A/N: Because anachronisms are funny. And I still have no idea how to work an iPhone…
Bigger Fish to Fry
"That was just in the nick of time," Tensai grumbled once he and Kichiruka materialized in their home ocean, more specifically Tensai's study. Good choice. In the privacy of his own quarters, the swordfish shuddered into his preferred form – his nose lengthening, skin darkening to a cobalt blue, and eyes going completely yellow with only beady, black pupils floating in them. It was like shucking out of a pair of uncomfortable shoes. The next part wasn't so easy.
Kichiruka watched his teacher grimace and grit his teeth as a tailfin took the place of his feet. "Does it hurt?"
"No, no, the realignment and lengthening of my spine at the loss of limbs this is a completely normal thing," Tensai sarcastically hissed, his voice sharpened twofold by pain. "Common yokai aren't expected to have guises this advanced. It's supposedly not in our capacity." He spat the last word like it had a rancid taste.
Kichiruka blinked, looking at his own hands. He knew if he didn't walk for an extended period of time his knees gave out, but shape-twisting wasn't that excruciating. "I'm always okay, no matter the transition."
"You're not changing your class, idiot. There's a difference between fish and…whatever the hell you are." Tensai winced and twisted his back until a few vertebrae popped into place. He sighed. "You're also younger. Now don't go swimming off just yet, there're some more materials I want you to take home."
While Tensai disappeared into the next room, Kichiruka floated around his teacher's study. Tensai's quarters were always spacious. Organized to a point, the stone floor and its geometric engravings were kept visible at all times. Kichiruka could read most of it, but the meaning and, incidentally, the effects all varied according to position, incantations, and mediums used. Just looking at it knowing that his exam loomed just a day ahead made Kichiruka's stomach knot. He shifted his gaze and looked elsewhere. Urns, jars, vials, ensorcelled scrolls – labeled and arranged for easy access. Kichiruka admired the order, even if he lacked the ability to keep his own place so perfectly neat.
An iridescent gleam caught his eye. In one corner a large bubble rolled in a small limestone basin, the seven colors playing across its surface. Unbidden, Kichiruka drifted over. This basin was similar to the hidden one where Tensai replayed his memories, but the purpose was entirely different. He'd seen Tensai use this particular one to sift through current happenings, mostly glancing at public addresses Ichikawa delivered so he could get out of actually having to attend. Come to think of it, I wonder if he's ever used this to track me down… Kichiruka shook his head to clear the image and moved on to satisfy his own curiosity. Let's see. If I remember, you're supposed to touch here and turn it like this. Right? Kichiruka ran his hand over the surface. An overhead view of the study appeared on the surface. He smiled. Too bad humans didn't have screens that they could navigate with a single touch. He traced a finger past the bird's eye view of Mikan Beach, the land scenes shifting until he found the brook bordering Rin's village. He tapped the bubble's smooth surface and it zoomed in at a closer range.
Show me Rin…Please?
The sphere's surface glowed bright pink for a moment before clearing to a gauzier image of the brook where Kichiruka had been just minutes ago. Rin wasn't alone either. A silver-haired demon Kichiruka recognized from a near run-in earlier in that summer stood beside her.
Sesshomaru's back was to him and Kichiruka had to spin the bubble to move past all the fur that puffed over the dog-demon's shoulder for a better vantage point. Red stripes blazed across high cheek bones and the eyes above them were the intense amber of kiln embers. The crest of the elite poison users swept across his forehead. Kichiruka trembled as the fresh memory of the venom blade barked in his mind. If the spiked armor didn't speak for itself, Sesshomaru's stern expression certainly did. Keep your distance.
Kichiruka had been advised long ago and learned in his own practice,"Never trust a man who doesn't laugh." Even Tensai couldn't help a gruff hah once in a while. Sesshomaru looked like he rarely smiled, much less laughed.
Kichiruka brushed off the thought. No negative preconceptions. So what if Sesshomaru could slice off his head as soon as look at him? No negative preconceptions. But for the record, Sesshomaru probably didn't need to slice anyway; most daiyokai could flex an extension of their aura with a flick of their fingertips. No negative preconceptions. Wasn't said that dogs could smell fear? No negative preconceptions!
