Chapter 3 - Reunion
"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality." - Emily Dickinson
...
"I feel honored," Miki said in a joking tone. "It's not every day that I get to have a King assist me with the removal of my armor." The brunette, her long flowing hair done up into a bun on the top of her head with a pair of slim pieces of wood used to hold it in place, stood in the middle of her tent with her arms stretched out to either side at shoulder height. Surprisingly she found herself at ease, when she should have been just the opposite given she was in the presence of her enemy as well as the enemy of all her kind. Perhaps it is due to the guards being just outside the door; she told herself, certain they would come without haste at her call should they be needed.
Tooru chuckled softly as he worked at a particularly stubborn buckle under her left arm. "I believe the honor is mine as it has been some time since last I was able to assist a beautiful woman with her armor, my Queen." The smile upon his face widened into a grin and he purposefully allowed his fingers to brush a pale expanse of flesh peeking through a rip in the queens clothing along her side. His slight touch caused the woman to shiver and shy away as it tickled her unexpectedly.
"You did that on purpose!" She exclaimed in reprimand for his actions as her body jerked away from his touch before she could stop it. Damn him! Is he playing with me? The Queen herself was surprised as she felt a shiver of excitement traverse her spine at that thought. Seeing the tent flap shift open and a guard stick her head in the Queen waved her off to signify all was well.
Tooru chuckled good naturedly at her words and the offended look on her face even as she waved away the curious guard at the door. "Aye, I did. You're as ticklish as my wife was," he told her off-handedly as the buckle finally came loose and he moved on to the next one holding the shoulder gardbrace in place.
"Did you assist her often in this manner?" Miki asked more curious than anything else as she faced forward once again and let him continue with his work now that he was no longer as near to her sensitive side. The man's personal scent, musky in nature, laced with oil and steel as one would expect from a person encased in armor, hung heavy in the air. Having heightened senses, especially smell, could be as much a benefit as it was currently proving to be a distraction to the usually controlled woman.
Tooru's head nodded in acknowledgement. "Every time we were called upon and rode out together," he said tugging upon the leather cinch that refused to come loose. "…as well as when we returned home," he finished with as the strap finally released and he removed the metal piece from her shoulder.
"You were that close?" Miki questioned aloud as she rolled her freed shoulder and then pin wheeled her arm several times to loosen the muscles. She had heard stories before concerning the closeness of mated pairs; however it was rare to be able to talk directly to a Kyuuketsuki like this concerning it. From reports she had received, the bond he mentioned sounded greatly akin to the one her people experienced as well. Her own kind mated for life and it was unheard of to continue on once your own mate perished which was all the more reason his words intrigued her.
Tooru walked around the Queen and lifted her other arm, resting it across his own shoulder, so that he could start with the straps for the gardbrace on that shoulder. "Such is the bond between our kind when we choose a mate. We live, breathe, eat, sleep and fight together. It is painful to be separated for any great length of time. If we're lucky we return home together…if not, we die together…" his voice lowered considerably and suddenly had an element of profound regret to it when he finished his thought. "…usually at least," he intoned barely above a whisper.
"I am not trying to be harsh," Miki said in a businesslike manner, suddenly feeling uncomfortable discussing a subject that was obviously painful for him. "If I am to determine what I am to do with you I must first understand you…and your kind," she said to him even as the metal plating came free of her shoulder and she was able to flex her other arm and relieve distraught muscles. Moving around in front of her his deft fingers, showing they were indeed no stranger to the handling of armor, quickly undid the clasps holding her breastplate in place and removed it from her person, setting it aside. Miki leaned forward to bend down to work the chainmail off of her body only to feel large hands upon her shoulders lifting her up once again. Brown questioning eyes met his once she was standing erect again. She did not fear him for some reason so his actions only invoked a puzzled curiosity in her. As he had so eloquently stated previously, it served no purpose for him to harm her or she him.
"No," he told her, his face somber and eyes devoid of their usual glimmer of amusement, as he reached up and undid the chainmail fastening from the tip of her right shoulder to her neck. "Never bow, kneel, bend over or anything else that will place you below another," he admonished her softly as he stepped into her personal space. For a long moment they stared into each other's eyes as only a handful of inches separated their two bodies. Tooru reach down and grasped the bottom edge of the chainmail shirt before lifting it up and over the Queen's head. "Never show a sign of weakness to anyone…especially to me," he said as he turned away from her and hung the heavy shirt made of metal links upon a nearby dummy which was specifically designed to bear its weight. A servant would come later to see to its cleaning, repair and oiling.
