Toshi Ranbo, year 1169, month of the Dragon, one month after the Khan's Gambit...
Kitsune Hyosuke quietly stepped around the rubble of the city. There was still a lot of wreckage to be cleared out, and he was pretty sure that he could still smell blood and death beneath the fallen brick and mortar. He clutched the scroll case tighter, as if afraid a dead hand would reach through a hole in the wall and snatch it. Stranger things had happened, after all, and being alone on this particular street didn't help much.
Massive chunks of the city were left in shambles following an attempted coup only a few short weeks earlier by the Unicorn Clan. When the Emperor died the year before, leaving only his bride and no heir, the Khan of the Unicorn stepped forward to take the throne for himself. During the battle, Moto Chagatai had managed to kill Kaneka, the Shogun and half-brother of the late Emperor, Toturi the Third.
The death happened during the aftermath of the appearance of a powerful shugenja named Isawa Sezaru. Sezaru, Naseru's other brother, had appeared from nowhere in the sky over the city; while caught in the throes of madness he rained down death and destruction before his wife sacrificed herself to stop him. Afterwards, the Phoenix Clan showed up to enforce peace on the city, using the might of their shugenja and the presence of the Fire Dragon on their side.
The presence of the dragon, Hyosuke knew, was what made him so edgy. Even growing up in Kitsune Mori, where the presence of spirits was a fact of everyday life, he hadn't felt something so powerful. He shuddered to think of what would happen should someone attempt to move against the Phoenix Clan right now.
The condition of the city made him shudder, regardless. The Merchant's Quarter had been flattened, as had the mansions and embassies of many of the clans. Had any purpose been served by all of the death and destruction? Could the Empire grow stronger from this tragedy?
The shugenja knew the Great Clans would survive; they always did. Things were never as clear for one from the Minor Clans, which was why Hyosuke was so far from home today. He was sent to the city with a number of peasant laborers and Fox Clan samurai and shugenja to help restore the damage done to their embassy within the capital as well as assisting in the restoration of the embassies of the remaining Minor Clans. The rest of the group had procured lodgings of their own while he was sent ahead with a message for the embassy itself.
Hyosuke looked at the buildings that had been damaged and destroyed. He had difficulty knowing exactly which ones had simply been destroyed as an effect of the siege, and which ones had been razed by the late Isawa Sezaru. He found himself briefly distracted as he passed by the Daidoji family estates, though; if he didn't know any better, he'd suspect the building blew up from within for some inexplicable reason.
Footsteps nearby drew his attention away from the conundrum. They were rapid, and obviously had nothing to do with the construction he could hear elsewhere in the city. The shugenja instinctively drew into a defensive stance, cursing himself for leaving his weapon at the inn.
"Stand and identify yourself!" said one of a trio of samurai in blue and white armor coming around the corner. Each bore a spear and the mon of the Daidoji family of the Crane Clan.
"I am Kitsune Hyosuke of the Fox Clan," he announced. "I am on a diplomatic mission to my clan's embassy within the city."
"You are a long way from where you are supposed to be, Kitsune-san, and this is a restricted area," one of the samurai said as he stepped forward to inspect Hyosuke's papers. "Are you lost?"
"I'm not familiar with the city, and I think I was taking the long way around," he explained.
"Remain here. We will find a peasant to guide you there." The one in charge gestured for one of the other two samurai to get to it and one took off.
"I really don't think that's necessary, Daidoji-sama."
"We can't have newcomers to the city wandering around on their own and getting hurt."
The shugenja attempted to protest, but the Crane samurai would hear none of it. Hyosuke waited there for a few minutes, sitting down on what had once been part of a wall. One of the samurai returned with a nervous peasant in tow.
"Take him to the Minor Clan embassies," one of the Daidoji said.
"Of course, my lord. Please, sir, if you will come this way?"
The shugenja followed the peasant out of the area, watching as the Crane went back on some sort of patrol route. The Fox looked around, a little unnerved by the appearance of the Crane samurai and trying to hide it behind a casual survey of the wreckage. After they had gone a few blocks, approaching groups of people involved in assessing damage or performing early repair work, Hyosuke loudly cleared his throat to get his peasant guide's attention.
"Excuse me," he said when that didn't work. "I appreciate the effort, but you really don't have to do this. I'm sure you must have more important things to do."
"Beg your forgiveness, my lord," the peasant said with a reflexive deep bow. "But I must follow my orders; I do not wish for it to get back to the Crane that I abandoned a guest of Toshi Ranbo to wander when the city is in such a state."
Hyosuke kept from rolling his eyes in exasperation. He had no desire to make a scene, especially since there was nothing more than his ego at stake when it came down to it. It wasn't that he couldn't handle being led around by a peasant; he just chafed at being pushed around by Great Clan samurai, particularly those of the Crane Clan as the Fox had had difficulties with them in the past. He inwardly groaned when he saw out of the corner of his eye someone coming over to find out what the problem was. He turned to try and get a head start on dismissing their concerns, but stopped.
"Do you need any help? Are you lost, Hyosuke-san?" asked a familiar voice.
