Ch. 5 High Noon

Ren groggily opened her eyes when she heard her door open with a polite swoosh. Throughout the night she hadn't gotten much sleep at all, she had tossed and turned dreaming of her brother and the moment he found her. A demure maid bowed and came in followed by two younger looking girls who each had an armful of clothing, combs, and makeup. Ren immediately sat up not caring how mussed she looked. The maid came to the foot of Ren's futon and bowed again.

"Good Morning Ren-sama, we have been instructed to dress you this morning." she said politely. Ren glanced from her to the other two girls who each dutifully had their eyes glued to the floor. The silks and combs all looked flashy and expensive, just like their owner.

"I don't want to be dressed, but thank you." Ren said yawing and then standing up to stretch. The younger maids each looked up to Ren in curiosity while the older one kept her decorum and nodded her head.

"Will you be able to dress in the kimono yourself?" She asked knowing full well that no one could do that, not properly. Ren smirked.

"I wont be wearing it." She said walking to her glass doors and throwing them open, it was bright and lovely outside and wearing so many layers would put her in a foul mood.

"I see, than what will my lady be wearing?" Ren was beginning to like this woman, she looked back to take a better look at her. She had to have been nearing forty, and while her hair was a shiny midnight black, Ren could see silver running through it. Her face was plain and stern but the crinkles around her dark eyes hinted at how much the woman smiled.

"I think I'll just wear something simple, may I have a pair of hakama? I'll just wear this yukata with it." The younger girls giggled before receiving a burning glare from the woman.

"My lady, I simply cannot allow that. If you must dress like a commoner then I will have a fitting yukata brought." Ren thought about it, and figured that it was one less layer.

"Oh alright, bu only because you look as though you'll pummel me if I don't."

Ren walked to the side of her room which held a bowl and a jug of water and washed her face.

"What was your name?" She asked the woman after the two girls had been delegated to find a suitable yukata for Ren.

"Moriyama Tsuyo." She said once again bowing to Ren.

"Oh stop that." Ren said toweling off her face. Tsuyo never wavered though, her face didn't change she looked neither scandalized nor amused. Ren wanted to see that face change.

"Will I be permitted to put on my own yukata?" She asked the woman as the girl returned with a dark purple yukata. The each held it up for Ren to see. It was rather new looking, but Ren figured with no female nobility in the house that wasn't unusual. A pattern of blue and white ocean waves crawled up the left side, and golden koi fish lined the hem.

"We brought two obi for you as well." The braver of the two girls said holding out her other arm that was draped with a mint green obi and a very light pink one. Each were plain with no decorations.

"Which do you think?" Ren asked the girl, who instantly blushed, flustered, and looked to the floor again.

"I think the green one my lady." She said very quietly. Ren nodded.

"I like that one too, good choice." Ren then began to untie the white plain robe she had slept in and let it fall to the ground.

"Hand it over." Ren said. She took it as it was offered and slipped it on with a shrug but before she could begin to straighten it Tsuyo was in front of her grabbing the cloth and tyeing it together expertly.

"Masako." She said holding out her hand. The girl who had spoken earlier, the one with auburn hair and pale gray eyes jumped at the sound of Tsuyo's voice and handed the green obi to her.

As Tsuyo wrapped the obi and tied it the two girls stared in open interest at Ren. She caught them and gave the two a wink which made them both giggle.

"Masako, Hatsuhana you may leave." Tsuyo said sternly. The two girls had the good sense to look embarrassed and each bowed to Ren before leaving the room quietly.

"You know you don't have to be that way." Ren said just as the door shut. Tsuyo sighed.

"People should know their place, and act accordingly." Ren almost laughed, so that was what kind of person Tsuyo was. It reminded her very much of her brother.

"What if I place Masako and Hatsu...what's her name...higher than you? Would you treat them that way then?" She asked as she turned to look at Tsuyo. The woman had an odd sort of look now, lie she didn't know what to say.

"Do you mean favoritism my lady?" She asked. Ren laughed.

"I suppose so." But she hadn't really meant to mean anything, this woman simply reminded her of her brother and so wanted to get a rise out of her.

"You are an odd one Lady Ren." With that she bowed and left the room. Ren smiled she would have to try a bit harder, but Ren liked a challenge.

After eating a quick breakfast by herself Ren went to go and check out the mansion, and found herself in a rather spectacular garden. She was watching the large koi fish in a crescent moon shaped pond when she saw a shadow fall over her. She glanced back and nearly jumped in fright. Motochika stood looking at her with an odd sort of look that she couldn't place.

"Well good morning." She said turning his way. He seemed to glance up and down at her yukata.