A resonating KLANG from the bubble made him jump. When Kichiruka looked again Sesshomaru had drawn a sword on Rin! He grabbed the conch staff, a heartbeat away from teleporting straight over. Wait. Closing his eyes and steadying himself, Kichiruka recalled how Rin often spoke of training with Sesshomaru. It's just strange to actually see it.
Settling back down, Kichiruka watched the two. He knew he probably should have been paying attention to their exchanges and the dog-demon's fighting style, but that didn't seem too important here. He's taking his time for her. Sesshomaru moved at a pace that was easy for human eyes to track, almost laughable for a demon. He sidestepped a few of Rin's strikes, blocked or parried most to gauge her recovery, but still let a couple slip past his defenses when they seemed worthy. There was attention to form, but mostly to Rin striking swift and vital points. Rin wanted to be stronger and Sesshomaru pushed her toward it. The daiyokai didn't seem angry or upset – well, he doesn't seem much of anything – at the green slash that ate away at his breastplate. When she called upon the venom dog Kichiruka hoped Rin could see the approval in Sesshomaru's eyes.
A light smile curled spotted cheeks. He really loves her.
Tensai reentered the room.
"Say, Master Tensai, do –"
A stony set of inscribed tablets slammed into Kichiruka's lap, nearly crushing every bone in his legs. "Yeow!"
"Well don't just sit there with that stupid look on your face! You've got only one day more to study and then your first exam is the following morning! Are you going to get on top of it or not? Damn, must I do twice the thinking for you?" Without a second glance, he turned to the bubble and waved a hand over the surface so it reset to its generic multicolor display. "And this isn't a toy!"
"I was watching – "
"I don't care what the score is, idiot."
"It's not sports!...Though the favorites this year are –"
Tensai jabbed his nose into Kichiruka's chest. "You can study here and ask last-minute questions or go back to that capsized derelict of yours. Either way, shut up and do it."
How am I supposed to ask questions if you expect me to shut up? Kichiruka grumbled, collecting his reading material, and lurched off to a corner where Tensai tolerated his presence. With an exaggerated display, he finally got to work, reading up for whatever torture his instructor had in store.
I wish Master Tensai were half as nice as Lord Sesshomaru.
oOo
Left behind by his lordship some distance away, Jaken had arrived at the tail end of the sparring session. Lord Sesshomaru had certainly done quite a job with such a scrawny human girl.
Sesshomaru made a cutting motion with his hand. "Enough."
Although her overall technique still had its rough edges, Rin's fighting was more spirited this time. He was quite pleased with that. It was about time she had the right mindset, whatever her motivation.
While Rin went through the motions of cleaning her blade and readjusting her clothes, Sesshomaru checked their surroundings again. The scent was still there. "Sea salt?"
"It…um, might be these." Rin held out the pair of conic shelled earrings Kichiruka had given her. Maybe if she could get him used to the scent of her dearest friend the inu-yokai wouldn't revert to his protective instincts straightaway and slaughter the strange demon on sight.
Sesshomaru's nose twitched as he eyed the bright orange jewelry. The scent was similar, but… "You've had those for a while," he observed.
Rin shrugged. "Well, I wondered if maybe that's what you smelled."
Jaken snorted. "If you ask me, the salt scent seems more like it's coming from this puny riv—"
Rin kicked Jaken into the brook. And Sesshomaru ignored the exchange.
"Where did you get those earrings, Rin?"
From Kichiruka's conch staff. "They were a gift."
"Huh. Interesting craftsmanship." He had no reason to suspect it, but Sesshomaru checked for any trace of demonic aura. Nothing. He ran through a mental list of noble families with seaside holdings. Although he hardly bothered to keep track of human daimyo – their terms of succession were considerably rapid by yokai standard – he knew offhand that the nearest one was already married and with prospective heirs in mind. And Rin had shown a distaste toward older men.