Kitsune Hyosuke was looking upon a lovely young (well, about his age) woman. She was dressed in light green clothes and armor with a bow and small quiver of arrows strapped across her back. Her long black hair was tied with a jade clasp and she wore an amused smile. Hyosuke felt an involuntary smile spreading at the sight of Tsuruchi Noriko, his old friend.
"I'm not lost, per se," he quickly explained. "Let's just say I wandered someplace I apparently shouldn't have and the Crane felt I needed an escort to where I'm going."
"Interesting role reversal," Noriko said with a smirk. "I'll handle things from here; leave us," she said to the peasant, who quickly complied.
"Role reversal, Riko-chan?" the shugenja asked with a raised eyebrow, pausing to make sure nobody was listening as he used his pet name for the Tsuruchi archer.
"What I meant is that you've done something to upset the protectors of Toshi Ranbo," she started with an amused smile and mirth in her eyes. "Unless I help you find whatever you're looking for, they won't let you leave this city alive."
After a moment's pause, Hyosuke began to laugh as he finally got what she meant. Any sour mood he had been carrying from his encounter with the Daidoji was chased away by his genuine laughter and the smile on his face. Has it really been so many years since we first met like this, he wondered to himself.
"It's a pleasure to see such a friendly face amidst such a worrisome sight as the condition of this city," Hyosuke commented. "Have you been here long?"
"Since this winter, actually. I was one of the samurai pledged to the city's defense, and have been residing in the area since then," Noriko explained.
"So you were here for the battle?"
"Yes, I was." She sighed, glancing around the city as she began walking in the direction of the Minor Clan embassies. "I'd hoped after the Mantis' conflict with the Phoenix it would be... longer before having to deal with something on this scale again."
The mention of the Phoenix Clan brought Hyosuke's attention briefly back to the palace. The look on his face suggested he had something on his mind, but let it rest unsaid at the moment as he followed her. If she noticed his unasked question, she didn't say anything.
"It's funny, how things go," Hyosuke commented. "Had it not been for Bayushi Norachai's request for troops to defend the city, I think we would have caught each other at Winter Court this year."
"Oh?"
"Yes. I was representing the Fox Clan's interests at Kyuden Ashinagabachi this year. I was hoping to see you there, given that it's been so long since our last meeting."
"Our last meeting...?" Noriko asked, pausing briefly and trying to read the restrained look on his face. "Ah, at your sister's wedding. How is married life treating your sister and Terumoto?"
"They are getting along just fine. It is fortunate we were able to arrange a match between good friends, and it turns out they compliment each other as a couple better than any of us could have guessed."
"Really?" Noriko asked with a curious, girlish smile on her face. "I've been too busy to write to either of them; you must tell me what's going on."
"There is not much to tell, really. She helps keep him grounded, and he, um..." Hyosuke paused in thought. "He contributed his family's name."
Noriko genuinely smiled at that, and the Kitsune shugenja found the smile was infectious. He chuckled and shrugged, regaining his train of thought.
"Actually, he keeps the relationship full of stories; funny stories, thoughtful stories... he helps her realize the big picture of things by reminding her of when things are bad and the work gets harder and when things are good and we cannot rest on our laurels. She says she finds their conversations very enlightening."
"Wow," Noriko said. "I hadn't thought of it that way... Of course, he is a Sparrow, after all. But still..."
"I'm told that it's part of marrying into the Sparrow Clan... Being driven to madness by the thoroughness of their oral histories," the Fox said with a completely serious look on his face, although his eyes betrayed what might have been a hidden smirk. "But in all seriousness, the Sparrow way is said to be a very enlightening one, which is why they embarked on it. But Terumoto would be better to talk to about that than I would."
The Minor Clan embassies came into view as they walked, and Hyosuke felt as though he had finally been able to shake the gaze of the Fire Dragon burning into his back. He felt at ease for the first time since arriving; whether due to the familiar chatter or just the familiar face he couldn't be quite sure. Either way, it got his mind off of less pleasant subjects.
"So, any children yet?" Noriko asked out of nowhere.
"No, no, none! I'm still single!" Hyosuke blurted out, surprised.
"Not you," she said with an eye roll, making sure they weren't being followed. "I meant Terumoto and your sister."
"Oh, oh, okay." The Fox had the good sense to look embarrassed. "No, no, none for them either. I think they're waiting for something, but I'm not quite sure what."
"I wonder what it could be," Noriko said to nobody in particular. "Terumoto is an eccentric, sure, but I imagine he must have a good reason to put off having children."
"It may be purely economic. The Sparrow deliberately keep themselves small so they can be financially self-sufficient. Maybe this has been a year with a lot of births and they have to hold off."
"Maybe." Noriko's tone of voice implied that she was hoping for something a little more intriguing.
"Anyhow, we've reached a point where I believe I must go on alone," Hyosuke said with some finality. They were standing in front of the building that served as the Fox Clan embassy. Like many of the Minor Clan embassies, the Fox one was a complex of subtle dignity. Even from here he could see the trees growing in the miniature garden cultivated around the side, a little piece of home away from home for those who were used to the greenery of Kitsune Mori.
"Yes, I imagine you have much to do," his companion replied, nodding to the scroll case he carried. "Reports to give, orders to relay, underlings to coordinate."