"I like the color." She said a bit embarrassed that he made no attempt to hide his stare. He straightened up and frowned, and the easy peace that had been there in her stomach a moment ago vanished and was replace with a twisting sort of feeling.

"What is your family name?" He asked in a commanding voice that clearly said he was not happy. Ren's mind went a mile a minute. Did he already know and simply wanted to see if she would lie? Had Keiji ratted her out? She'd kill him! Or did Motochika not know and simply fed up with not knowing?

"Why...why do you want to know?" She said timidly looking anywhere but at him. Motochika took an ominous step towards her and seemed to tower over her shrinking frame.

"Why do you not want me to know?" He said, his voice lowering to a hissed whisper. Ren shook her head.

"Maybe I'm ashamed." She said the truth not being far off, but now she was grasping at straws trying to think of a way to avoid telling him, while not lying at the same time.

"You understand how...suspicious that sounds, don't you?" Motochika was halfway between angry with her avoidance and worry with how drastically her demeanor seemed to change at his insistence. She went from friendly little spitfire to tiny wounded deer. He had to resist the urge to pull her to him simply out of a protective instinct that he couldn't curb.

"Can't you just respect that I don't want to tell you?" She said and Motochika could hear her voice grow heavy with tears, the ultimate weapon against him.

"But Ren, why won't you tell me? Why do you not want to?" He asked his own voice growing softer and less angry by the moment.

Ren could see no way out of the confrontation, there were no sly words she could use to get out of it. She instinct took over, her fight or flight, and she pushed him away from her.

"Because if you knew you'd hate me!" She shouted before turning tail and running towards the garden fence, which was only knee high, and jumping it. Motochika, who had not been prepared stumbled backwards from her weak attempt at knocking him over and gawked at her retreating purple form. He was so mystified that he didn't even think to run after her. She had shouted something about him hating her, but that had made no sense. In fact each day he grew more and more fond of her as she presented herself to him. Her tears, and anger, and fear had shaken him and for a good while Motochika simply stood in the garden and stared in the direction Ren had run. It wasn't until Masamune and Keiji rounded a corner and saw him in a stupor.

"Motochika? Hey are you alright?" Keiji asked first hopping the fence and coming to stand in front of the pirate. Masamune, who's arms were nonchalantly stuffed in his sleeves of his yukata followed.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked chuckling at the man's dumbfounded face.

"Ren, she...I think I made her cry, and then she ran off...that way." Motochika said pointing towards where Masamune knew were the rice fields and the villagers homes. Keiji looked shocked and turned to stare the direction Motochika had pointed as if he'd see Ren.

"What'd you do?" The young man asked turning back to Motochika.

"I just asked her to tell me her family name, she's dead set on me not knowing and I wanted to know why." Motochika said confused, in his head it was a logical question to ask. Masamune thought so too and took one had out of his sleeves to scratch his head. Keiji on the other hand went pale as if he'd seen a ghost.

"What did she say?" He asked slowly as if trying to delay the answer.

"She shouted something about me hating her." As his confusion melted away Motochika suddenly felt angry again. He was angry that Ren would assume something like that, angry that she didn't trust him to understand, and angry for running away from him. That was not the Ren that he knew.

"Well if she wants to run away then fine! Let her, it's what she seems to be good at, things don't go her way and poof!" He threw his big arms up into the air animatedly angry and nearly smacked Keiji.

"She's gone!" He turned on his heel and stomped back to the house to get his men, he'd had enough of the spoiled princess and all he wanted at that moment was to be back on the sea. Masamune snickered at the childish display from the pirate and turned to Keiji.

"I take it you know who Ren-me actually is?" he asked the wanderer. Keiji nodded but distractedly glanced back at the fields.

"Well?" Masamune didn't care one way or another who Ren was but she was here in his territory and he had a right to know. Not only that, but how bad could it be? Keiji scratched the back of his head clearly stalling.

"I'm waiting." Masamune said frowning at the young man. Keiji gave up, he would try his best not to tell Motochika, but he was a guest in Masamune's house. Besides, she had not specifically told him not to tell Masamune.

"Alright! Don't give me that look! She's the heir to Chugoku! She a Mori!" Keiji said mussing up his hair in frustration. Masamune was quiet for a moment before laughing so hard that he doubled over slapping his knee. Keiji watched in horror, the one eyes dragon had lost his mind.

"She's going to murder me." Keiji said sinking to the ground. Masamune shook with mirth.

"That dumb pirate, I just put the pieces together and I've known her two days, but he's known her how long and never put two and two together?" Masamune liked Motochika, but sometimes the pirate could be thick.

"The question now is, do we tell him? Or should she?" Masamune said looking towards Keiji. The younger man shrugged he was exhausted, keeping up with Ren was fun now and then but today he's had more than he wanted.

