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eirenicalChapter 2 is finished! *cheers* And as I have now spent the last hour html'ing and posting this damned thing in all its places... I'm too tired to intro it here. :-P You all know the drill.
It had been two days since the entirety of the Court focused its attention on one other than herself. Two days since she began to feel the sick dread of certainty that her life was about to change yet again... to head in a direction that she had no desire to take it. Two days since the Emperor abandoned his search for a bride to play servant to a girl from another world. Two days since the slow drudge of blood in her veins had reluctantly begun to quicken. Two days since the arrival of Suzaku no Miko.
Only once before in the history of Konan had a woman so turned the Palace on its ear... and that had been herself. In spite of her misgivings, Kourin was intrigued. Surely this girl couldn't actually fulfill the promise of her own legend. Surely, her appeal could not be founded in reality, only in myth. There was only one way to know for sure. She had to see the girl herself. And so, that was how she found herself sneaking out of the Inner Palace to the courtyard where the Emperor had gathered the country's best warrior-scholars.
Kourin suppressed an unladylike snort as she watched the Emperor and his entourage "test" the assembled men. Had she been asked, she could have told them that this was not the way to go about finding the Suzaku Shichi-seishi. Of course... she had not been asked. Nor, if she were honest with herself, would she likely have enlightened them even if she had been. Such an open exchange of information was no longer her way.
As they approached the platform overlooking the courtyard, her companion began to look very nervous. Emi looked frantically about her, "Kourin-sama, we should go back inside. You don't belong out here. You could get into trouble."
You could get into trouble, hmm? Of course, Emi, being a mere servant, was allowed to go where she would in the Palace. It was a fact that Kourin had made use of many times, but even as close as they had become in the last year, Kourin had never once asked Emi to use that liberty as she had today... to bring the Court Princess along with her. But today... she had to be here today. She had to see Suzaku no Miko with her own eyes. She had to judge for herself if the girl was worthy. For if she was... in that fragile hope; lay the seeds to free her from this self-imposed prison. That was not a chance that she was willing to miss.
And so, she smiled an indulgent smile at her maid and shook her head, not even bothering to dignify that worry with an answer. If she played her cards right, it wouldn't matter at all. She turned her attention to the Emperor's dais, caught as usual by his careless beauty. And there, beside the Emperor, a young woman -- no, a girl. A girl in tight fitting clothing. A girl with bare legs, no less. Though a small part of her admired the girl for her bravery, she could hardly believe that any female of good upbringing would display herself in such a way. And that such a brazen child, of clearly lowborn birth, could be so close to the Emperor when he would not even glance her way? It was unthinkable. There was always a chance she'd been mistaken... She tipped her head back towards Emi, "That is Suzaku no Miko?"
Emi laughed, "Hard to believe, is it not? But yes, that shameless little girl is the priestess of legend. Dressed as she is, how could she be anyone else? No woman of our world would wear such an outfit, especially not in public."
Kourin frowned, "That is indeed true. Even I, brave as I am, would not dare dress in such a fashion. Yet, not only is she not discomfited, she seems rather completely at ease. That would indicate that that mode of dress is common for young women where she is from. What a strange place that must be..." In her own mind, she ended that thought with, ...and how free. Shaking her head clear of such thoughts, she indicated the other peasant on the dais, "And who is that man with her?"
Emi smiled, "That is Tamahome, one of the Shichi-seishi. Suzaku no Miko's protector, and..."
Turning away from her contemplation of the courtyard to eye her maid, Kourin smiled. That particular tone usually meant some juicy gossip, "Yes, Emi? And...?"
She was not disappointed. With a sparkle in her eye, Emi continued, "And if you believe the rumors, Suzaku no Miko is rather smitten with the young man."
Kourin smiled, delighted with the irony, "So, though the Emperor has pined for Suzaku no Miko since childhood, when she finally arrives, she gives her heart to a peasant? Oh Emi, surely you jest!" When Emi solemnly shook her head, Kourin threw hers back and laughed, "That is a grand revenge, indeed, Emi. And perhaps, I can use it to my advantage."
Though willing enough when Kourin's schemes tore apart most of the court, Emi was still hesitant to engage in any of her mistress' games when they involved the Emperor. Her voice filled with trepidation, "How so, Kourin-sama?"