"Thank you," Miki replied turning her back to him to hide the tinge of embarrassment she felt heating her cheeks. The strange mixture of armor, sweat, oil and muskiness his nearness had given off was still prevalent in the air about her, distracting her. "So of this bond," she stated turning back around once more when she had regained her composure. Tooru was removing his own armor by himself. Miki took a step in his direction, prepared to return the favor he had afforded her, however the look he shot her told her it wasn't her place to assist him. "What happens to it once one of the pair dies," she asked as she continued forward, stepping around him and taking up the decanter of wine to fill her own goblet, leaving his empty. Miki turned back just in time to catch the look of approval on the man's face at her actions just before it vanished.
Tooru wiggled out of the armor, dropping it onto the floor out of the way, making a mental note to retrieve it later once it was determine what was to become of him. The padded shirt soon followed the armor to its resting place upon the ground revealing the damp white sleeveless shirt he wore beneath it. Moving his shoulders much in the same manner as she had, he worked out the stiffness of his muscles and joints. The queen appreciatively, though discreetly, watched the play of muscles along his bare arms over the rim of her goblet as she sipped her wine. The loose undershirt clung sparingly to his figure as he moved; leaving plenty for the watching eyes to speculate upon concerning what might be hidden beneath. "In most cases they die together," he answered her; unaware of the brown eyes traipsing across his form. Death is a much kinder fate than to remain alive, he silently added to himself.
Miki turned away and took a large sip of her wine before setting the goblet upon the table before turning back around again. "In most cases?" she inquired with a raised brow just before she followed suit and began removing the padded shirt that was always worn under her chainmail. The padding was insufferably hot however it had only taken the mistake of not wearing it once to educate her on her foolishness. The metal had cut through her clothing and injured her far more than any enemy that day. She hadn't been able to wear any tight shirts for days and had to wrap her chest in bandages till it properly healed. The weight of the metal combined with the sharp edges of the rings themselves had worked to cut through her clothing and flesh like a hot knife through butter. She had quickly learned that the padded under shirt was not just to protect her skin from the mail rings but it was also particularly useful for absorbing some of the force received from blows that slipped past her defenses only to be foiled by the armor. Each blow that had landed that day had driven the sharp rings deeply into her inadequately shielded flesh.
"Most cases," he replied with a nod turning away to avoid looking at the sweat soaked shirt that hugged the Queen's shapely form, leaving far too little to his imagination. "Nothing is absolute," he clarified. "The bond is a strong thing between mated pairs. Often those joined as such share in the final moments of the other's death; they are so closely entwined to one another." Tooru barely managed to suppress the shudder he felt building within him as his words called to mind the still vivid experience of feeling his wife's drowning struggles. He had found himself upon his hands and knees in the middle of their home as his senses, firmly tied to Sayako's through their bond, experienced firsthand her lungs gasping for air only to intake the icy river water instead. The report that he had received was that Sayako had been attempting to save several children from the attack. Defenseless and without weapons they had escaped along the bank of the river which ran near the village. There had been heavy rains in the mountains for weeks as winter approached which resulted in the river running full and swift. She, as well as the children, had been driven into the turbulent waters for sport by the attacking soldiers when discovered. Thankfully his body had succumbed to unconsciousness as he felt her life slip away into everlasting blackness that day. "Those left alive usually do not last long," he continued as he struggled to regain control of his thoughts, banishing once more the painful memories that threatened to overtake him. "To lose your bonded mate is to lose your heart, your soul, your very reason for living. The grief one feels does not allow the survivor to live for long." He had watched his younger brother fall ill to what he was describing to the woman in the tent with him. It had only taken ten days for him to die, broken and nothing but a shell of his former self. It was as if someone had reached deep within him and ripped out his will to live. To Tooru it was a feeling he recalled all too painfully well.
"Yet you live?" Miki asked confused and wishing to make sense of what he was telling her. "If it truly is the survivor's fate to die in this manner then why did not the grief of your wife's passing consume you?"