"I'm afraid I'm not much for coordinating underlings... I'm just an emissary moving back and forth between my homeland and my clan's offices here. I'm merely here to convey the wishes of Ryukan-sama." He turned slightly as if to go. He paused for just a moment, and Noriko spoke up.
"Hyosuke-san, if you're not too busy a little later..." she started, her expression neutral. "I've been in the city long enough to get an idea of the good places to eat. If you're up for it, later, maybe I can buy you dinner?"
Hyosuke paused, and smiled a restrained smile. He bowed to her before renewing his grip on his scroll case. He glanced briefly at the embassy.
"I would like that; I'm sure by the time my business is finished, I'll be overdue for a relaxing meal. I've been getting by on travel fare, myself."
"About how long do you think you'll be?"
"I'm not sure. We're going to be coordinating the Minor Clans' efforts to begin rebuilding the city. It's going to take a while," he thought and glanced up at the position of the sun in the sky. "Meet me back here at the Hour of the Rooster. I'll definitely be in need of a hot meal."
Noriko bowed to him. "Until then, take care."
"And yourself as well." He bowed back and went into the embassy.
The Tsuruchi archer paused for a few moments, a thoughtful look on her face, before turning away to get back to her own duties.
The Hour of the Rooster...
Kitsune Hyosuke stepped out of the embassy with a throbbing headache. He idly wondered why a more experienced courtier couldn't be sent to help represent the Fox Clan when dealing with who would shoulder the responsibility for which portions of the Minor Clans' rebuilding project. The Tortoise were downright ruthless at the negotiating table, and the shugenja had come away with a greater respect for the Great Clans that dealt with the Scorpion.
"Have you ever played a game where you think the other players are keeping the rules from you?" he wondered aloud, speaking to nobody in particular.
"I've been in that sort of scenario, yes," came an unexpected reply.
The shugenja glanced up, surprised. Noriko was standing there in a nice green and yellow kimono, her hair tied back with the jade clasp she usually wore. It was one of the few times he had seen her without her trademark bow. By comparison, Hyosuke's own red and white kimono was wrinkled and he looked as if he was in dire need of a good night's sleep.
"Are you alright, Hyosuke-san?" Noriko asked, concerned.
"It's been a long day, I'm afraid." He gave her a weary, possibly exaggerated, smile.
"Come on; let's get you a hot meal and something to relax your nerves."
"Tea?"
"If that's what will relax you."
The condition of the city did not drastically improve when it started to get dark. Strange shadows were cast by the Fire Dragon coiled atop the palace, and the shugenja was again reminded of just how far out of his element he was. If the Phoenix were capable of gaining the allegiance of one of the Elemental Dragons, he wondered, what else could they do if it came down to it?
"You keep staring at the Dragon, Hyosuke... Is something wrong? I'm not a shugenja; I'm not sure if there is something I should notice about it other than the obvious."
"That's a difficult question to answer, Noriko. Sitting on top of the palace is one of the Elemental Dragons; a force of nature itself. The kami of the city can't help but be affected by it. It's like walking into a room with burning incense so strong it makes you dizzy. It's unsettling, to say the least."
"So... there are no problems other than the obvious?" she asked.
"In a nutshell, not really. It's just a matter of perspective."
The pair had reached the restaurant. The shugenja was clearly relieved to go inside and sit down, and visibly enjoyed being able to just order a simple meal. The room was quiet, with a calm atmosphere that seemed to agree with both the Kitsune and the Tsuruchi.
"Did you want to talk more about the problems with the negotiations earlier? Or is it the sort of thing you can discuss at all?" the Mantis asked.
"It's just that the Tortoise are moving more quickly than expected. They're laying claim to certain parts of the city to rebuild, and they seem to have just enough contacts among the Great Clans to get the most political advantage out of each possible deal. Have you dealt with them much?"
"Not as much personally, no. But I'm familiar enough with how they work to have an idea what you're talking about."
"Then answer me one thing," the shugenja started, leaning in and whispering conspiratorially. "Are the Scorpion as difficult to deal with as what I've described?"
"In the long run?" She thought it over for a moment. "Much worse."
"I'll have to keep that in mind, then. How have things been for you lately?"
"Difficult," she said immediately. "I've been here since this winter, and shortly before it got cold my father passed away."
"My condolences, Noriko-sama," Hyosuke bowed as best he could at the table. "I hadn't heard."
"He never fully recovered after the Rain of Blood, and finally just..." She sighed. "It tore him up that he wasn't in fighting shape for the War of Fire and Thunder. He would much rather have died in service to the clan than to an illness inflicted upon him by a bloodspeaker."
"That's what we all hope for." The shugenja quietly ordered some sake from the waitress when she was in earshot, sensing a drink was needed at this point. "I will pray that he made quick and safe passage to Yomi."
The bottle of sake came and the Fox poured a cup for himself and one for his dinner companion. They each quickly downed their drink and Noriko poured for herself another one, sipping at it this time and relaxing. Hyosuke took a few moments to compose himself.
"Noriko, there's something I've wanted to ask since we saw each other earlier, and I do not wish to offend," Hyosuke started when they had a minute's pause. "But I must know the truth."
"Yes?"
"Is it true what's being said around the city, about the Mantis?"
"What about the Mantis?" Noriko visibly tensed up, and Hyosuke winced as if bracing for impact, taking a drink of the sake.
