The Romance of the Seventh Star

Entry 3

Anyone who has ever read one of Tenpou Gensui's theses – I pray none of them will be cast away in a fit of public temper – will immediately realise his genius. His views and suggestions regarding military structure and strategy have benefited our celestial army tremendously. I have seen how he directed his men and have matched wits with him. Therefore, I can attest that the marshal's reputation as the most outstanding strategist ever produced was no idle boast.

All these I understood only a long time after my first awkward meeting with Tenpou Gensui. Regarding that very initial contact – I have not taken to him at all! He appeared as a benefactor in a moment of my failure and my pride could not accept it. In fact, I did not understand how beholden I was to him till my brother, Kouki-san-ou-nii(1), explained it in explicit terms. My ignorance stung me and Tenpou Gensui, as a stranger, was easy target for my tantrum.

Consequently, I reacted with surliness – like a child who suddenly found the world incompliant to her fancy. My refusal to see the error of my ways made my noble father determined to bring my childishness to an end. He decided to abandon me to a task with no benefit of assistance, hoping that the forced independence would rouse me into maturity. This task brought me into close contact with the Western Army of the Realm Above.

Once again, the marshal and I crossed paths. I must confess: I did not show myself to be the friendliest of acquaintances. As a matter of fact, I took delight in being difficult. Seikai Ryuu Ou – the White Dragon King, Guojun – who was present at the scene, must have been puzzled by my animosity! Time later, when Tenpou and I have come to a better understanding, the marshal told me how nonplussed he had been by my prickliness. Indeed, this incident became a topic of much hilarity – for him; and embarrassment – for me.

Suffice to say, my relationship with Tenpou Gensui did not start off on the right foot. It took a while before I mellowed. In fact, it required several disquieting events before my stubbornness took enough of a beating to give way to some measure of graciousness.

As for Tenpou Gensui, I dare say he have tried his best to be accommodating. With the advantage of hindsight, I now understood how much he has chosen to humour me (for someone of his position could easily have applied the figurative rod instead). Do you know, Dear Reader, how Tenpou is partial to children? His patience, so easily provoked to anger in righteousness, seemed limitless where little ones are concerned. I have seen how he interacted with Goku; he was quite the doting teacher. I supposed that was how he tolerated my rudeness at the beginning – as an adult guiding a child.

Chapter 3: Hidden Cards

Waking up, for Hikari, was a gradual awareness of the unfamiliar. The mix of herbs and antiseptic in the air was disconcerting, as was the lumpy mattress and scratchy sheet. Most of all, her chest felt as if it had been slammed against granite, from front and back.

What happened? Ah yes, it's because she fought with –

It was this last conscious memory that jolted the Nana-hime of Seishin no Goten awake. Instantly, a ceiling of white square panels with thick red borders met her eyes. She sucked in a deep breath by reflex.

Ooohh… what a mistake.

Hikari let out a strangled sound, hurting too much to even groan properly. But pride meant little when every muscle strand and nerve felt battered with a hot blunt prod. Her instinct was to curl into a ball, but her body knew better than to test how agonising moving would be.

It certainly felt worse than that moment she was incapacitated, back at Seishin no Goten. Physical injury was at least absent. On the other hand, damages were lasting. Certainly, had her father not sealed her abilities, she could have fared much better against Enrai Taishou! Had the prophecy not been declared…

Ah, but that was the crux, was it not?

There was a grain of truth in the romance that stars foretell the future, quite a fascination to many an adherent from the Realm Below. Actually, it was a metaphor for the oracular ability granted solely to the overseer of the star and planetary systems: the Seishin Okimi. That ring of white light radiating from those signature silver eyes were its manifestation.

However, prophecies did not occur to the overlord by a dime a dozen or at will. Rather, they came as they must. Moreover, they always had to do with the cosmic balance of the realms. No matter how carefree Hikari was from the official duties of Seishin no Goten, even she could appreciate the enormity of her father's gifting.

That was why upon utterance of that prophecy, the entire situation was transformed. Whatever her protests, whatever chichi-ou-sama's disciplinary intents had been, and even the trouble she had gotten into at the Realm Below – they were rendered secondary. A stunned silence enveloped the bedchamber, those present gaping at the Seishin overlord. The Nana-hime begun to sway and showed signs of fainting. Yoshi, who had been propping her up, hastily gathered her more securely into his arms while the other princes turned frantic over their sister's condition.

Genshou observed this commotion with a face that was too stiff to be truly emotionless.

