she did it was not restful… she was disturbed on many levels because of this 'gift'."

Takaya was staring at him in slight horror and then nodded as if to continue the tale.

Naoe held up his hand and the orange flame of his possessor powers engulfed the limb. "Every living being on the planet has a fire like this one. Being a possessor lets us tap into this… essence… aura… and harness it's power. Most beings have no idea how to use their aura nor can they see it. It's something unique to possessors. When angered or happy or whatever other emotion we are our aura admits it. Hanairo could see auras. She could feel them like Haruie can and she could see them at times. This was something… is something… unheard of being that she was a normal human. Granted her powers weren't that strong, but for a young child they were quite powerful. To sense people's emotions whether they meant her harm or not was like torture on her very young mind. Sometimes she could not touch people due to the nature of her gifts."

"Lord Kenshin tried his best to sooth his daughter's torment, but there was really nothing he could do except teach her to focus and squash down the parts of her powers that hurt her. As a result she did function more with some normalcy, but Lord Kenshin was still very unwilling to marry her off or even let her out of the castle afraid that she would go through a relapse of her childhood. Rumors spread about the Lady Hanairo Uesugi, who many suspected, could not leave the castle due to her extreme beauty."

"When I first became a member of the Uesugi clan I was the vassal of your brother. At that time she had just had her twelfth birthday. She was the picture of calm every time I met her. She did not smile or frown or laugh or raise her voice. Her control and focus were on a short leash and I don't think she dared do anything to break that leash. She adored her father, her champion, and always tried to please him even if it took away everything from her."

"A few months before her sixteenth birthday I saw her smile for the first time." He paused and started at Takaya then spoke never breaking his gaze with the puzzled golden one. "The first time she smiled was the first time she met you."

He gasped softly and blinked.

Naoe continued.

"You are just a few months older than her, five I do believe. At sixteen you were sent to the Uesugi as a 'son'."

"Hostage?" Takaya supplied a little disgusted.

"Yes," Naoe spoke slowly. "In essence you were a hostage, but Lord Kenshin never treated you as such nor did he think of you as that. He thought of you as a son. If he had not, he would not have given you his name so easily. He was not like the other clans."

"I know," he said then changed the subject uncomfortable with how it was making him feel. "So Hanairo smiled at me?"

"Yes," Naoe nodded. "You had just arrived through the front gates. I was standing at your brother's side and she was with her maids on the opposite side of Lord Kenshin. He welcomed you and gave you the name, Kagetora. That was when I saw her smile for the first time since I had met her."

"I think she saw something similar between the two of you. I'm not quite sure all I know is that she seemed to be your shadow and you seemed to be hers. By the time she was eighteen, however, Lord Kenshin was somehow convinced that she needed to be married. He thought he had chosen a suitable husband for her by the name of Tasusde Sorin. He was a fairly young lord who's castle lands were only about a day away; if you were ridding non stop and rather hard, that is."

"Though Hanairo was refusing the marriage Lord Kenshin chalked it up to nerves. Their marriage would be invaluable to the Uesugi clan. Lord Sorin's lands rested right on the border of the Hojo and Uesugi lands… practically right in the middle. This would give Lord Kenshin more land as well as some leverage against his enemy."

"Three days after they met they were married and a day after that Hanairo was whisked away never to set foot in her family's castle again."

Naoe took a deep drink of tea and glanced at Takaya who was literally on the edge of his seat. Naoe put his cup back on the table and started again.

"I'm not sure when it started exactly. Lord Kenshin was off in the fields of battle and you weren't far behind. The day before you left for the battle grounds you got a letter from Hanairo begging you to come and get her. At first it was just thought to be homesickness. You would receive several more letters all asking the same thing while you were on the battlefields. Until suddenly there were no letters for several weeks and she would not respond if you did send her a letter."

"Finally, five months into her marriage, you got one more letter that was the size of a yen. Scribbled in blood was the kanji for help. Something was terribly wrong in Tasusde's castle. Unable to go yourself you sent one of your best spies to go and steal her back since it was very unlikely that Lord Sorin would simply hand her over."