"That the Mantis were in collusion with the Khan in his attempt to take the throne."
Noriko's fingers tensed on the edge of the table. Her expression darkened, and the shugenja felt the urge to wilt and back down from her glare. He gritted his teeth and refused to falter. Noriko took a long drink directly from the sake bottle.
"The throne is empty, Hyosuke-san, with no clear line of succession. It was only a matter of time. By helping the Unicorn swiftly take the city, we would have helped a powerful ruler take control before things got out of hand."
"Noriko-san..."
"It is no different than what the Phoenix did. We were thinking in the best interests of the empire as a whole, as were they. But in the end, we'll be remembered as villains simply because they were able to succeed more quickly than us."
Hyosuke gritted his teeth to hide his expression of shame while Noriko took another pull directly from the bottle. He had not meant it to go that way, and silently cursed his lack of foresight in asking the question in the first place. He turned his attention to what was left of his food, picking at it with disinterest.
"I believe in what we were doing, even if the rest of the empire will not," Noriko quietly said. "If, knowing that, you'd rather not be seen with me, I'd understand. You serve a diplomatic purpose for the Fox Clan, and I'm not sure you should risk giving anyone the wrong impression."
"No, no, I didn't mean anything like that," the shugenja quickly said. "I merely... I merely wished to know. It doesn't change how I feel about you and it will never change our friendship. I would never let something like this risk what we have."
He wasn't sure, but he was vaguely sure he heard Noriko snort at that while she poured herself another drink and finished the bottle. At some point, their plates had been cleared by a servant and he ordered another bottle of sake and some tea for himself. The drinks came and Noriko reached straight for the wine. Hyosuke frowned a bit; he didn't want to seem as if he was trying to get her drunk, but he was merely trying to calm her down. If it turned out that the plan resulted in her passing out and thinking the whole conversation was a dream, then he was willing to accept that.
"What we have... What do we have, Hyosuke?" Noriko asked, her speech only slightly slurred.
"We have a deep friendship built on mutual respect and understanding," Hyosuke said as he took a sip of his tea. That didn't sound rehearsed at all, a little voice in his head sarcastically muttered. "I would trust you with my life, and nothing your lords can ask of you will ever change that."
"Our friendship was built on common adventures and misadventures. Is that really all we have?" she asked, sounding bitter.
"What do you mean?"
"When my father died, he lamented the fact that he was not able to arrange a marriage for me. There was some discussion of me being engaged to a Phoenix, before the war, but..." She shrugged. "That was broken off. I never got to tell you, but I wanted to."
"You wanted to?" he asked, confused, taking another drink.
"I wanted to know what you would have thought of it. What you would have thought of my getting married. I mean, would you have cared? Would you have attended?"
"Of course I would have. You know I'd have been there."
"'Of course,'" she snorted derisively. "Yes, you would have been there. But why? Would it have been because you were obligated to as my friend? Or because it would have mattered to you that I was getting married to..." She trailed off and covered her mouth to stifle a belch. "To someone else?"
The shugenja froze. Hyosuke glanced around. If the waitress was paying any attention to the scene, she was giving no indications. Nobody else in the restaurant seemed to be noticing, but the Fox was becoming clearly self-conscious about how exposed they could be if this conversation kept following its current path.
Maybe he was just imagining it, but Hyosuke was sure he could hear thunder ominously rumbling in the distance. He took another drink before speaking again. The little voice in his head laughed mockingly at him as he stalled for time.
"Maybe we should take this someplace..." He looked around, and shook his head to clear it. "Someplace else. Not sure if we should bring it up here."
He felt weird, and glanced down at his hand. He paled slightly; at some point without noticing he'd started drinking the sake instead of the tea. He didn't have nearly enough to greatly impair his faculties, but was a little unnerved by the discovery nonetheless. He couldn't say whether it was his subconscious or merely an accident.
"Just give me an answer before you go, and we can talk anywhere you want. Just answer me, and we can go anyplace you want, Hyosuke-kun." Despite her inebriation, Noriko's gaze was just as steely as it had been when she first caught his attention in the forest all those years ago. Somewhere between a growl and a purr, and Hyosuke wasn't sure which tone would be more frightening if it came down to it. "Would it have affected you to see me get married to somebody else?"
"Yes. Yes it would have, okay?" Hyosuke hissed. Now stop telling yourself you're merely placating her, the all-too-clear voice in his head said. "I'd have hated to see you shackled to someone you didn't want to be with. It would have broken my heart to see you.... To see you give up your independence just for the sake of political leverage."
He spoke before realizing what he was saying. He didn't know if it was the sake or if it was his emotions that cracked his careful composure. Part of him had just gone forward and started to speak from his heart, something taboo among those of the samurai caste. Samurai were not permitted sobbing outbursts of emotion, and a shugenja's training made it even less acceptable. His diplomatic duties as of late, though, left him with the social reflexes that had just barely covered up what he was saying.
"Please, Noriko... can we go, now?" Hyosuke pleaded, already digging out some coins to pay for their meal and drink. If Noriko could forgive his question before, maybe she'd cover her half later. But he wasn't worried about that. He just wanted to get her someplace where she'd be less likely to make a fool of either of them.