Even as her body could not stop quivering, Hikari sought for an explanation from her father. "I don't understand," she said in a shaky voice.

"So do I," Genshou finally spoke. His voice sounded forced. "It seems there's a greater purpose involved than my intention to get you to toe the line. Therefore, the question is…" – his tone grew sterner – "do you acquiesce?"

Lowering her eyes, Hikari had swallowed her indignation.

The few weeks after that were a rush of activities. Many arrangements had to be made, which the six Seishin princes took anxious care to settle. There was paperwork to manage between Seishin no Goten and the Ministry of War of Tentei's imperial court. Hikari was given a crash course on the military organisation. She had to be disguised using a special tincture to colour her eyes and pale complexion. Of course, her waist-long hair was shorn. Finally, a public announcement in their court was made that the princess would be enjoying a retreat of indeterminable length on one of the far mystical mountains of the Realm Above.

Thus, 'Hikaru' was born, the masculine iteration of her name, a near-homonymous choice meant to help make the new identity easier to adopt.

Or so hoped.

It mattered little. The Nana-hime wordlessly watched the stranger in the mirror come into being. Jerked her head in agreement without queries. Gave curt regurgitation of the information she had to study. She was unresisting. And she was utterly seething. There was no one, the disguised princess felt, who would sympathise with her plight, not chichi-ou-sama, haha-ou-sama, and any single one of her six ou-nii-sama!

What was the point of entertaining 'what if's'? What say did she have when cosmic agency itself determined that 'Hikaru' simply must be sent into the Western Army?!

The gloominess of all these fatalistic thoughts was overwhelming. Waking up, pained, in a strange room and on a strange bed only augmented the inescapable present. Mindful of his injury, Hikaru gingerly raised his arm and hid his face beneath. How preferrable to remain unconscious, he thought, and his nose began to sniffle.

"Be careful, please," suddenly, a voice was heard.

The Seishin attaché froze, realising he was not alone. And that he recognised that tenor. Immediately, the rising lump at his throat dried up.

With dread, Hikaru shifted his head and took a peek from behind his elbow. Tenpou Gensui, his lean form encased in his loose white lab coat, was occupying a folded chair he had set at the bottom of his bed. He looked very comfortably situated, with one leg hooked over the other.

Swiftly, Hikaru laid his arm down, discomfort shoved beneath outrage. His breaths was coming in short starts. This was the one to blame for his disgrace – Tenpou Gensui of the Western Army!

The bespectacled marshal noted the animosity of course. Yet, the smile on his angular face widened – was anticipatory, in fact. His eyes traced the refined lines of Hikaru's oval face, her slim nose; the femininity of those wide, acerbic jet eyes no longer obscured. Still, they did not provide clues to the attaché's true identity.

He had plenty of time to mentally line up the known facts and questions to pursue while waiting for Hikaru to wake. One conclusion was clear: Seishin no Goten had ridden upon the recent subjugation incident to send the attaché in.

Tenpou had been willing to obfuscate their interference with the subjugation case because he had the impression it had been a genuine accident. He did not believe he had read Kouki San-ouji's oblique negotiation wrongly. That was why he had sent a letter of assurance to the autonomous court after returning to base, and in addition, offered whoever was taking responsibility over the other side the liberty of scripting the official story. It was a clever move, he had thought – saving the face of Seishin no Goten, and at the same time, sparing himself the trouble of yarn spinning.

However, no one had expected the Court of Celestial Bodies to attach a proposal to their crafted narrative for one of their own to be sent into the Western Army. Even Goujun had knitted his brows in consternation. The autonomous court went so far as to to send a copy to the higher ups in the War Ministry, who approved of the plan as a diplomatic overture, essentially leaving the Western Army with no say in the matter.

Nobles did as they desire and priorities tended to bend when their more prominent ones talked. Still, Seishin no Goten had been behaving most irregularly in the entire chain of events. And now, it turned out that Hikaru was not even a boy. So, who was 'he' really? Why was 'he' here? Ultimately, what was Seishin no Goten's agenda?

Tenpou needed the Seishin representative to reveal more information. But it did not seem like an easy task, given how prickly the attaché had been. The marshal doubted he would come clean if confronted. Besides, there was the matter of Seishin no Goten. It would not do to finger-point a much-respected organisation without a reliable set of cards. In short, exposing Hikaru now was premature.

This aside... Tenpou cannot remember the last time he was so entertained! Hikaru's every reaction was precious data for analysis, his obvious lack of composure amusing. What a turnabout from being the one cast out to the corridor!