"The man you sent to bring her back was Yasuda Nagahide."

"Chiaki!" Takaya questioned obviously puzzled.

"Yes. You sent Nagahide from battle to go and get your sister. You instructed him to tell no one especially Lord Kenshin who would be overcome with guilt and worry over sending his beloved daughter to marry a mad man. I think that was when it started between them."

"What started?"

"They were lovers for quite some time."

Takaya seemed frazzled. "Chiaki and my sister!"

"Yes," Naoe said smoothly completely unfazed.

"Really!"

"Yes… now can I continue?"

Takaya nodded, but his eyes were still wide.

"So Nagahide went to bring Hanairo back. When he got there, though, he was shocked by what he found. Apparently Lord Sorin was beating her into submission. She was badly injured – one black eye, cuts and bruises all over her face and body along with a broken arm – when Nagahide stole her away and brought her back to the castle. But just outside the gates she died from massive internal bleeding."

"Lord Kenshin was grief stricken and not long after her death did he, too, die in battle. And being that we stole his wife back Lord Sorin abolished all peace ties with the Uesugi. His family later joined the Oda clan to become our enemy."

"When Lord Kenshin was creating the Neither World Uesugi Army and looking to start his clan of possessors he deemed it only fair, to make up for his misdeeds against her, to allow his daughter to become a possessor. Apparently he found her wondering around the grounds right outside the castle as a vengeful spirit. But once turned into a Neither World solider her powers increased tenfold. She could not only see aura's but she could now touch and control them as well as sense them from great distances. I have a feeling that she was the one who tracked and found all of our vengeful spirits in hell. Haurie being the first."

"In the four hundred years following her death Hanairo finally learned to control her powers and put them to some good use. She was indispensable to our team. That was when she and Nagahide were lovers."

Naoe thought he heard Takaya mumble "eww", but he could not be sure.

"However not long after Lord Kenshin's spirit was finally exorcised did…" he paused as if covering up some sort of pain.

"What, Naoe?"

"She finally died. For good."

"What!" Takaya asked his eyes wide once more. "But I…?"

"No. Whoever that girl was that made you think of Hanairo could not have been her. It's not possible."

"But… how do…"

"There are certain seals, chants, markings that possessors know, but the magic in them is so powerful, so dark, they are forbidden. Lord Sorin was also reincarnated because he so powerful and useful to the Oda army in the past. He was on a hunt for his wife to bring her back to his side permanently. Sixty years ago we had sensed his activity on one of our missions. In order to protect your sister you lied to her and made her stay safely hidden away. We were walking into a trap set by Oda, and we knew it. So did Hanairo, but she did not know we knew of the trap. Trying to warn us she came out of hiding and was kidnapped by Lord Sorin's men. She was taken back to her husband and brutally tortured."

Takaya gasped his chest suddenly feeling like someone was squeezing it.

"By the time we got to her it was too late. He had…"

"How?" he squeaked out his throat having closed on it's own. His hands were shaking so he stuffed them in his lap. "How did her body look?"

"Why?" Naoe asked startled by the question.

"Because I saw it. Was I right?"

Naoe nodded knowing what Takaya wanted to hear almost needed to hear. He glanced up at the ceiling again and closed his eyes, his throat working. "He had cut off her hands. She could stop your movements by simply touching you so I think that was the first thing he took from her. He cut off all of her hair, removed her eyes, he cut, rapped and beat every part of her body and…"he paused his eyes squeezing shut even tighter. "He marked her forehead with a seal."

He opened his eyes to see Takaya gazing at him, bottom lip pulled between white teeth. He could see the slight tremor in his body as some part of the boy's memories was excepting this and recalling it.