"I guess I'll go get her." He said dutifully standing up, before Masamune put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kojuro is out in the fields, I'm sure she'll be fine let her be. I think we should grab the pirate before he runs off, and have ourselves a drink." Keiji saw the wise, very wise, wisdom in the older lords words and smiled in relief.

"A wonderful idea!"

Ren was glad she had opted for a yukata, she had been able to hike it up enough to run, most unladylike. She had gotten to the fields before she had to stop, her lungs burning and her legs aching. She had run past faceless villagers, and children who had gawked at her. Now she stood looking over water filled rice fields. All she had wanted was to put a distance between her and Motochika, she still felt the cold fear his questioning had laced into her blood. She wanted to be angry, that she was good at, angry that he'd asked. But how could she be? Anyone would want to know that. Besides fear what she felt most was ashamed, because she had run. As she walked down the dirt road she thought about why she felt those things and what she came up with almost scared her even more. She considered Motochika a friend someone she could count on, but more than that she wanted him to count on her.

"Yeah right." She muttered kicking a stray rock on the road. Motochika wouldn't be able to count on someone he couldn't trust. For the first time in her rose glass colored life she felt as though she was unable to measure up. She wasn't good enough to be next to him, and he wasn't something that she could just ask her brother to get for her. She wished she were a better person, someone who didn't lie, or throw tantrums to get her way. As she spiraled down into the dark pool of her self pity a group of children too young to work the fields ran past her.

They laughed as one boy chased them, and then Ren felt a slick, thick muck slam into her back. The force was enough so that he stumbled in her blind march and she had to stop. The children had gone silent and she reached to see what had hit her. Her hand felt what she figured was mud. The young boy who had thrown it gulped and inched towards her.

"Miss? I...I'm sorry." He said lamely. The kid knew she wasn't part of the local families and her clothing was the nicest he'd ever seen and he had ruined it. Ren turned to look the boy and noticed he had another handful of mud in his other little hand.

"What's your name?" She asked neither angry or any sort of emotion. The boy looked at her like she was Nobunaga.

"Natsu..." He said looking very frightened indeed. Ren took a gentle hold of his wrist and took his mud as best as possible.

"Can I play too?" She asked poking his cheek and leaving a mucky round spot on his now upturned face.

"I...Sure! Come one!" He said grabbing her free hand. The children screamed as through a dragon was chasing them and Ren chucked the mud at the nearest child. The ran towards a mucky field that wasn't in use and jumped in one after another. Natsu released Ren's hand to jump in too. Ren's dark mood was forgotten as she squealed when she jumped in next to a few children. Then the mud war began, no one was on any sides and everyone was fair game. However it seemed that the children all had the same idea to aim for Ren. She fought back valiantly but had no doubt that she was covered in mud and had ruined Masamune's yukata. The laughert and squeals of herself and the children must have caught the attention of the adults. Because when Ren took a well aimed muck ball to her cheek she fell over dramatically proclaiming that she was defeated, she then saw all the adults of the village and a familiar Kojuro staring at her and the children. The children hadn't noticed, and began to dog pile on Ren.

"Oaf!" The wind knocked from her.

One by one children were being pulled off of her by their parents and scolded from their dirtiness. Finally Kojuro held out his hand for her to take, and helped her up unable to contain the amused smile on his face.

"Onee-sama! Bye!" All the children and Natsu shouted goodbyes and waves as their parents carted them off for a bath. Ren waved back to them feeling much better now that she had exerted all her energy.

"They won't be in trouble will they?" She asked Kojuro as they climbed out of the muck.

"I don't think so, but you might be." He chuckled looking at her. Truly from head to toe Ren was covered in mud, only half her face had escaped. She grinned at him.

"I doubt Date-me will miss his yukata." She said. He walked her up the hill and she wondered what he was doing here dressed like a farmer with his green bandanna covering most of his hair.

"I work the fields from time to time." He said noticing her curious stare.

"Why?" she asked wondering why he'd subject himself to back breaking work. Kojuro smiled at her amused.

"Why do you play with the children?" He retorted. Ren laughed then realizing in a way it was the same reason.

"Because I relate more with them!" Kojuro nodded his head. As they walked back discussing this and that Ren noticed that he was taking her back to the mansion.

"Do I have to go back?" She asked coming to a stop when she saw that entrance. Kojuro who had no knowledge of her and Motochika's situation cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Where else should we go?" He asked her. Ren knew she had to go back, if she wanted to take a step in the right direction, on a path to being better, she had to. Kojuro being the observant and intelligent man that he was watched her hesitate at the threshold of the compound.

"Whatever it is, your a Mori, you can handle it." He said waiting for her at the gate. Ren's eyes widened in shock.