Sesshomaru shrugged off the idea. Whomever it was he had a hunch he would find out soon enough. And it certainly put Rin in high, albeit anxious, spirits. She did say "unconventional status" – did she mean a vassal? Upper-class samurai weren't such a bad choice. Formal and fiercely loyal, yes, those sorts of soldiers were acceptable.
Rin saw the barest of nods from Sesshomaru as he gazed off somewhere else. Geez, is he calculating my dowry already?
But the dog-demon only asked, "Has Kohaku yet returned from his departure last month?"
Rin exhaled slowly. Over the course of the seasons, the taijiya had made it back into the Western Lord's good graces enough to become a subject of discussion again. "He's been back for a couple of days now," Rin answered.
"Send for him," Sesshomaru said. He could take his time today. The air was crisp and the days like this might not be as frequent as they went further into autumn. Sesshomaru had caught an extra whiff of moisture in the air. Rain was coming soon. He was going to need to look into warmer attire for his charge.
As she strolled back home for Kohaku Rin didn't need to fake her smile. It came naturally. He's in a favorable humor, Kich'. She just hoped Sesshomaru's good mood would outlast the week.
oOo
"You were supposed to kill it!" Tensai railed.
"If I remember correctly," Kichiruka said, scratching the creature behind one horn that was as long as he was tall, "your instructions were to subdue him." The gargantuan seahorse crooned and rubbed its spout under the demon's open palm. "Besides he was just minding his own business. Wouldja look at what he had lodged under one of his scales?" Kichiruka hefted a small boulder. "I think that's why he was in such a bad mood. Hey, Master Tensai, maybe we should check under your gills for any –"
Tensai kneaded his brow, making every effort to tune out his student's babbling. This was the second exam. Kichiruka had passed the first on potions and incantations with the second highest mark Tensai had seen in his lifetime. The dolphin's retention was exceptional. But for this second round he hadn't expected him to complete at least a day's examination so quickly. And it wasn't even really a fight either. But he did complete it. And, although the means had been unexpected, Kichiruka was efficient. "In that case – hey, quit kissing that thing! You don't know where it's been!"
Kichiruka looked up from nuzzling the seahorse. "Sorry."
"I was talking to the animal." Tensai switched to the common oceanic language and shooed it away. He returned his attention to Kichiruka. "Since you completed the second exam at an unprecedented time we will proceed with the third and final assessment immediately. Two conditions will apply: first, you must maintain a temporary form at all times. Loss of control is seen as an inadequacy. Secondly, you may not employ any techniques directly given to you by the proctor. So no teleportation."
"Say what?"
Tensai continued, "Violation of either of these rules will have you disqualified at once. As the student you implicitly understand that a fatality may occur during the course of your examination. Questions?"
Kichiruka unnecessarily raised his hand. "Is this also combat orientated?"
Did he miss the part about possible fatality? Tensai rolled his eyes. "Yes. Your next opponent will be me."
Kichiruka paled. "Master Tensai, I don't want to slay you!"
"Moron. If you can incapacitate me, you'll pass. I'm a master, you're barely at a graduate's level." Reaching into his robes, Tensai retrieved a small, conical shell. "Now, go!" He threw the seashell like a dart in Kichiruka's direction.
Zipping aside, the younger demon successfully dodged the shot. "Missed!"
Tensai smiled. You mean, perfect.
Kichiruka spun his conch staff, preparing to attack. Tensai made a sweeping motion with his arm, as if beckoning him to advance. Kichiruka never noticed the looming shadow behind him.
Only when Tensai fanned out his fingers did Kichiruka glance over his shoulder and look into the gaping maw of a giant sea serpent. Tensai abruptly closed his fingers into a loose fist and his student was engulfed in a single snap of jaws.
"Cheater!" Kichiruka hollered as he pried open the monster's mouth with his staff.
"You should be able to manipulate all forms of water, boy." Tensai squeezed his fist, gradually increasing the pressure. Kichiruka winced as his strength began to wane. "At the very least, you should have heard this brute approaching." He clenched his fist all together. "Idiot."
The jaws clamped shut. Tensai heaved an exasperated sigh. I'll give him to the count of ten.