Tooru turned back around and looked at Miki for a long moment with frighteningly haunted eyes. He recalled all too well how he had wandered along the blurred edges of grief and insanity for a long while during the time following Sayako's death. When the bond that existed between them had snapped it had felt as if everything that made him who he was, the very essence of his inner self, had been forcibly ripped out of him right through his chest. He had wanted to die. He had begged for the relief the absence of life would finally grant him.
Deep within him there was a lingering residual presence of what was missing, a pale shadow of the bond now horribly torn asunder. Later he would recall soldiers who had lost limbs saying that there were times they could still feel the missing member even though it was gone. He had grasped hold of the ghost bond, nothing more than a lingering echo of the real thing within his pain filled mind, the only tie he had to Sayako who was gone now forever. To let go of that small sliver of what they had would be to admit that she was gone and something within him couldn't do it. Forever, which had always seemed like such a small word to an immortal such as himself, took on an entirely new meaning faced with the void her absence left behind. Yet, though he clung to the excruciatingly painful memory of all he had lost, he did not die.
In the end it was Sachiko, his only child, which offered him the one ray of light in a world that had suddenly been consumed by an all-encompassing darkness. She remained by his side and nursed him back to health both physically as well as mentally. He owed her a debt and it was for that reason why he allowed her the level of freedom she enjoyed. While he was recovering, slowly returning to the world of the living, he realized what he must do. Laying in bed he worked his way through all the options available to him. Each plan was weighed and measured till there was only one viable solution, the only possibility as he saw it, of ensuring that Sachiko would never have to experience what he had just miraculously survived. The first step was the removal of his father as King and assuming control of the clan itself. As soon as he was once again on his feet he began training and practicing as his body had suffered nearly as much as his mind had. It took three long years before he could put his plan in motion.
Miki thought she saw pain and suffering within his steel grey orbs but as quickly as she caught a glimpse of this it was gone, locked away once more under an iron will. "A king is not allowed to grieve," he told her bitterly before stepping around her to fill his own goblet, downing it in one long continual series of loud gulps in the silence following his words.
-oOo-
"Yoshino-sama!" Yumi exclaimed happily upon seeing the woman, dressed in a pristine Lillian uniform, walking towards her. While she was well aware that others like her were attending school there at Lillian Girl's Academy it was rare to see someone she actually knew. Yoshino, along with her older cousin, had been the equivalent of aunts as well as part time surrogate mothers to her as she was growing up. Her own mother, being the Queen and leader of the clan, was often called away by matters that required her personal attention. While the teenaged girl she was today understood this, it had been very hard to deal with when she was considerably younger. Yoshino had been one of the few people she had come to count on to always be there for her when she needed them.
"That's enough of that," Yoshino said with an arched brow and a disapproving glare. "It's just Yoshino or if you feel you must, Yoshino-san will do, Yumi-san," the petite woman with twin braids down her chest stated in rebuke, coming to halt before the grinning brunette. She's going to be just as cute as her mother; Yoshino surmised covertly looking the younger girl up and down. She hadn't seen the young brunette that was as much her own child in her heart as Yumi was the Queen's by blood, for several days now. Yoshino had been absent from school of late due to her heart condition, or so the faculty believed. When the young and headstrong daughter of the Queen had declared her intentions at an early age to attend a human school, her mother had insisted that Yoshino and her cousin attend as well. A heart condition was the ruse that had been developed to explain the absences of the cousins when they were required to perform their other duties for Queen and clan. How the both of them had made their appearances look like kindergarteners, and then age over the years, was something the young brunette to this day did not know.
"Well you are considerably older than me," Yumi replied with a mischievous sparkle to her eyes, placing heavy emphasis upon the wrong word on purpose, as she continued the long running game between the two them. It was the older women, though deceptively small, that had seen her through the rough first years of puberty and all the changes they brought with them. Yoshino, perhaps sensing Yumi's need for some freedom in her life, had been her main accomplice when it came to sneaking out of their family's mansion. The older woman knew all of the exits, even those not in the blueprints. It was that unwavering willingness to be there for the younger girl that had endeared Yoshino to Yumi and had earned her the place by Yumi's side as her closest friend and confidante. While the petite girl's cousin might oversee the fighting forces of the Houribe clan, it was Yoshino that oversaw the informational and covert divisions of the ruling family. There was very little that the dark haired woman didn't know which also, as the Queen saw it, made her the best suited to look after her only daughter.