Indeed, a flood of shame and anger was giving Hikaru impetus to sit himself up. To think he had been lying on the bed – out cold – while the contemptible man was watching! Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he started shuffling his way backwards. When blazing pain racked through his body, he only pressed his lips together.

Tenpou calmly watched for a second or two. Then he leaned forward and extended his hands. Catching the movement from the corner of his sight, Hikaru glared. It was a fiery expression but also pitiful, paled-face and strained.

Such stubbornness gave the officer pause. Slowly, he sat back, mulling that he had underestimated the contempt bore towards him. No doubt, the fallout with Enrai would have worsened the pretended-boy's mood.

With a wary eye on the marshal, Hikaru gingerly shifted and dragged himself till he was backed against the wall. After which, a breather was necessary to recover from the effort. He felt utterly embarrassed and at disadvantage.

"Do drink something." Tenpou gestured to the glass of water on the small bedside table.

Though distrustful, thirst beckoned. Very cautiously, Hikaru reached towards his left. The shaking water in the glass exposed him when he finally managed to grab hold of it.

"You could swallow and breathe at least. No broken ribs there." Tenpou commented after Hikaru started sipping. "You'll be aching for some time though. Enrai Taishou's last blow was tough even if it was a wild shot."

It did not take Hikaru long to pick up the implication. "You saw? You-" he burst out but was cut short when his body protested.

Tenpou knew the conversation was best to be derailed. "I came in late actually!" he tittered. "That's the First Squadron you met, with Enrai as their general. They are part of the division I directly oversee so I'm supposed to observe them today. Barely remembered it. But the book about rocks got a bit dry so I happened to look up and spotted my schedule. Thank goodness, I supposed. Haha…"

"When did you arrive?" Hikaru flatly shot out. He would not be deceived by that earnest air again.

Tenpou hummed and rolled his eyes upwards, scratching his chin. So be it then.

"Well… I did see Enrai-san take the bokken from Reiji-san," the marshal beamed, "Good fight, by the way. Enrai Taishou would be having a sore throat for a while."

Suddenly, Hikaru understood what it meant to abhor someone.

"You saw but didn't step in?!" he screeched, fingers tightening around the glass. The day he had first set eyes on the man across him was accursed! Accursed!

"Me? Step in?" Tenpou echoed, even looking sheepish. "What for? You might have objections if I did."

Hikaru gaped, boggled that someone would abandon him to danger with such disregard. Tenpou's lips were curled, his deep green eyes crinkled behind metal-rimmed lens. The more the Seishin attaché stared at that merry face, the more inexplicably unreadable it became. He felt a shiver that had nothing to do with his injury.

The bespectacled man softly chuckled, and the strange spell dissipated. "Besides, it's bad manners to break up a match for no reason, you know!" he said, seemingly oblivious to the incredulity of his audience. Either that, or he was enjoying it.

Hikaru's right hand, which was resting on the mattress, viciously dug into the material. He fantasised about splashing the remaining content of the cup into the marshal's face. A shred of reason made him, instead, emptied the glass in one gulp before slamming it down on the table top.

Don't be rash… don't be rash… don't be rash, he inwardly incanted, this time allowing the burst of pain to temper his desire for a tantrum.

Leafy eyes darted to the glass and back to the patient now studiously ignoring him. Perhaps, rubbing the attaché's peculiar belligerence in his face was a tad of a low blow. Tenpou supposed he could be magnanimous.

He cleared his throat. "I've spoken to my men," he said. "They've given me the account of your interaction with the general. It seems more a case of miscommunication than insubordination."

Hikaru's gaze snapped back with fresh scorn. "Insubordination?"

"If Enrai wishes to file a complaint, I'm afraid he has to settle for 'disrespect of the superior'." Tenpou's response was serene.

Hikaru recalled the First Squadron general. Truly, his life recently seemed to consist of collecting one antagonist after another. And he had thought his bad day would have ended after shutting the door in the marshal's face!

Shortly after, his luggage had been delivered to his apartment. But Hikaru had been in no mood to deal with his belongings. All he had wanted – after the aggravation felt from meeting Tenpou Gensui once more – was to seek for some diversion. He ventured out of his room, armed with the simple map and directory of the military compound the administrative office had provided him with.

It was passing interest which caused him to enter the mass dojo, seeing the many men inside warming up. He sat himself on one of the benches lining the training mat and did not think he was intruding, especially since no one asked him to leave despite curious glances. Honestly, it was not till Enrai entered then he realised some organised training session was about to take place.