The serpent shuddered, then sneezed and spat out a small glacier. Kichiruka hopped off the ice floe with ease, back-flipping and bouncing off of the monster's head. "That wasn't too hard." He twirled the conch staff with refreshed cocksure – and with the other hand secretly pocketed the shell he'd picked off the serpent's forehead. A jester's acrobatics were good for something after all. He swam a little closer, but cautiously kept his distance. "One question?"
"That time has long past." Tensai reached into his sash and pulled out a small, white tusk. He snapped his wrist and the ends spiraled into twin pikes on either end. Horned whales weren't common in these waters and Tensai had traveled far to acquire the weapon for his own candidacy as a graduate. Much in the way Kichiruka had for the conch staff.
"Okay, when you said incapacitate," Kichiruka said, continuing with his question and ignoring the presented threat, "do I have to use physical for—EEEEEK!"
Kichiruka dodged the first strike, but when Tensai spun the double-pointed lance he grazed him with the other end.
"Crap, that nearly took out my shoulder!"
"Most would've aimed for your heart."
With the ease of centuries' practice, Tensai swung again. The weapon was more than a mere halberd and spinning it created a virtually perfect combination of offensive and defensive strength. Get too close and lose a limb. This time when they clashed Kichiruka deflected a blow with his conch staff, but it took all his strength to hold the pike down in a lock.
Tensai frowned. "You aren't worthy of wielding that staff if you think you can use it as a base weapon."
Kichiruka smiled. "I'm not. You said it's better as a conduit, remember? If you can command the size and shape of this thing, then that means there's a trace of yoki inside." He grunted and began to carefully and faultlessly repeat the incantation his teacher had used to enchant Rin's infusion blade.
Tensai growled. The lance bucked in his grip and he fought to hang on before Kichiruka wrested it away.
Damn. "Fine. Take it." Tensai freed his hands and clapped them together, blurring through a complex set of motions.
Kichiruka felt a cold draft sweep past him. And he abruptly realized that the water surrounding him had disappeared. He had a small eternity to see the ocean funnel open straight up to the surface. Air? Kichiruka dully registered it before he fell back into the whirlpool that yawned open for him.
Taking the opportunity to collect the tusk, Tensai restored it to its full length. The whirlpool dissipated, spitting out a disorientated Kichiruka. The dolphin yokai didn't move and only drifted limply in the current. Tensai sped over. He had hoped Kichiruka would have been prepared enough to counter the whirlpool. If he was unconscious this exam was already over. If not…he gripped the twin pike. When he was within range, Tensai prepared to end it in one sure strike.
No hesitation. He's not ready. Tensai swung. But inches from Kichiruka the lance stopped short. A barrier?
Lively as ever, Kichiruka rolled around in the safety of his clear, self-made sphere. He grinned, patting the inside. "And you said it would break."
Tensai scowled. The whirlpool. Kichiruka must have taken in air then.
"Check it out, semipermeable, too!" A spotted hand poked out and made a fast flinging motion.
Tensai didn't pay any mind to the distraction. "Your task still stands to incapacitate me." The swordfish prodded the protective barrier. "And you're not going accomplish that sitting inside a bubble."
Kichiruka snickered. Then pointed wildly to the space over his teacher's shoulder. "Wow! Master Tensai, look!"
He smirked. "You'll have to do better than that old ruse if you plan to fool m—"
The sea serpent from before, now spellbound by a modified charm, opened its jaws and snapped once over Kichiruka's instructor.
I tried to warn him. Letting his barrier dissolve, the dolphin yokai looked at his own closed fist. I don't feel him struggling. Does this mean I won?
A pained roar brought Kichiruka's attention back to the sea beast. A bulge had grown in the monster's slender throat and it hacked once more before a marlin the size of a mansion pierced its way out. Keeping his true form, Tensai shook off the serpent's corpse before turning pupil-less yellow eyes on his student. He clicked angrily.
I hope you don't think that will work on just any demon. He swung his head and the pike of his bill nearly took out Kichiruka in a single sweep.
"I thought you said no transforming!"