"A fact she greatly detests being reminded of, Yumi-chan," piped in a voice behind the young brunette which caused the first year student to spin around with an excited squeal. A tall lanky, almost boyish looking woman, dressed in the standard dark uniform that declared her a student at Lillian, stood there holding her school bag in a relaxed manner till the surprised brunette threw herself at the older woman. It was several long moments before Rei could extract herself from the younger girl's arms.
"Rei-sama!" Yumi's exclamation rang down through the hallways causing several other students to look in their direction even as the holder of the name grinned at the younger girl's reaction to her presence. Yumi hugged her dear friend tightly only releasing her when she felt the taller woman move to step back. "How are you General?" the young girl asked as it had actually been several weeks since she had last seen the woman that now stood there smiling affectionately, rounding out their trio. Though they attended the same school, Rei was a year ahead of Yumi and Yoshino which accounted for not always getting to see her.
"Retired," Rei chided her with a pointed look before glancing about nervously. "More or less," she added softly just loud enough for the three of them to hear. "Yumi, you need to be careful of what you say. Most of the students here are of the normal variety. Addressing Yoshi-chan with a 'sama' or calling me 'General' could draw undue attention to us." Rei didn't fail to notice the affectionate smile that appeared upon her cousin's face upon hearing the use of her own personal term of endearment, Yoshi-chan, for the smaller girl that she had devised several centuries before. Several of the cousin's closer friends had started teasing the petite woman about the name when a popular video game manufacturer had developed a green and white character by the same name. Yoshino, for her part, still adored the pet name as it was given to her by her beloved Rei-chan. The petite woman possessed an entire wardrobe of Yoshi print t-shirts, most of them having been gifts from friends. Even the Queen had gifted the woman with a life size Yoshi stuffed figure that stood in the corner of the room the two cousins shared.
"I'm sorry," Yumi replied as she hung her head, crestfallen at the double admonishment from two of the most important people in her young life. "I was just so excited to see you both," the young and inexperienced brunette offered in her defense. "You've been absent for a while and I missed you," she continued in a plaintive tone of voice. "It's certainly not the same without the two of you here. I get lonely," Yumi told them with a pouting face.
"It's almost no fun teasing you," Yoshino told Yumi as she stepped up and slipped her arm through Yumi's as Rei did the same on the other side, interlocking their arms together with the confused girl.
Rei chuckled at her cousin's accurate words. "It's almost no challenge at all," she confirmed as the cousins started walking, forcing the youngest of the three along with them.
"EH!" Yumi loudly exclaimed as she realized they were having sport with her at her own expense. Hearing the laughter she soon had to grin and joined in knowing their words to be no less than the truth. "So I'm assuming you're both back to keep a closer eye on me?" Yumi inquired after a few moments after the older two had regained some semblance of control.
"You didn't think Oojo-sama was just going to allow you to run around free here all the time, did you?" Yoshino asked in mock disbelief as they walked along the path. "Especially with those others here as well!" Yoshino added with a steely edge to her words as she quickly looked about as if they might jump out of the woodwork all of a sudden.
Yumi knew by her friend's tone that she was referring to the rumor that there were Kyuuketsuki's also attending classes here at Lillian. When Yumi had been young her mother had placed her into Lillian when she was old enough to attend kindergarten, due to her insistence. It was while she was in middle school classes that it was discovered that there was a strong Kyuuketsuki presence among the students. The exact number of how many was as yet uncertain and seemed to change as students came and graduated. When her mother had voiced the idea of transferring Yumi to a different school it was Yumi herself that had argued against it. It had taken some doing, however the Matriarch of the Houribe clan had finally relented. After their discussion the Queen had pulled Yoshino aside and instructed her to ensure that additional members of the clan attend Lillian as regular students as well. Yoshino had selected members whom she was certain Yumi wouldn't recognize and covertly enrolled them at Lillian per the Queen's orders. Yumi recalled that argument with the Queen and telling her mother 'I just want a normal life till I've graduated high school! Is that too much to ask for?' The young brunette was still proud of how easily she had won the argument, believing her persuasiveness had won out in the end.