With a flourish, Kourin explained, "So long as Suzaku no Miko is available, the Emperor will see no other woman but she. So, all I need to do is make the girl... unavailable." Her smile took on a sinister cast.
"With all due respect, my Lady... you begin to frighten me with this talk," was Emi's taut reply.
"No need to be alarmed, Emi. It isn't what you think. I mean no actual harm to the girl. In fact," a less than friendly smile crossed Kourin's face, "You might even say that I'm going to help her get exactly what she wants. You see, Emi, if Suzaku no Miko becomes entangled with the peasant, Tamahome -- especially if she were to humiliate the Emperor in the process -- then she becomes a far less desirable mate, would you not agree?"
Emi finally began to smile again, "I do begin to see, my Lady. And once this occurs, it will leave your own path to the Emperor free of any remaining obstacles."
Kourin smile, "Exactly so, my friend. Exactly so."
Emi opened her mouth, but whatever she had been about to say was overridden by the sound of an immense crash. Kourin turned back to face the courtyard, not immediately comprehending what she saw. The Emperor was on his knees in front of a collapsed gazebo. It became clear enough, however, when she realized that Tamahome and Suzaku no Miko were nowhere to be seen. The obvious conclusion was that the pair were buried underneath the collapsed structure.
Instead of feeling the elation that should have accompanied the girl's dire straits, Kourin felt her stomach begin to churn. Something was desperately wrong here... Maybe it was some long forgotten shred of honor, maybe it was that dream riding her from last night, but whatever the case, the voice in her mind rang as clear as a bell as she made that realization. And it said but one word: ~Nii-chan!!~ Kourin's whole body jerked with the force of that word and she was down the stairs and running across the yard before she realized what she was doing, for one thing was abundantly clear. Her imouto wanted her to help Suzaku no Miko, wanted her to try to get along with her. She couldn't do that if the girl was dead...
As she reached ground level, Kourin forced herself to slow her headlong panic. She couldn't just go flying into the middle of that ring of men. The court guards would stop her before she got within 10 feet of the gazebo and, more importantly, the Emperor digging through the rubble in a panic. She needed a plan. Taking a quick survey of the useless and frantic energy that the Emperor was throwing into his digging, it finally came to her. That very panic might just be what she needed. If she could offer assistance at this moment, the Emperor would not question it; he would simply accept it, no matter what his guards said. And if she could make the visual of that assistance impressive enough, it might win her that bid for freedom that she was seeking... and a chance to get closer to the Emperor. Approaching the Emperor slowly, she insinuated the cultured calm of her voice into his frenzy, "Perhaps, heika-sama... I may be of some assistance."
Startled out of his fruitless digging, the Emperor turned a confused gaze her way. For a moment, he did not know her. That was clear. She forced down the surge of disappointment that automatically invoked. Just because her every waking moment was filled with thoughts of him, did not mean the same was true in reverse. Bold in the moment, knowing she had something he needed, Kourin let a flash of that anger show... and it was in that moment that she saw recognition in his eyes. He frowned, "Lady Kourin, I won't even ask by what audacity you came to be here. Instead, I will ask what impudence prompts you to imply that you can be of actual use in this crisis. Speak quickly -- I have no time for playing games."
As the guards closed rank around them, Kourin didn't even waste her breath on an answer. She just smiled and for the second time in seven years, actively sought to use her seishi powers. She reached down with one hand and lifted a piece of the ceiling off the unfortunate pair trapped underneath, then a second and a third. That each piece she lifted was larger than she was herself was not lost on any of those watching. It was with a surge of satisfaction that she noted the slack-jawed awe on the faces of the Emperor and his court. More than that, however, was the fact that for the first time in seven years, she almost felt at peace. This must have been what Sensei meant. That when it was time, I would understand what my powers were for. This feels... right.
Kourin lifted one last beam of wood and Suzaku no Miko and Tamahome were revealed lying still but unharmed in the remaining wreckage. As her eyes met those of Suzaku no Miko, Kourin felt a flash of kinship, a fleeting feeling of welcome. Frustrated with the weakness of her own resolve, however, she pushed it aside. Forcing a note of derision into her voice that she suddenly did not feel, Kourin commented, "You're alive, I see. That's some luck, Suzaku no Miko," then she turned her back and walked away. She would not have to set the next part of this scheme in motion. Judging by the shock on the Emperor's face, he would do it for her.