A low click issued from the swordfish.
Blue eyes rolled skyward. No transforming for me. Of course.
And Tensai rounded on him again. Heart racing, Kichiruka dove under the gigantic swordfish, hoping to stay out his line of vision for what it was worth.
I wonder if he really meant it when he said he might kill me. Another rift in the water nearly took out Kichiruka's arm, cutting deep. Best not find out.
With a speed at odds with his size, Tensai moved quickly in the water. Kichiruka never saw him turn around. And again he had to veer just out of getting skewered.
I can't keep this up much longer. Tensai was much more difficult to manage in this form. The disparity in their sizes alone kept Kichiruka from getting far, but he couldn't keep dodging at this rate. Without his teleportation technique Kichiruka was grimly aware that he could only play ring-around-the-yokai for so long.
Damn, but how to get him to revert back?
Kichiruka torpedoed under, away from Tensai's dangerous end. Or so he thought. The heavy smack from the demon's caudal fin sent Kichiruka careening into a wall of coral. Momentum alone knocked him near senseless, but sharp-edged reef shrapnel shredded into his jacket and found slicing purchase on his body. Kichiruka coughed and tasted the sweet copper of blood. He tried to raise a hand to wave away the red cloud before him, but the feeling in that arm was gone. An unusually large starfish dropped on his chest from the reef above. It sat lazily. Wish I could be you. Looking up, he saw the piscine yokai poised to strike. He's going to finish me now? Kichiruka tried moving and pain seared through every nerve in his body. I can't move. Just tired…
Tensai lunged.
Kichiruka heard the crack of coral. But didn't feel any impact on himself. One more chance. Move it! Gritting his teeth he mustered the last of his strength and swam as speedily as his flagging yoki could propel him.
Tensai's nose caught deep in the coral. He thrashed, but it held fast. Damn. Twisting into his preferred form, he whirled around and searched for his pupil.
"Kichiruka!" No answer. "Kichiruka! Teleportation out of the premises constitutes disqualification."
There was one way to track him down. Preparing to cast a search spell, Tensai folded his hands together. And a solid block of ice froze over them.
"What the hell?" Without the use of his hands, Tensai switched to a verbal spell. He paused when something spiraled in the corner of his vision. A shuriken? A starfish slapped over Tensai's mouth, cutting him off before another syllable left his lips. "Mmph?"
"Over here, Master Tensai!" Roughed up but still smiling, Kichiruka twirled the conch staff in his good hand as he floated up from the ocean's depths. "Does this count for incapacitation?"
Tensai harrumphed loudly under his bonds, and glared at Kichiruka. Blue eyes danced triumphantly. Tensai closed his own and shook his head. As hard and ruthless as a rose petal, aren't you?
Slowly, the old swordfish nodded. His student had passed.
Kichiruka smiled and gently tapped the conch to his teacher's hands. The ice broke apart and, the second he was free, Tensai immediately tore away the starfish. He ran a hand over his jaw. And grumbled. Too late.
Kichiruka guffawed. "Hey, you have bunch of funny suction marks all over your face!"
Tensai let him laugh it up. He earned. "A note on this: You should have aimed for my gills."
Kichiruka's dolphin cackle died away. "That would've been dirty."
And I would have thought less of you. Tensai shrugged. "In case you haven't noticed, boy, nobody fights fair."
"Yeah, I kinda did," Kichiruka snorted. "You were really trying to kill me, weren't you?"
Motioning for his student to follow, Tensai headed in the direction of his study. "I missed."
"Intentionally?"
"Let's just say if you had not moved at the provided opportunity I would have failed you. My job is to assess you, not gratuitous violence." Yellow eyes looked up and down Kichiruka's wounds. "I suppose you'll be needing a ride." In a gesture that brooked no refusal, Tensai shifted into his true form. Awkwardly, he motioned with his head. Get on.
Kichiruka gulped. He wasn't afraid that his teacher would hurt him. Not now that the exam was over. But the speed they were going to break. Closing his eyes and holding on tight, Kichiruka said his prayers. Swordfish swam fast.