"Sure, whatever," she replied with what appeared to be a crooked smirk. It could have been simply a satisfied smug look, but it was difficult for the shugenja to decipher her appearance given how much both of them had drunk.
He tossed the coins on the table, wished the proprietor a good evening, and discretely fled with Noriko in tow. The sky was overcast as they got outside; obviously the rumble of thunder hadn't been imagined. He wasn't sure where to go. He didn't know the city that well, and didn't think it would be right for either his kinsmen or hers to see her this way.
"Do you know a good place to go where we can talk? Someplace where we won't be noticed or bothered?"
"Hyo-kun," she started. "I know a good spot. It's gonna rain, though. We'd get wet."
"I doubt it's going to rain," he immediately said, almost sure it was going to do just that. "I just want to get us out of here so we can clear our heads."
She nodded dumbly to that and led him out of the north wall of the city, towards the nearby river. She brought him to the top of a hill overlooking it, in the direction of a small grouping of trees. Thunder continued to rumble as if picking up speed as it approached. The spot was a short walk from the city itself, and they moved to stand underneath the trees. The wind picked up, their kimonos flowing in the breeze. Mantis ships were visible in the body of water in the distance.
"This hill was miraculously untouched in the battle," she said to nobody in particular, standing beneath two of the trees. "You can almost see the coming storm from here."
"You can see a lot of things from here, Riko-chan."
"Then why can't I see the looks you want to give me? Why can't I hear the things you want to say? Help me, Hyo-kun."
"Riko-chan... Some years ago, we met in the forest." The Fox spoke slowly, trying desperately to chase off the buzzing in his head from a combination of liquor and headaches. "I've never found the right way to explain this, and I doubt this will be clear at all, but... Several years ago, long before I met you, I swore an oath to assist lost travelers in Kitsune Mori. If someone is in genuine need of assistance, I must offer help and cannot refuse them if they ask for it. When I initially helped you seek out Rintaro, it was out of fulfillment of this oath."
"So that's the only reason you saved me?" She turned to him, her eyes flashing daggers at the shugenja.
"It is the reason I offered to help... But it is not the reason why I accompanied you. My obligations ended at the edge of the forest."
"Then why did you follow?"
"Because of... because of reasons I'm not sure I can share. Positive qualities you possess; your dedication to duty, your eagerness to get things done. If I had met Rintaro first, I'd have had to help him. But I thank the Fortunes almost every night that I got to meet you instead."
Hyosuke turned away, looking back to the city. Part of him wanted to flee back there, to push aside the feelings that had been brought to the surface, knowing that love is the rarest of luxuries that any samurai or shugenja could ever hope to indulge. Noriko should have recognized that, he thought to himself, and just let things be. More thunder rumbled and he could feel the first droplets of the coming storm land on his shoulders.
"We should probably head back," he said after a moment of near-silence.
"I don't want to go back to the city yet." There was no room for argument in that tone.
The rain began to pick up, coming down in a steady drumbeat. Noriko and Hyosuke were instantly soaked as a warm spring rain came down upon them. The shugenja turned back to face Noriko, who stood beneath one of the trees and stared out at the river while she faced away from him. The tree did nothing to protect her from the raindrops, and she didn't seem to care.
"Noriko-sama, we should head back," he repeated.
"I want to feel it, Hyo-kun... I want to feel the touch of the rain. It's so much gentler away from the sea."
She held her arms out for a moment, leaning her head back with her eyes closed. She brought her arms back in and trembled as she appeared to lose her balance. Hyosuke reflexively ran towards her and realized moments too late that her balance was fine. The 'trembling,' however, was the shifting of her kimono as she slid it down to expose her shoulders and upper back. Reaching out to catch her, he couldn't help but think only of trying to help her. As a result, he found himself gripping her bare shoulders and feeling her warm flesh underneath his fingertips.
She turned in his grasp. He released her shoulders as she turned to face him, and without thinking about it just rested his hands on her shoulders again as she looked up into his eyes. She reached up to caress his cheek.
"Hyo-kun, I want to feel everything out here. I'm tired of waiting for the rain to fall on its own."
He was stunned, rendered speechless. This made it all the easier for her to almost leap upon him to press her lips to his. She kissed him deeply, her arms clutching tightly at his body. He instinctively put his hands on her sides, indulging the sensations and tastes of the kiss as he was dimly aware of her own kimono sliding down along her toned body.
Nimble fingers teased along the wet silk of his kimono. Hyosuke was overwhelmed by everything, unable to articulate thoughts let alone words. His shaking hands could feel a collection of scars that Noriko had accumulated during her time as a magistrate. He could feel an archer's precise fingertips undo his obi to open up his robes. His rational mind screamed at this development, thrashing in a panicked fear of where this could lead and how it could change both of them forever.
The little voice in his head strangled his rational mind into submission.
Moments later, Hyosuke's kimono joined Noriko's in a shapeless heap upon the wet ground.
The next morning...
Tsuruchi Noriko groaned with agony as she woke up. She shifted on the mattress she slept on, pulling the sheet aside. Her head was throbbing and her body was sore. What had happened the night before?