"This is how I know that it's not possible for her to be alive. Believe me when I say that I wish she were perhaps just as much as you, Takaya. I loved her. She was so beautiful and caring. I considered her to be my friend. I know Haruie feels the same and Nagahide… her death was one of the reasons there is an estrangement between you two. He seems to blame you for it. I… I have never seen him suffer so much. I think he keeps a tiny flicker of hope, but it's been crushed into nothingness now."

"What kind of seal?" he gulped out ignoring Naoe's rant about loving his sister.

"It sealed her soul to the underworld. It was a very powerful and evil seal. It not only sealed it to the underworld, but also into the darkest part of it. There is no way we can bring her back. Believe me, we've tried… but she's gone."

"G-gone…" Takaya whispered staring blankly at Naoe. Some part of him, a part of him he did not even know existed seemed to shrivel up and die. He had just been told he had a sister and now Naoe swore there's no way for them to meet again… ever? But that just wasn't possible!

"No! Naoe, no! She… I saw this girl… and she had blue eyes just like Hanairo and… it was her. I know it was!"

"Takaya," he chided softly. He shook his head and sighed placing his teacup on the table. "It wasn't." He paused for a moment staring at the boy before him. "I know you want to believe it was, but I swear to you it was not. Perhaps she looked like Hanairo and that is why you feel the way you do, but…"

"Naoe… are you completely sure? That girl at school today she… I felt the power of a possessor!"

"No, Takaya!" he yelled; this time his fist connected with the table and sent the china shaking. "It could not have been. There is no way! I saw and remember the body, the seal upon her forehead. No soul can return with that kind of seal. It was cast into the darkest part of hell… the most tormented… she's gone and there is nothing we can do about it."

Takaya blinked and opened his mouth to say something when Naoe silenced him with a dark glare. "You have sealed off all of your memories, so you do not remember all that we did to try and bring her soul back. Or… how much all of us grieved… are still grieving."

A long, thick silenced settled between them. Takaya fidgeted in his seat. Naoe was right, he could not remember. He did not even know he had a sister until Naoe told him, but there was something in his heart telling him not to give up hope. That girl, Yakata Amiee did give off the power of a possessor he was sure of it. So maybe there was some fluke and she was Hanairo only her memories were sealed off like his. Or maybe someone had resurrected her somehow or maybe...

He paused in his musing to find Naoe assessing him. He felt a blush creep across his cheeks. Damn that man. Even in this serious moment he could still unnerve him. "What?" he snapped.

Naoe shook his ashy head. "Nothing." He stood suddenly making Takaya's heart speed up and his blush creep down his neck. Was he going to try something? But instead of walking towards the teen Naoe stepped towards the sliding screen door. He bowed deeply and pushed the door open slightly. "I'm afraid I have to leave you now. I have an appointment with a woman who is seeing the ghost of her dead husband. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like. I hope I answered your question?"

Takaya nodded a bit startled by Naoe's sudden departure.

"Good." He paused and picked up his glasses off the shelf. Slipping them onto his handsome face he gave him another little bow. "It was good to see you, Takaya. Take care of yourself and that cat." With that he disappeared before Takaya could protest and shut the door.

The teen blinked suddenly feeling very cold and lonely. He removed his eyes from the screen and drew them to his newfound pet. Helena was curled in a tight ball at the side of the table completely undisturbed by anything that went on between the two men.

Takaya sighed deeply and stroked her dark fur. The feline purred and stretched blinking up at him with bright green eyes. Grabbing his coat he stood. "C'mon, Helena, lets get out of here."

A/N: Okay! Yay! Now you know... well, sorta. So I took a lot of "authors rights" with this chpt. As I said, I've never read the manga and am basing this off of the anime. I'm not sure how Kagetora and his brother were accepted by Lord Kenshin or what Lord Kenshin was like for that matter... or if he even had a wife! So I made it up. But, trust me, as "fluffy" as he seems from Naoe's discription, his daughter may know some things about him that will make him seem like more of a jerk. Haha! So... yeah... just take my fic for what it's worth, k?

Questions, comments, concerns? Please, please, PLEASE review. I love feedback and need it to grown in my writing.

Until next time... Ana