Minutes later when they reached Tensai's quarters, Kichiruka was promptly plunked into a stool with a curved seat. "Strip," he ordered. While Kichiruka removed the tattered remains of his jacket and shirt across the room Tensai scanned a shelf and pulled a poultice from a cluster of jars.
"Let me see your arm." With the base of his palm, Tensai rubbed the medicine in. One gash was particularly deep. Kichiruka winced.
"Sorry."
Kichiruka blinked. That was the last word he had expected to hear from his gruff mentor.
Tensai finished winding a white cloth over the arm. He checked to clean more severe cuts. Most were superficial, but a couple needed immediate treatment for proper healing. When all was complete he asked, "Can you stand?"
Kichiruka nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He wasn't used to anyone being this attentive to him.
"Get over there," Tensai directed curtly, pointing one way then swishing into the adjoining atrium. Presently, he stepped back out, a tightly folded package in the crook of his arm. "Straighten up some. It's not becoming of a new graduate."
"Graduate?" Kichiruka perked up. "Oooh, were these promotional exams?" he asked hopefully, breaking into a grin.
Tensai frowned. And averted his eyes.
"They are!" The younger demon cheered and hugged his teacher.
"Three second rule!" Tensai squirmed at the indignity. "Get off!"
Kichiruka obeyed, but he practically danced in place. A graduate! He'd never been given an esteemed rank like that before. It was unheard of for some waif, an "orphan boy," to amount to anything. He tried pumping his fist, but the torn ligaments in his arm flared so he settled for another cheer.
Tensai ignored the prancing dolt and shook out the robe in his hands. It was a dark, majestic blue with white bordered triangles patterned over it. "See how this fits."
Kichiruka fingered the fine cloth. He felt a little breathless. "Is this for me?"
"Not this one itself. We'll have your own commissioned, but I'll need measurements first. Put it on."
"Wow!" Kichiruka was absolutely giddy at the chance to wear his teacher's old robe. Albeit the thing was somewhat oversized. "Will the design pattern stay the same?"
Tensai cuffed the sleeves for him. "Yes, that's your identification as a spellcaster. No one else is permitted it." Pulling some pins from the inside of his own sleeves, Tensai called for his student's pause.
Kichiruka held still and kept quiet for a while. As he reigned in his excitement, hi thoughts drifted toward a favorite subject: Rin. Then he remembered Sesshomaru and the training he had observed a few days ago. "Master Tensai…?"
"Hrm?"
"Would you say that family is where you find it?"
The needle in Tensai's hand slipped. Kichiruka yelped. "You had that coming," the swordfish grumbled. "What inspires this question?"
"I was just wondering…y'know, like when you don't have any blood members to go to and your closest associates become…?" Kichiruka's voice trailed off as he became aware of his teacher's glare and staunch posture. "I was thinking about Rin and Lord Sesshomaru," he blurted out.
Tensai tilted his head skeptically, but his shoulders relaxed. "And?"
"I dunno, it seems…nice what they have. From the way Rin talks about him and everything she describes. And then Rin herself…she's self-possessed and strong and really patient. I think she's learned a lot from –"
"Boy, you're prattling. What's your point?"
Kichiruka sighed. "It makes me worry that if Sesshomaru doesn't approve of me where does that leave Rin?...I wouldn't want to put her in a position where she feels…divided."
Tensai snorted. "You're worrying about something you haven't even come to deal with yet."
"You think so?"
"You want to see if it'll work out? Then you'll have to speak with Sesshomaru yourself." Tensai resumed his pinning and measurements. "You can't expect opportunity to take root if you don't tow the silt yourself."
Kichiruka chewed his lip. "That's an interesting way to look at it."
Tensai smirked. "Heh, Ichikawa said that."
"Sounds like him," Kichiruka chuckled.
"Indeed. He told me that when he was pawning off a student who would prove particularly tiresome."
Sapphire eyes blinked in true astonishment. "Really? Which one?"
Tensai heaved an exasperated sigh and tugged on his pupil's lapels. "Still so insufferable."
Oh. Kichiruka just smiled. "So when can I return to you for my master's examination?"