And, of course... she was right. Once he had ascertained that his precious miko was, in fact, intact, he came right to her. For the first time since she had arrived at Court, he looked at her and actually saw her. The awe resting so uneasily on his face could not be feigned. Once he was within speaking distance he asked, "Your name... it is Kourin, correct? One of the Court Princesses?"
Kourin nodded, not willing to give him any assistance in this matter. Let him sludge through this trap-course of a conversation on his own, "It is."
As their gazes met for the second time that day, the Emperor's filled with approval. The smile of gratitude he gave her even looked genuine. He continued, "That strength you displayed earlier... Lady Kourin, are you...?"
Kourin gave him a small, humble smile and pulled down just enough of her dress to reveal the glowing red seishi character, "One of the Suzaku Shichi-seishi? Yes, Your Highness, I am. My name, as you know, is Kourin, but I am also the Suzaku seishi, Nuriko." She let the sentence hang for a moment, knowing that she need not give him anything else. The Emperor was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He could put the facts together correctly on his own. Watching him do just that... and seeing the horror and pity fill his eyes as he did, Kourin again felt her resolve waver. Perhaps... perhaps scheming was not the way to go about this. Perhaps she could just honestly talk to these people and become part of them... belong with them. Perhaps her seishi heritage had been the key to her happiness, all along...
Then, just as she had almost decided to deal truly with her fellow seishi and their miko, said miko latched onto the Emperor's arm and began to gush her thanks and praises at "Nuriko" for saving her. But, even as Miaka's focus was 100% on the "new" seishi, the Emperor's focus was 100% on Miaka. And that the girl would lay hands on the Emperor! And he allowed it! In that moment, Kourin felt her sympathy and sense of kinship flow away like water. She gave the girl a smile that any of Saihitei's young courtiers would have recognized.
Kourin walked in Miaka's direction, holding her gaze until she came abreast of the girl, "I came to help..." and glided right past her to her seishi, "...this man." She bent and took Tamahome's face in her hands, kissing him soundly, thinking all the while, First kiss to a bandit, second to a peasant... Oh, imouto, if only you could see me, now. But, she grinned against his lips when she felt Suzaku no Miko fuming behind her. Oh, Miaka... you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into. I play for keeps and I fight dirty. If you aren't ready to do the same, you may as well give up, now.
Several days later, however, Kourin had to admit that her plan was not working. The original idea had been to make the miko jealous enough of her and Tamahome's affection to stand up and openly declare her own intentions. Being as she was brazen enough to bare her legs in public, Kourin had thought it a safe assumption that she would do the same with her feelings. That, however, did not seem to be working as hoped. The miko followed her everywhere, spying on her and Tamahome's activities, but she didn't once offer up any sort of objection. And Tamahome, though he had been willing to protect the miko from being buried alive under a collapsed building, was showing no desire to break away from her to make any similar declarations. It was maddening.
Finally, unable to deal with the Tamahome's repeated attempts to sneak off into the city and further disrupt her plans, she tied him up and sat on him. At least that would keep him in one place... She jerked her head up when the door to her chamber opened unannounced. Of course it would be their erstwhile miko. She was staring at Tamahome where he was bound on the floor, an angry flush suffusing her face. The sight seemed to be preventing her from speaking, so Kourin prompted, "Yes?" in as bored a tone as she could manage.
Miaka ground out, sounding as though the words cost her something dear, "I wish to be your servant."
Kourin turned to examine her nails, hiding her elation at the minor victory, "That will be fine." Whatever had prompted the miko to make such a ridiculous offer, she had no idea. Perhaps she just wanted to be where she could openly keep an eye on Kourin's actions with her seishi. So, she couldn't resist one last jab and grabbed Tamahome up in her arms, snuggling him, "Just make sure you don't interrupt me and Tama-chan when we're alone."
Miaka, though clearly fighting down a biting response at that caveat, answered agreeably enough, "Yes, Princess."
For a moment, as Miaka left, Kourin felt a burst of anger and pain that was certainly none of hers. She dropped the younger Seishi in shock and stood up placing a hand on her forehead. Could she be sensing what Miaka felt? But that wasn't her gift... that had been Kouri-- She cut off that line of thinking before it went any further.
Chilled by the thought that her imouto surely would not have approved of her actions, Kourin was quite abruptly not in the right frame of mind for this charade. She turned back to Tamahome, quietly releasing the ties that bound him. Tamahome frowned at her as he rubbed his slightly chafed wrists, "What makes you think I won't run off?"