The general approached and asked for his identification. Not thinking much of the matter, Hikaru had answered – politely, he thought – that he was a new recruit sent by Seishin no Goten. Then, Enrai demanded to be greeted properly.

It had stumped Hikaru that the general was unreceptive to his friendly overtures. Somewhat at loss, he stood up, performed a half-hearted salute and sat back down. Someone from the squadron did not manage to stifle his laughter. Only then, Hikaru realised he had blundered.

How was he to know the horrid man wanted him to act subservient and cowed?! As if he would!

Enrai's face was black when he ordered him to fall in with his soldiers. The Seishin recruit knew he was in trouble.

"I'm curious though. Why didn't you defend yourself against Reiji-san?"

The question from Tenpou Gensui pulled Hikaru away from his sullen memories. The latter only sent the marshal a blank stare.

"Let me hear from you. It's only fair I get all sides of the story," Tenpou added, thinking the Seishin representative needed some encouragement to speak.

Despite himself, Hikaru was surprised. The question showed astuteness. Moreover, he had not expected such fair-mindedness from the other man. But it discomfited him, so he turned his face away with an imperious sniff. "There's no need to be defensive against someone who's not my enemy."

The long-haired man cocked his head to the side, weighing the attaché. "Ah," the sound he made was noncommittal. "Know thy enemy and know thyself, I see. That's some high-minded thinking."

"Excuse me?" Hikaru eyed the other man. He recognised the quote. It was the logic he could not follow.

"Just a saying from the Realm Below," Tenpou replied airily, mystifying and annoying the Seishin recruit further. "So Enrai was the enemy. Well spotted."

The praise seemed to displease Hikaru, who turned away once more with an even haughtier tilt of his chin. But Tenpou took the lack of denial as confirmation. "Daring. Extremely risky though, with the way your skills are…" he went on to say. There was a something in the marshal's tone again, a meaning that was murky.

Perturbed, Hikaru shot the other man a loaded look; suspicious, challenging and just a bit apprehensive. He could no longer avoid the realisation that the bespectacled officer was reading him – and capable of reading – more than he wanted him to. But this person cannot know of the seal!

Though his musculature was unaffected, a gathering and exertion of his inner energy was no longer possible. It was like pushing against an impossible wall whenever he tried: nothing happened. Moves such as Sei-hen and Sei-ryuu were out of his reach. To summon his sword Seiun-ken was naturally out of question. For all the technical martial knowledge he possessed, he was essentially as harmless as an initiate.

The sound of chuckling cut through Hikaru's whirling thoughts.

"I supposed I can understand. What's that earthly saying? 'Damnned if I do, damned if I don't.'" Tenpou grinned, and it bemused the attaché who did not understand why the bespectacled officer was suddenly buoyant.

In one smooth motion, the marshal uncrossed his legs and rose to his feet, the white folds of his coat fluttering and draping over his tall, lean form. This inquiry was successful enough, less due to the verbal answers received than from the attache's behaviour, which was ridiculously transparent. A definite greenhorn in this undercover business. What was Seishin no Goten thinking? The youth was too unlikely a stooge, not with how he had managed Enrai in a manner that was proud and open, and with intelligence. And all that constant irritability was indicative of some poorly hidden chip on his shoulder.

Really, Hikaru made a terrible spy – if he was meant to be one.

"Have a good rest, Hikaru-san. I supposed you'll be excused from reporting in till you have recovered. I'll make arrangement for anything you need to be sent to your apartment while you convalesce. Don't worry about the disciplinary consequences. You'll survive, I assure you."

Mutely, Hikaru tracked the marshal's movement, glad of his departure. Tenpou got as far as the door before he snapped his finger and turned around.

The attaché pressed his lips together, impatient.

"Oh, by the way, I've decided!" the marshal announced brightly. "From today onwards, you're emplaced in the First Squadron, under my division!"

Ignoring the strangled gurgle coming from the only occupied bed in the infirmary, Tenpou swung open the door and stepped out. "See you soon!" he called out merrily before slamming the door shut, much like how Hikaru had done to him at his apartment.

Outside, Tenpou placed his ear against the door and started counting under his breath. Then he heard it, filtered through the thick panel of wood – an enraged scream followed by the noise of shattering glass.

Calmly, the marshal stepped away with a self-satisfied smirk. Moments later, he managed to perpetuate his oddball reputation when someone spotted him adding a little skip in his steps while ambling down the corridor.

– tbc –