Her first thought was that she'd gotten drunk and fell down some stairs or a hill or something. Then she recalled that she had been drinking with Hyosuke. Noriko rubbed sleep from her eyes for a moment before realizing that the motion felt like she was stabbing her eyes with sharp knives. She muttered a reflexive curse to a Fortune of Hangovers that may or may not exist.
The sun was shining outside, and she had to sort out where she was. She was in a sparse room with little decoration, and it looked like a bunch of her stuff was in the corner with her kimono draped over it. She got the impression she was in an inn somewhere. Did Hyosuke bring her back here, unable to locate the Mantis' barracks? Was he in the next room?
She stood up, realizing that she'd gone to sleep without wearing anything. She wrapped the sheet around herself and began to slowly shuffle towards the door. The archer wasn't at all concerned with how she would have looked as she got up to poke her head out into the hallway to get a clue as to her location.
Getting a better look at the room once she got up, though, she came to a realization that threatened to take away her balance. The 'pile of stuff' in the corner wasn't her gear. After all, she hadn't taken any of her weapons beyond her daisho out to dinner with Hyosuke the day before. But the object shifted, revealing that it was in fact Hyosuke himself curled up in the corner... using her kimono as a blanket.
Some people would scream at such a revelation. Noriko had been brought so far beyond surprise, though, that she could barely manage a timid squeak. To make any more noise would lead her to shriek something about remembering what she had done the night before. The squeak was enough, though, as Hyosuke began to move a bit.
Kitsune Hyosuke, bleary-eyed, sat up at the ever so slight disturbance. He was dimly aware of the fact that he was clad only in a sheet of some sort. He wasn't too worried about that at first. He was too focused on the taste in his mouth from the overabundance of sake the night before. Sure, he hadn't had as much as Noriko, but that didn't change the fact that alcohol always had this effect on him.
The thought of Noriko led to thoughts about what had happened between them. And those thoughts led him to a sudden surge of internal questions about where this would go and if she'd think he took advantage of her. And those questions themselves didn't lead any place, as they hadn't had time to do so; it was at this moment that Hyosuke became aware of Noriko standing over him, her face pale and eyes wide with what was either shock or terror.
A long pause descended on the pair.
"Morning," Noriko finally said, trying to change the shocked look on her face and thus far having little success.
"Morning," Hyosuke responded, looking down at the yellow and green kimono draped over him. "Um, I think this is yours." He looked down. "Sorry, but I think I was a little drunk last night and you were hogging the covers, so..."
He realized that was the wrong thing to say when Noriko took a few steps back and immediately sat down. She stared at him while he looked down at the ground. Look at her, dammit, the voice in his head said.
"Hyosuke-san," she started with a forced serenity to her voice. "Where are we?"
"We are in one of the inns near the city's edge." It sounded like he was more guessing than anything else, still not meeting her gaze. "After we, um... got dressed last night I brought us here. You'd had more to drink than I did, so I made a judgment call. Even if I could have found the Mantis estates in the rain, I didn't think you would want to be dragged back there given the circumstances. Too many questions would have been asked."
She winced a bit, remembering a little more clearly what had happened on the hill. She had asked him a number of personal questions, and made something not unlike an accusation about his motivations. And then... and then... Noriko closed her eyes as it all came back to her so clearly, her jaw clenched.
"So..." she started to ask, her voice a half-whisper.
"What now?" Hyosuke finished her thought. "I'm not sure. Last night was..."
Please, don't say 'a mistake,' anything but that, she thought to herself.
"...an eye-opener." He finished. Noriko blinked and he continued. "I have had feelings for you for some time. Not when we first met, but they developed over time. I didn't want to admit it to myself. Romance is not a luxury allowed to samurai and shugenja. I mean, even if we told each other, what could we do?"
"We could have been honest with each other. You didn't think I knew? You didn't think I noticed? The looks, the occasional comment... Staying by my bedside all night when I was hurt? There was a time when we were glad to see each other, and at one point you became..." She trailed off, thinking. "You became stiff, and restrained. Like you were afraid. Were you afraid of something like this happening, like we'd be unable to keep our hands off of each other?"
"Not quite," he said with a clear blush. "It was the Rain. During the Rain of Blood, because of feelings that I kept buried... I had a moment of weakness and killed a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Because I couldn't control myself." The shugenja's hands clenched and unclenched nervously. "I was afraid of succumbing to such a weakness again."
"And so you held back your feelings for me, because of that? The Rain of Blood changed us all, Hyosuke-kun. It never occurred to you that if you'd just told me--"
"Told you what?" he interrupted, trying to keep his voice down despite his agitation. "Told you how I feel when I see you, told you I loved you?" He suddenly winced as he said that, gritting his teeth as it slipped out. He took a deep breath and continued, his voice more even. "Even samurai who get to experience love rarely get to enjoy it. What would we have done if I'd told you that I love you?"
"We could..." She paused. "I don't know. But we could have said something and let it bring us together as friends. Even occasionally just having dinner and getting drunk and--" She stopped and blushed before continuing. "And waking up in an inn together... It would be preferable to keeping it hidden and letting it pain us."
"But what if someone found out, and decided to use it against us?"
"I'd be willing to deal with that if it came up. It's not like this is some torrid love affair for the ages, a forbidden romance between a Crane and a Scorpion or something like that."
"Fortunes, I hope not, we'd never hear the end of it from Terumoto," Hyosuke blurted out.