"I never said that I thought you wouldn't," Kourin sighed and wrapped her arms around her as she finished, "In fact, I dare say that I wish you would."
The peasant's frown deepened, "My lady Kourin, has anyone ever told you that you not only speak in riddles but you act in them, too? What the hell has this all been about, then?"
She could only shake her head, "It doesn't matter anymore, Tamahome. Why don't you just go to your miko?" She tilted her head at the young man and offered him a serene smile, "She cares about you deeply, you know. I think she loves you... or at least thinks she does."
Tamahome stared blankly at her, "You have got to be joking." And then his final words froze her to the core, "Why would I care about that? I'm just her bodyguard. Besides, I don't have time for a woman."
Kourin could only stare. This... this was what she was trying to encourage Suzaku no miko to pursue?? Oh no. No no no. That would never do. Well, there was only one thing for it. Clearly she would have to keep the man from revealing what he'd just said until she'd had a chance to find someone else to foist the girl off on. Because this situation could all too readily spiral its way out of control. Not to mention... no young woman in the flower of her first love should have to suffer through that attitude! As she rounded on Tamahome and quickly tied him back up, she tried not to examine her motives too closely, because inexplicably... she was sure that they had changed.
Within a few days, Kourin had to admit that her plan was not only not working, it was failing abysmally. Tamahome had, obviously, not confessed love to Miaka. Miaka had equally obviously not confessed love to the peasant -- though in light of his confession of earlier, Kourin was not convinced that that was a wholly bad thing. What was even more frustrating, however, were the lengths the girl was going to, to try to win her own affections. It was at once endearing and irritating beyond belief. Not to mention the surge of guilt that she felt every time she heaped yet another unreasonable demand upon the girl just to have it met and fulfilled as quickly as possible. Really... she could almost find herself liking the younger girl if it weren't for all the history between them. Well, clearly it was time to change tactics. Subtle wasn't working, so it was time to hit someone over the head with a clue x four. Miaka loved Tamahome and Tamahome, though he didn't yet recognize it, did care for the miko as well. The best way to show someone how much they love another... is to take that other away. Kourin knew that lesson by rote. So perhaps a taste of that fear would be enough to prompt Tamahome into a shift in attitude.
Miaka would be along any minute now to see if she had any last requests before bedtime. That would be a perfect moment to set this new plan into action. She took one of a pair of iridescent pearl earrings from her dresser and walked outside to her balcony. She folded her hands in her sleeves and waited for Miaka to arrive. When she did, Kourin allowed a sad, faraway look to fill her eyes -- not difficult with all she had to motivate her recently. The miko did not disappoint with her immediate query after Kourin's well-being. Squashing the sudden flare of guilt she felt when she saw the girl's open and honest concern, she pulled one hand out of its sleeve and showed her the earring. She explained that it had been a gift from her mother from when she had left for court and that she had lost the other while walking near the lake. Miaka would have no way to know that none of the Court Princesses were allowed anywhere near that lake...
She swallowed another surge of guilt as she saw Miaka completely taken in by the lines that she was feeding her. "The moonlight reflects off them, making them shine, so they're easier to find at night. But my maid is scared of the dark and won't go out to the lake to find it." Feeling ever more like she was committing the worst kind of betrayal, she let a tear fall from one eye as she delivered the coup de grace, "I don't know what to do."
Miaka smiled tenderly at her and, as Kourin had known she would, immediately volunteered to go find the earring for her. She made a show of protesting, but Miaka insisted. She looked down and met the gaze of Suzaku no Miko -- it was full of love and compassion. There was more care, more true affection in that gaze than Kourin had seen since Genrou's last visit. Already uneasy from her own guilty conscience and more unsure than ever that she was on the right path, that look tipped her over the edge. She couldn't fight this any longer. The girl had won, though she didn't even know it... And so she made this concession, one that she had told herself she would not make... not ever, "Miaka, if you can find my earring then I must show my gratitude, in my own small way. If you find it, then I will agree to protect you as a Suzaku Seishi."