"Never." Tensai swam behind the new grad and decided the collar needed adjustments.
"Why not?" Kichiruka tried turning his head to make eye contact his instructor who snapped at him for squirming.
"I'm not qualified to give you an evaluation for a Master of Arcane Arts."
"Don't you simply have to be of the station to conduct the assessment?"
"Yes, but…" Tensai growled low in his throat. "Any evaluation I perform for that rite would be null because I was expelled by my own teacher."
"Really?"
"What? Did I stutter? Yes, dammit." He fumed privately for a moment. Then continued, "My graduate examinations are valid because I passed them without marring my record, but after that I committed a first-class offense."
"Why? Erm, how?"
"Because I…engaged in conduct unbecoming of a student." He sounded like he was reciting the very rights they'd read to him. He snorted. "I became enamored of a human. And, like a fool, I chose my short-lived mortal over my life's career."
"You regret it?"
The older demon sighed, drifting backward in the current to look at Kichiruka, dressed in the same robe he had worn centuries ago. "Not quite…No," he decided. "I may not even be decorating you had I not similar…sympathies."
"Master Tensai," Kichiruka sniffled. "I'm touched."
"In the head, quite so…And quit your fidgeting!" Tensai pinned the last fold of the coat and it was still too long around the sleeves. "I guess we'll get to those later."
"I'll grow into it."
Although he was young, Kichiruka was already an adult yokai and he had little left in the way of growing to do. Tensai laughed at the thought. "We'll see. For now we should look into getting you the proper apparel to go with it. Full-length hakama for starters."
"Okay, but I wanna keep my shirt."
"No; clamshells and triangles clash," Tensai said with a grumble.
"I like clams," Kichiruka protested.
"You're an idiot."
"You promoted me!"
"And I'm regretting it now. Pick a solid color."
Kichiruka opened his mouth to argue, but a smooth voice overrode it.
"Kichiruka, listen to your teacher." Ichikawa glided over, his inky black wings rippling with the movement. He landed in the middle of the room, looking around at the out-dated décor, before settling turquoise eyes on his young subject. "You will wear my colors."
Seasick green? Kichiruka thought with a recoil.
Without waiting for any objection, Ichikawa already had his back to him, addressing the swordfish instead. "I generally have a 'don't ask, don't care' policy, but Tensai, I wish you had told me earlier you were – what's the euphemism? – of the domestic persuasion. If it means the difference between your contentment and choler, I could have accommodations made with the local village girls…"
"No thank you," the swordfish flatly declined.
Ichikawa smirked. "My, my, it was serious, then?"
The sail on Tensai's head flushed a deep blue, his expression darkening. For once, Ichikawa thought better than to pursue the matter. He understood the delicacy well enough himself. Moving on, the manta ray turned to his former jester. "Congratulations, Kichiruka. I do hope this goes well. We've made arrangements for a replacement for you so if you get rejected don't expect your original position back." He smiled when he said it.
Kichiruka rolled his eyes, giving his best shot at nonchalance. "Can't wait to get rid of me, huh?"
Ichikawa laughed. "Oh, now I'm hurt. You truly think I would simply cast away one of my fine subjects to be another demon's chew toy? Your ties will always be with us, Kichiruka….And make sure you have enough hanyo to secure a good line of generations."
Kichiruka laughed uncertainly and Tensai palmed his face.
"You were a good find and it pleases me when investments pay off." Ichikawa's wings pulled away from his body in a gesture imitating a shrug. "I look forward to hearing how this goes."
Kichiruka half-smiled. "Heh, yeah, I can't wait."
Ichikawa smirked. "Me neither."
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A/N: As you may notice with the delay in updates, I've returned to campus and am met with a load of responsibilities. To that end, I will not be able to guarantee a chapter update next week. (Though I'll make my very best effort.) Thank you for all your reviews – the encouragement is most appreciated and I will always make the effort to reply (so if you have an account please sign in). 'Til next time!
Eh, deleted scene. Please remove spaces before use: feral-instinct .deviantart. com/#/d36vmd2