The east garden was the garden that Keiki had built for Josei.
Rakushun felt distinctly uncomfortable as he was permitted in. The sanctuary was lovely. Yoko said she did not like coming here because it felt permeated with tragedy and sadness, but Rakushun had a sense of why she had chosen it.
He approached, looking for Yoko dressed in her normal finery as an empress, but he instead found her waiting on a bench…. dressed as Yoshi, her peasant disguise that she often used while traveling. Her hair was pulled high into a pony tail, making those glittering emerald eyes the sole focus of her beauty.
He stood before her, feeling over dressed in his heavy court robes.
"Close your eyes," he said softly.
Unquestioning, she obeyed.
He changed back into his rat form, the robes sliding down around him as he shrank in height. Despite having seen each other naked, he still asked for that one last bit of modesty when he changed his body. He undid the top button of the robe, then slipped out of it. He then approached her, and cradled her head in his hands, touching his nose softly to her hair and inhaling.
"We still make quite a pair," she said, her voice laced with gentle amusement. She slid her arms around him, pulling him close. "I'm sorry," she said.
"You shouldn't be," he said matter-of-factly, and he meant it. "Sincerity of the heart is nothing to apologize for."
She was silent for a moment, and then she changed topics abruptly.
"This will probably be the last time I dress up as Yoshi," she said.
He actually blinked. "Why is that?"
"Everyone in the kingdom recognizes me like this, now." She shrugged, her shoulders moving against his fur. "I've decided to retire the outfit, and try to find a new disguise."
"Does this mean I have to give up my disguise as well?" he said, his whiskers twitching.
"You never wear a disguise, Rakushun. You are always simply you. It's one of the things I love about you."
She let him go, and he took that as a safe cue to settle onto the bench next to her.
He said nothing, waiting for the silence to prompt her to continue. He was not disappointed.
"I should have realized that you had worked so hard to attain your position at court to just throw it away easily," she finally said, staring off at the other side of the garden. "My position here has always felt like a burden to me, one I didn't ask for. It's unfair of me to ask you to share that burden when you have voluntarily taken on so many burdens of your own."
"Yoko…" he said, watching in dismay as tears formed on the edge of her eyes. But she took a deep fortifying breath, and continued.
"So while I can't place any more burdens upon you, can I at least still love you?"
"There was never any question about that."
She threw her arms around him suddenly, giving him a bone crushing hug.
"You are my most precious person," she said. "And while I know I must love the kingdom more than anything else, I love you too because to me you represent the kingdom, and all that is good in this world."
Rakushun was not a crier, so all he could do was comfort Yoko as she sobbed onto his shoulder.
"We have something in common," he said slowly once she got herself under control. "You are the most precious person to me, too." He caught a strand of hair, in his claws. "Can I just ask for more time?"
She pulled away, confused. "More time…?"
"I can't become your consort right away. I still have not repaid my debt to Kei. I want to work in the Archives, and be your tutor, and continue to support you and this country any way I can. Becoming your consort would take me away from those things."
She sniffled and smiled at him through his tears. "But I want to be with you now," she said, sounding petulant but accepting at the same time.
"Why? It's not as if we are mortal and our best years will pass us by. Can we just take our time for now?"
"All right." She screwed her eyes shut. "Change back, I want to seal this promise with a kiss."
"But I'll be naked-"
"Like I haven't seen you naked before!"
There was no helping it.
He returned to his human form, and she caught him and held him in a long kiss.
"This will remain our secret for now, I suppose," she said when she finally broke free.
"Keiki knows."
"Of course, he's the one that wanted us together." She looped her arms around his neck. He was very conscious of the fact that his robes were ten feet away on the ground and she wore nothing but hempen rags. "So he won't mind if we go on vacation together, right?"
"Yoko!"
She smiled at him, but he saw a hint of mischief in her eyes. "I am going to run away, just for a little bit. I don't know where yet. But in Hourai even the lowest workers get two weeks' vacation time. After the vernal equinox this year, I am going to demand a short mental health break. Come with me."