Miaka's eyes lit up with happiness at the offer and Kourin was dazzled, Imouto used to smile that way... Miaka swore that she would find her earring and ran off, yelling "Thank you, thank you!" the whole way. Kourin let herself sink against the rail in exhaustion. What was she doing? What had made her say that? She growled in frustration and clenched her fists. It didn't help any that Miaka couldn't possibly find her earring, thus letting her off the hook. The earring was still sitting on her dresser, after all. But still, the fact that she had even made the offer -- and meant it, no less! -- bothered her immensely. She walked back inside and had Emi pour her a glass of wine to calm her nerves, and desperately tried to ignore the voice in the back of her mind screaming obscenities at her for her false vow.
Hotohori stood looking out at the lake. He was surrounded by advisors, as he always was. Lately however, they'd been worse than usual. They were not even giving him a moment's peace from their eternal pestering. And their subject of choice? As usual, his unwed and -- more importantly -- childless status. It had been a year, and he still had not chosen an empress. It bothered them, so they in turn, bothered him. He sighed heavily as they once again asked him why he had not chosen a bride. He smiled and said, in deadly seriousness, "Because none of them are as attractive as I am." At their nervous laughter he smiled. He could predict with a fair degree of certainty what their response would be to that last sentence. He waited.
"What about the Lady Kourin? She's very attractive. Most of the young men at court fall in love with her at first sight."
And there it is. He sighed heavily as he shook his head. The situation with Lady Kourin was... complicated. When she had first arrived at Court, he had, of course, noted her beauty. Who wouldn't? As he advisors invariably pointed out, she was the only Princess at Court, quite possibly the only woman in all Konan, whose beauty matched his own. But that was only on the outside. On the inside... she had become cold, bitter, vindictive. Her sharp tongue and sharper wit was wielded with deadly precision against any and all who crossed her -- whether the slight was intended or not.
It was a true shame. With her arrival there had been many rumors about her: that she had trained the little bay mare that she had brought with her to Court; that she had ridden through the palace gates unaccompanied not because she had lost her escort, but because she had ridden with none; that she had been captured by bandits on the road to the Palace and had escaped unscathed and with all her possessions plus additional trail rations... the list went on. Any woman about whom those tales were told was one to be reckoned with... one who could be his equal. But, it would never be. Whenever he looked at Kourin, that was not the woman he saw. The one that he saw was cruel and too full of anger to ever love another. And so it was with great relief that he was now able to offer his advisors a perfectly legitimate excuse, "Don't be silly. The Lady Kourin has been released from her responsibilities at Court to take up her position as a Seishi. You know that."
He looked skyward and let a soft smile touch his lips, "That aside, all my life I've had the image of the perfect woman..."
He then gasped in surprise as said perfect woman popped her head up from the ground and giggled, "Hello, Hotohori-san!"
He smiled as he knelt down next to her, "Miaka, what are you doing out here?"
Her smile took on a slightly false cast as she answered, "I'm on a mission for the Lady Kourin."
He felt his anger rising, but kept his voice gentle, "I've heard about her terrible behavior towards you. I will speak with her and order her to behave."
She surprised him by lifting up a finger and shaking it back and forth under his nose, "Orders don't change people's minds, Hotohori-san. Besides, I want to become her friend honestly!" Her eyes took on a sad look, "I think... I think she really needs one." Unhappy with the answer, but unable to see a way to go around his miko, Hotohori nodded his acquiescence. As Miaka ran off towards the lake, he stood and stared pensively after her for quite some time.
Kourin swirled the wine glass in her hands, then slowly took a sip. It was taking Miaka an awfully long time to come back. She should have admitted defeat by now. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Kourin remembered hearing about vines that grew at the bottom of the lake and how easy it was to get tangled in them if you fell in. She began to shake. She'd meant to send Miaka away and worry Tamahome with her absence, maybe even for her to get a small dunking, but not anything worse than that. And with each passing moment that Miaka was gone, Kourin became more and more frightened. Perhaps she should go look...
She had risen to go do just that when Emi placed herself in her way, "My lady! You can not go out to the Lake. It is forbidden! Just because the Emperor granted you lenience the once does not mean he will be equally forgiving a second time. I beg you not to put yourself at further risk!"
Kourin wrung her hands together as she shifted her weight back and forth, "But Emi... She's been gone too long! She might be in real trouble out there. She's alone in the dark looking for a small earring that doesn't exist! It's a fool's errand! And no one even knows that she's out there but you and I!"
Suddenly the door to her room was thrown open and a low voice growled, "Is that true?"