Noriko glared at him.
"Not the point," she said, sighing and closing her eyes for a moment. "Speaking of which," she started with a curious look. "Does Terumoto know how we feel about each other?"
"My guess is that he does."
"How do you figure?"
"It's the only thing I've never heard him talk about."
After a moment's pause, Noriko cracked up laughing. Hyosuke caught the laughing bug and joined in. The tension in the room scattered as if cast to the wind by Hyosuke's chuckle and Noriko's snicker. When they regained their composure, the two felt much better about themselves.
"You know, you haven't said it yet," Hyosuke pointed out with a smirk.
"Said what?"
"You know..."
"What, you mean--?" she said before stopping, rolling her eyes. "Is it that important? I mean, you know."
"Hey, if it's that important that I say it to you..."
"Okay, fine, fine. Hyosuke, I love you too." She wore a warm smile. "I do, really. I enjoy spending time with you, and I'd love to spend more time with you in the future."
"You know," he mused aloud. "I actually volunteered for the Kyuden Ashinagabachi Winter Court this year. They wanted to send me to either Kyuden Bayushi or Kyuden Doji, but I talked to Lord Ryukan about it and he agreed to let me represent the Fox in your family's lands instead."
"That's sweet, Hyo-kun." She paused, and her eyes widened. "By the Fortunes... what time is it?" She ran to the window, opening the shutters and peeking outside. The sun shone brightly through the opening. "We need to get dressed; we've both got places to be, and it's late morning."
The two of them quickly sorted out their clothing to the best of their ability, and did an admirable job of averting their eyes as they dressed. Their clothing was disheveled, but good enough to get them someplace where they could get cleaned up. They dressed in silence, and reached the door at the same time.
"So, what now?" she asked. "We never did figure out an answer for that question earlier."
"I'm... I'm not sure," Hyosuke said. "Let's meet up a half-hour before sundown. I'll meet you out in front of the Mantis embassy and we can have dinner and talk about it."
The two of them leaned in and shared a brief, tender kiss. They smiled warmly at each other before slipping out the door to the room.
A few hours later...
Kitsune Hyosuke poked through the grass on the hillside with a stick. The sun was directly overhead and he should have been getting lunch, but had something to take care of. He was on the spot where he and Noriko had drunkenly fallen to temptation the night before, and he was trying to find something.
Hyosuke frowned, having no luck so far and not wanting to ask the spirits for something as petty as helping him locate a lost bauble. He looked up as he heard footsteps, glancing down the hill to see Tsuruchi Noriko coming up the slope towards him. They looked at each other with surprise, and he allowed himself a smirk.
"I had some free time," she said as he walked up next to him. "I couldn't find my jade hair clasp, and figured it was up here. I came to look for it."
"Same here, actually," he said with a chuckle. "I noticed this morning you weren't wearing it when you left but didn't want to upset you in case you hadn't realized it yet."
He went back to poking through the grass with a stick, looking for it. It figured that of all the places to lose a green jade clasp, it would be on a grass-covered hillside. Noriko used the end of her bow to do the same as they made their way further up the hill and close to the tree they'd stood beneath the previous evening. They searched in silence, and found nothing by the time they came up to the tree.
"Damn," Noriko said when she realized that Hyosuke hadn't had any more luck than she had. "I got that clasp from my father. His father gave it to him, and one of the Sparrow gave it to him after the formation of the Alliance."
"Really?" Hyosuke's interest was piqued. "Interesting."
"I'd have to check, but I think it may have actually belonged to Terumoto's grandfather."
"I see..." Hyosuke said as he stopped beneath the tree and looked up into it. His eyes narrowed. "Noriko-san, mind handing me your bow?"
She gave him a puzzled look but did as he asked. He set down the stick he'd been carrying and reached up into the tree using the much longer bow. He poked at something, and a bird's nest fell out of the tree and landed in his outstretched hand. Sitting in it, alongside a pair of eggs, was the clasp. It was embedded in the grass and straw from which the nest was made.
"A bird must have picked it up," he said. Noriko removed the clasp and wiped it off on the leg of her pants before tying her hair back with it. Hyosuke politely asked the kami for some help, and a gust of wind carried the nest back up onto the branch. He took a few moments to enjoy the feel of the breeze on his face; the kami had brought over the cool air from the nearby river and he found it more than soothing.
"There's the Hyosuke I met that day in the forest," Noriko randomly commented.
"What?" the Fox asked, flushing a bit with embarrassment.
"Relaxed and confident. Sure of yourself. You look... comfortable."
"Oh." The flush faded, but Hyosuke looked away.
"You should look like that more often if you can help it."
Hyosuke heard Noriko's footsteps as she came closer to him. She walked up behind and rested her hands on his shoulders. He tensed up briefly but forced his nervousness aside with smooth and steady breaths. She moved in closer, sliding her arms around him and leaning against his back. They stood like that for a little while, silently enjoying one another's company as clouds floated past the sun.
"We should probably go; we're probably each due back in the city soon," Hyosuke said, and he felt Noriko slowly pull away. "We'll see each other later."
"Alright," she said as he turned around. She picked up her bow and leaned it against her shoulder. "I'll see you at sundown out in front of the Mantis embassy."