Rakushun had no idea how they'd get Keiki to agree, but he saw no reason to tell her that when she knew it as well as he did. "All right. Let's run away together, even if just for a little while."
"Master Rakushun," Keiki said as soon as Rakushun walked into the study for his session with the Kirin, "I have a request to ask of you."
"Oh?"
The kirin always looked serious, but there was something in his expression that was harder than normal. He seemed to be… almost annoyed. He also was not one for dithering, thankfully.
"I would like you to attend the daily court sessions for the next week or so. We are having a bit of a crisis in the Gao province and I would like you present for the discussions. About a dozen hanjou have been killed."
Rakushun's human eyes widened. "Do you have any evidence for the perpetrators?"
"None. And the governor is not being very cooperative."
Rakushun rifled through the mental map in his head. His mind zeroed in on a location… a face… a name. "Another one of Jo'kak's supporters?"
"Precisely."
Rakushun withheld a sigh. There was no getting out of this. "Have you told my office?"
"Yes. They can survive without you for some time. I need the power of your observation more than they need it, at the moment." The kirin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have a shortage of good diplomats, too. If we have to send someone, I have no idea who it will be."
"Surely it's too soon. Once the governor becomes aware that Kinpa Palace is interested in the situation, he will likely take action to investigate on his own."
"That is our fervent hope. But I am concerned we have some sympathetic allies in our own court."
Rakushun's mind flashed to Markrei, and his brother Tokrei in the court.
They were both from Gao province, now that he thought about it.
"I shall keep ears and eyes open," Rakushun said calmly.
"I'm going too."
"No, you're not. It is far too dangerous to risk the Empress on this investigation, and you have responsibilities here in the castle."
"What greater responsibility do I have than to my people? And I will be fine, I can take care of myself."
Rakushun watched as Yoko and Keiki argued. She had learned of Rakushun's upcoming journey moments ago, and the fire had flashed in her eyes.
"I deserve a vacation!"
"This is a diplomatic mission, there will be no vacation."
"I will decide that for myself!"
Rakushun wisely kept out of it. He'd heard that the two could argue for hours, each growing more exasperated with the last.
"You'll need to go in disguise," Keiki said finally, caving in. "And Yoshi will no longer work."
Sensing victory, Yoko pounced. "I already have an idea. Rakushun is being sent as a diplomat, correct? He should have an entourage."
"A small one might be expected, yes."
"So there we have it. When do we leave?"
"Yoko," Rakushun warned softly. Keiki's patience was worn thin.
"You will not be enough. I will include another three bodyguards. We can justify it based on Rakushun being a hanyou, in this case. We will also need a diversion." Keiki began to pace. "Shokkei can go on a brief sojourn as you, to the north. A …. Vacation. We will send along Suzu as well."
"And Kantai," Rakushun popped in. Keiki turned around to give him a hard stare, but Rakushun responded in kind with his most blank poker face. Two slow blinks. Beyond Keiki's head, he could see Yoko wink at him conspiratorially.
"All right, and Kantai. Any other demands, your highness?"
Yoko had won. She shook her head calmly. "I will be honored by any other suggestions you have, Keiki. Thank you for your cooperation."
"Do not thank me, for I am still against this foolish venture." The kirin let out another almost imperceptible sigh. "But there is perhaps some good that may yet come of it. I will send in Shokkei and Suzu later on today. I wish to send you off within the morrow."
The kirin left the two lovers. Rakushun watched wryly as Yoko practically bounced around the room.
"A vacation!"
"It's hardly a vacation if we're going to work."
"All right then, an adventure!"
She was probably so excited because she'd be leaving the castle, her gilded prison. They would also be able to travel together, something that he had to admit he had missed.
"What disguise were you planning to take, as part of my 'entourage'?"
Yoko grinned at him. "Have you ever heard of a kunoichi?"
"I cannot say that I have."
"You will be in for a treat."
This chapter is short, because it represents the transition point in the story. I wrote out Graduation years ago at work. Then I realized that the story was not finished at all, and ended up sketching out another three pages of notes! In keeping with the naming conventions of the Twelve Kingdoms, the second chunk will have its own name.