She gasped at the figure of Tamahome standing in her doorway. He practically radiated protective fury. Well... at least one positive thing had come from this debacle. One of her plans was finally working. Unfortunately, in her impotent fear, she found that she didn't care one bit. Apparently, this plan had worked a little too well -- for she had caught her own self in its web, too. She hung her head as she whispered, "It is."
Tamahome cursed at her, "All she ever wanted was to be friends with you! Don't you understand that?"
The words were like a knife straight into her heart. She did understand it. She had understood it. She just had refused to see it. And now... now it might be too late. She grabbed Tamahome's hand and pinned his gaze with her own, "I did not deal with either of you honestly. For that, if you feel you need it, you have my apology. But that doesn't matter right now. You are free to move about the Court as you will. So go! Go to your Miko! She needs you!" With that last cry, she released him. He took off at a dead run... only to run straight into the person who had prompted all this frenzy.
Miaka looked adorably puzzled by the whole thing. She walked past Tamahome, dripping water all over Kourin's floor as she walked up to eye her bemusedly, "I didn't find your earring, Kourin-sama... but I found this rock." She held up a stone, polished to a smooth shine by the waters of the lake, glowing nearly indigo in the moonlight. The glow was, however, eclipsed by the one in the miko's eyes, "It's so beautiful, it reminded me of you. Would you like to have it?"
Kourin's jaw dropped open, then snapped closed and began to tremble. She heard Tamahome in the background scolding Miaka for trying to be nice when Kourin had been deceiving her all along. Kourin clutched the stone in her hand and fought off the threatening tears to speak, her voice rough with the suppressed emotion, "He's right, you know. I have been deceiving you. All this time, I've lied to you, I've treated you cruelly, I've deliberately tried to break down your spirit. How can you possibly still want to be my friend?"
Miaka frowned at the honest confusion in Kourin's voice, "Because... because I think you need one. Because I sense that there's something in you worth knowing, worth salvaging. Because I think you're a good person who's been through some bad experiences. Because I think everyone deserves a second chance." Her eyes rose to meet Kourin's, "Because I want to. Isn't that enough?"
And that was when the tears broke free from the bonds under which Kourin had placed them. Through her sobs, she only managed to choke out these words, "I don't deserve you."
Miaka just smiled and enfolded her in a gentle hug. And it felt as though she had finally, at long last, come home.
R-chan: I die of shock. The post was too long. O_o;;; I'll split the other half off into a new post. Sorry!
It had been two days since the entirety of the Court focused its attention on one other than herself. Two days since she began to feel the sick dread of certainty that her life was about to change yet again... to head in a direction that she had no desire to take it. Two days since the Emperor abandoned his search for a bride to play servant to a girl from another world. Two days since the slow drudge of blood in her veins had reluctantly begun to quicken. Two days since the arrival of Suzaku no Miko.
Only once before in the history of Konan had a woman so turned the Palace on its ear... and that had been herself. In spite of her misgivings, Kourin was intrigued. Surely this girl couldn't actually fulfill the promise of her own legend. Surely, her appeal could not be founded in reality, only in myth. There was only one way to know for sure. She had to see the girl herself. And so, that was how she found herself sneaking out of the Inner Palace to the courtyard where the Emperor had gathered the country's best warrior-scholars.
Kourin suppressed an unladylike snort as she watched the Emperor and his entourage "test" the assembled men. Had she been asked, she could have told them that this was not the way to go about finding the Suzaku Shichi-seishi. Of course... she had not been asked. Nor, if she were honest with herself, would she likely have enlightened them even if she had been. Such an open exchange of information was no longer her way.
As they approached the platform overlooking the courtyard, her companion began to look very nervous. Emi looked frantically about her, "Kourin-sama, we should go back inside. You don't belong out here. You could get into trouble."
You could get into trouble, hmm? Of course, Emi, being a mere servant, was allowed to go where she would in the Palace. It was a fact that Kourin had made use of many times, but even as close as they had become in the last year, Kourin had never once asked Emi to use that liberty as she had today... to bring the Court Princess along with her. But today... she had to be here today. She had to see Suzaku no Miko with her own eyes. She had to judge for herself if the girl was worthy. For if she was... in that fragile hope; lay the seeds to free her from this self-imposed prison. That was not a chance that she was willing to miss.