With an unreadable look on her face, she jogged back towards Toshi Ranbo. Hyosuke remained there for another minute or two, eyes closed as he focused on trying to see how far he could still hear her footsteps in the grass. After the sound faded away, he returned to the city for his next appointment.
Sundown...
Kitsune Hyosuke stood outside the embassy, wearing a fresh kimono for dinner. There was no sign of Noriko, but it's not like he was in any sort of a hurry. The shugenja was lost in his thoughts of the previous night's dinner so he wound up being startled by the servant coming up to speak with him.
"Kitsune-sama?" the man asked.
"Yes?"
"Tsuruchi Noriko has requested that you come with me for your appointment."
The Fox raised an eyebrow but did not argue as the peasant led him into the embassy. He passed by assorted Mantis courtiers, some of whom he'd seen around the city and others who were completely new to him. The embassy more or less matched what he'd heard of Mantis dwellings in general. It was heavily decorated, bordering on tacky as if overcompensating for something. To someone used to the subtleties of Minor Clan accommodations, it seemed very over-the-top.
The peasant servant brought him up to a door and bowed to him before opening it. Hyosuke stepped through and realized he was in someone's personal chambers. His eyes widened and the door closed behind him. The room was dim, but he could plainly make out Noriko kneeling at a table with fine sushi set out. She smiled and waved him over.
Hyosuke bowed and came over to kneel at the table. Noriko poured him a cup of tea, and he could tell that it was a fresh pot with a brew that smelled familiar. He looked around at the accommodations, perking a curious eyebrow at Noriko.
"Sorry, I figured after last night we'd be better off eating somewhere private," she explained. "I hope you don't mind; I figure we'd have a lot to discuss now that we have the time to do so. The sushi is fresh, made from today's catch."
"That's fine, that's just fine." The little voice in the Fox's head whispered subtle warnings in his ear. "I think we do have a lot to talk about."
"Hyo-kun, have you thought about... your future?"
"In what way?" he asked, sipping tea while the voice was musing on what would be the easiest way to flee. He kept trying to place the tea's flavor but it just wouldn't come to him.
"With regards to..." Noriko paused after a moment. "I really don't feel up to dancing around the subject," she said with a sigh. "Have you thought about marriage?"
Hyosuke's eyes widened and he accidentally swallowed most of his cup of tea, which was still quite hot. He coughed a bit, his eyes watering. He immediately poured himself some water and chugged it down while Noriko sighed and shook her head at his reaction. It was only as the burn subsided that he recognized it as a blend from Sparrow lands.
"I ask about marriage and that's your first reaction, even after all that's happened?" she said, eyes narrowed a bit. "Panic and surprise?"
"Just the surprise, actually," he wheezed out, taking a few moments to calm himself down. "No, I haven't really thought about it."
"Any particular reason?"
"Just too busy. My family spends a lot of time maintaining Fox lands and the forests. Marriage is generally a political concern, and the necessity hasn't been as high for some of us," Hyosuke explained.
"And your sister's wedding to Terumoto?"
"That was in the interest of maintaining political connections. The fact that they knew each other was just a convenience."
"And the Fox don't have the need to maintain a tie with the Mantis?" she quickly asked, sipping her own tea.
"It's more complicated than that." Hyosuke glanced away, and sighed.
"Hyosuke-san," she said very sternly. "You know that because of my position as a magistrate I have a lot to offer. It would be good for you to... to have someone who'd be able to give you more than just a hut in a forest."
He visibly winced at that.
"It's more than that, Noriko-sama," he said in an equally stern voice. "My family doesn't have much left, but we're proud of what we have. We've fought for every inch of our land. We've suffered for it--"
"And it almost wiped you out," Noriko interrupted. Hyosuke paused slowly, shaking his head.
"You once respected us for that," he said with a quiet voice. "'It matters not that the ant carries less,' remember?"
"Terumoto said that." She quietly ignored the finality of his tone, as if she could do something to struggle against the inevitability of where this argument will end.
"And you agreed with him. Your family's identity once meant something to you, too. I haven't seen you wear your armband lately."
She stopped, surprised, and glanced at the arm where she used to wear a yellow and black armband. It had been a sign of those members of the Tsuruchi family who still believed in the ideals of Tsuruchi himself and the Wasp Code. What he'd meant fully hit her, and when she looked up with tears in her eyes he was already heading for the door.
"Our lives don't belong to us, Noriko," he said as he stopped at the door and looked back. "Our happiness doesn't matter, because we have duties to things far more important in this world. I'm... I was considering taking a permanent post here in the city that's been offered to me, but I'm going to request reassignment."
"Hyosuke, wait." Noriko got up, stepping around the table. She got halfway across the room and stopped, only at that moment realizing there was nothing she could say or do to keep him there. "Please, stay. I forgot something important, and said something stupid and selfish, and..." She trailed off when she saw the look in his eyes.
"I love you..." he said quietly, one hand on the door. "I always will, and I will always treasure these nights that we were completely honest with each other." He opened the door and turned away, facing out into the empty hallway, the first tear running down his cheek. "I will fight by your side, and watch people die as I protect you. But I can never take your name."
He stepped out into the cold hallway, eyes clenched shut as he slid the door closed behind him.