"How do you know?" She asked as he smirked at her as if to say 'you have to ask?' and held the gate open for her.

"Right I forgot, your a genius..." She pouted for a millisecond before smiling at him and his words of encouragement.

Kojuro and Ren walked through the courtyard just as the sky began to turn orange and pink and the lanterns were being lit by servants. Masako and Hatsuhana both gasped when they saw Ren.

"My lady!" Masako said rushing to Ren followed by the meek Hatsuhana.

"My lord! What should we do with Poor Ren-sama?" Masako asked Kojuro as she gaped at the mud covered Ren.

"A bath would be a good start." He said good naturedly The two girls rushed off to get the water ready.

"They like you, it seems you are much more likable than your brother." He said as they walked towards the entrance to the house, Ren's mud was all dry and wouldn't make such a big mess.

"Are you just saying that to be nice or do you mean it?" She asked candidly. She was lucky to have won Kojuro's friendship too.

"just being nice." He joked as they could hear the men eating dinner. As they entered, once again Ren's mere presence silenced the room.

"I've got to work on that." She mumbled so that only Kojuro could hear her. Takahashi jumped up once he regained his composure and made his way to her.

To Ren Takahashi was just as imposing as Motochika, he was just as tall and broad.

"What...what happened to you?" He demanded thunderstruck.

"I was involved in a mud war with the barbarians of the village." She said proudly. Takahashi looked to Kojuro for an actual answer.

"She was playing with the children." He said as if it were obvious. Ren cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Where's the captain?" She asked him noticing that neither Motochika, Keiji, or Masamune were present. Takahashi's face went tense.

"He was in a real foul mood earlier, the wanderer and dragon broke out the good stuff and went off drinking." He said nodding towards another room. Ren could feel icy nervousness creeping back into her stomach.

"Right, did he say why he was in a bad mood?" She asked hoping and praying that he hadn't. Thankfully Takahashi shook his head no. Kojuro gave her a slight nudge and started to ask Takahashi how he was liking it in Oshu. Ren took the hint and made her way to the back more private room.

Inside Keiji and Masamune watched as Motochika downed another glass, seemingly without being effected at all. While Keiji and Masamune had a light dusting of pink on their cheeks. Just as Keiji was about to say something the door slid open in an unpracticed manner and a head peaked in all covered in mud. Since Motochika had his back to the door he had to turn to see who was coming in expecting Kojuro or an maid.

"What have you done to my clothes." Masamune asked, not really worried about the yukata, it was supposed to be a present for some woman he was to marry at some point. Ren glanced from him to Keiji and then to Motochika who had simply stared at her like she'd grown another head.

"May I?" She asked and Masamune waved her in. She slid the door shut and stopped as she heard Keiji cracking up in his seat.

"Ha ha." She said glaring at him. Motochika turned back around and poured another drink deciding to ignore her. Ren literally tip toed around the pale haired pirate a bit stung by his callousness.

" I was attacked by the village children I'll have you know." She told Keiji simply to make conversation.

"I hope you retaliated." Masamune said pouring her a drink which she downed to help with her nerves.

"Of course." She said sending him a small smile. He gave her a knowing look and she knew that Keiji had blabbed. She glared at him then and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He smiled, it was all he could do. Ren took a deep breath and turned to Motochika.

"Chosokabe..." She began but the doors flew up and Kojuro ran in and threw his coat and bandanna her way.

"Put that on and be quick about it." He said to her, and instantly she obeyed. He went to check the doors and shut them before coming back and adjusting the bandanna to cover most of her eyes. She looked at him in confusion but he ignored her and went to Masamune's side.

"Lord Mori is here. He's asked to see you, and says it's urgent." He said so that everyone could hear him. At the mention of Mori, Motochika stiffened in his seat. Ren felt her blood run cold and she quietly sat down next to Motochika in shocked silence.

"Well this should be interesting, bring him in!" Masamune said loud enough so that whoever was outside could hear. He knew he couldn't simply turn Lord Mori away, but he glanced to Ren who looked terrified and Motochika who looked utterly annoyed.

"Hope you don't mind?" He asked both of them. Motochika laughed darkly.

"Bring the bastard on, but I will not take responsibility for what happens." Motochika said really not in the mood to put up with Mori. His alchol fogged mind cleared a bit though as he looked confusedly at the "disguised" Ren.

"Why the hell are you wearing that?" He asked as the doors slid open. Ren Stared pleadingly at him. Then something clicked in his mind.

"Just go with it Motochika, please." She said before clamming up and hearing the even clicks of Motonari's booted feet.

.dun! Thank you for the reviews! keep em coming and I'll keep the chapters coming!