"You may be here using your father's name of Fukuzawa," Rei chimed in taking over the conversation from her cousin. "However if they catch wind that you're anything other than a normal human girl there is no telling what they will do." Rei tightened her arm around Yumi's in an attempt to be reassuring so as not to frighten the girl.
"I'm sorry," Yumi finally said, her thoughtful eyes cast down upon the walkway directly before her feet. "My stubbornness continues to inconvenience you as you're both saddled with looking after the spoiled brat of your Queen." As much as the young brunette wished to finish out her school years at Lillian, where she had several dear friends, she also didn't want to be any more of a burden than she already was to the two woman that meant so much to her. They had already been with her through all her years here and yet each year she was more and more keenly aware of the trouble she was causing the both of them. After school and her evening instructors she was free to do as she saw fit, however the two women with her still had their other responsibilities to see to on top of having to complete the homework assignments from classes. Yumi had learned that both of the women with her were usually up till well past midnight working and yet each morning saw them once more at school with loving smiles that seemed to be just for her.
Yumi's thoughts were interrupted by Yoshino's snort of derision. "I'd take being here with you any day over being back with all the stiff shirts that hang about your mother these days!" The small petite woman shook her head in disbelief at what court life had become. "It seems everyone has something they want or need," she informed the brunette next to her upon seeing the others girl's confused expression. "How the queen handles it all is beyond me."
"She was born to it," Rei offered, picking up the conversation and answering her cousin's question. "She's had a long time to grow into the position mind you," the tallest of the trio stated. "It's much like running a business, you don't have to do the work, just know how to manage people who can do the work." Rei turned her head to look at the young girl next to her. "Speaking of managing, how are the additional lessons going, Yumi-chan?"
Yumi sighed gloomily at the question. Being the daughter of the Queen had as many benefits as disadvantages. Her mother had decided that if Yumi was old enough to decide to attend a normal school then she was also sufficiently old enough to handle additional work in the form of lessons deemed required for one of royal blood. Over the course of the last decade she had been receiving private instructions on almost everything under the sun, or so it felt at times. Upon entering high school the number of lessons had stepped up so that she had an instructor waiting for her each day upon returning home with three on Sundays when there was no school. "Don't ask," Yumi finally replied in a depressed tone. Between lessons and homework she had little actual time during the week for herself before going to bed at a normal time. At least I'm not up till after midnight like they are, Yumi thought to herself. I don't know how they do it! "I feel like my head is going to explode at times. It can't be normal for a brain to have to hold this much information," Yumi whined causing both of those with her to smile sympathetically. Yumi suddenly looked about them for a moment. "Um, not that I'm not really enjoying our time together but where are you taking me?" Their wandering feet had already propelled them past the auditorium and several other school buildings with no sign of slowing. "I have to attend the first year welcoming ceremony in just a little while," Yumi said to remind them both as Yoshino was supposed to attend as well.
Yoshino leaned a little forward and looked over towards Rei. "She's a little slow isn't she?" Yumi shot her best friend a hurt look which only caused the petite girl to grin all the more.
"Be nice, Yoshi-chan." Rei gently chided her cousin before responding to Yumi's question. "There is someone that wished to meet with you," she told the brunette with swinging pigtails in her hair.
"Someone wants to meet me?" Yumi squeaked in surprise. "But the only thing in this area is the old greenhouse and the Ro…," Yumi's eyes grew large as she quickly looked towards Rei for confirmation. Rei simply nodded in way of response. "Rose Mansion," Yumi finished her sentence while exhaling in disbelief. That could mean only one thing…that they wanted to see her, the Yamayurikai! Lillian's Student Council presided over by the three Roses themselves, Rosa Chinensis, Rosa Foetida and Rosa Gigantea.
Author's Note:
So there we have a little peek inside the life of Yumi. Rest assured there will be far more as the story progresses. Like any good story teller the Muse is laying out her breadcrumbs to lead us all wherever it is she is going. Like the dutiful little birds we are, myself included in that, we'll continue to satisfy ourselves upon each morsel, blindly following the trail that could lead to our own...well, we'll just have to wait and see I guess.
The next several chapters should prove…educational. ;-)
Kind Regards,
EJ Daniels
All characters within this story, unless otherwise stated are the sole property of Oyuki Konno the original writer of the Maria-sama ga Miteru light novel series.