And so, she smiled an indulgent smile at her maid and shook her head, not even bothering to dignify that worry with an answer. If she played her cards right, it wouldn't matter at all. She turned her attention to the Emperor's dais, caught as usual by his careless beauty. And there, beside the Emperor, a young woman -- no, a girl. A girl in tight fitting clothing. A girl with bare legs, no less. Though a small part of her admired the girl for her bravery, she could hardly believe that any female of good upbringing would display herself in such a way. And that such a brazen child, of clearly lowborn birth, could be so close to the Emperor when he would not even glance her way? It was unthinkable. There was always a chance she'd been mistaken... She tipped her head back towards Emi, "That is Suzaku no Miko?"
Emi laughed, "Hard to believe, is it not? But yes, that shameless little girl is the priestess of legend. Dressed as she is, how could she be anyone else? No woman of our world would wear such an outfit, especially not in public."
Kourin frowned, "That is indeed true. Even I, brave as I am, would not dare dress in such a fashion. Yet, not only is she not discomfited, she seems rather completely at ease. That would indicate that that mode of dress is common for young women where she is from. What a strange place that must be..." In her own mind, she ended that thought with, ...and how free. Shaking her head clear of such thoughts, she indicated the other peasant on the dais, "And who is that man with her?"
Emi smiled, "That is Tamahome, one of the Shichi-seishi. Suzaku no Miko's protector, and..."
Turning away from her contemplation of the courtyard to eye her maid, Kourin smiled. That particular tone usually meant some juicy gossip, "Yes, Emi? And...?"
She was not disappointed. With a sparkle in her eye, Emi continued, "And if you believe the rumors, Suzaku no Miko is rather smitten with the young man."
Kourin smiled, delighted with the irony, "So, though the Emperor has pined for Suzaku no Miko since childhood, when she finally arrives, she gives her heart to a peasant? Oh Emi, surely you jest!" When Emi solemnly shook her head, Kourin threw hers back and laughed, "That is a grand revenge, indeed, Emi. And perhaps, I can use it to my advantage."
Though willing enough when Kourin's schemes tore apart most of the court, Emi was still hesitant to engage in any of her mistress' games when they involved the Emperor. Her voice filled with trepidation, "How so, Kourin-sama?"
With a flourish, Kourin explained, "So long as Suzaku no Miko is available, the Emperor will see no other woman but she. So, all I need to do is make the girl... unavailable." Her smile took on a sinister cast.
"With all due respect, my Lady... you begin to frighten me with this talk," was Emi's taut reply.
"No need to be alarmed, Emi. It isn't what you think. I mean no actual harm to the girl. In fact," a less than friendly smile crossed Kourin's face, "You might even say that I'm going to help her get exactly what she wants. You see, Emi, if Suzaku no Miko becomes entangled with the peasant, Tamahome -- especially if she were to humiliate the Emperor in the process -- then she becomes a far less desirable mate, would you not agree?"
Emi finally began to smile again, "I do begin to see, my Lady. And once this occurs, it will leave your own path to the Emperor free of any remaining obstacles."
Kourin smile, "Exactly so, my friend. Exactly so."
Emi opened her mouth, but whatever she had been about to say was overridden by the sound of an immense crash. Kourin turned back to face the courtyard, not immediately comprehending what she saw. The Emperor was on his knees in front of a collapsed gazebo. It became clear enough, however, when she realized that Tamahome and Suzaku no Miko were nowhere to be seen. The obvious conclusion was that the pair were buried underneath the collapsed structure.
Instead of feeling the elation that should have accompanied the girl's dire straits, Kourin felt her stomach begin to churn. Something was desperately wrong here... Maybe it was some long forgotten shred of honor, maybe it was that dream riding her from last night, but whatever the case, the voice in her mind rang as clear as a bell as she made that realization. And it said but one word: ~Nii-chan!!~ Kourin's whole body jerked with the force of that word and she was down the stairs and running across the yard before she realized what she was doing, for one thing was abundantly clear. Her imouto wanted her to help Suzaku no Miko, wanted her to try to get along with her. She couldn't do that if the girl was dead...
As she reached ground level, Kourin forced herself to slow her headlong panic. She couldn't just go flying into the middle of that ring of men. The court guards would stop her before she got within 10 feet of the gazebo and, more importantly, the Emperor digging through the rubble in a panic. She needed a plan. Taking a quick survey of the useless and frantic energy that the Emperor was throwing into his digging, it finally came to her. That very panic might just be what she needed. If she could offer assistance at this moment, the Emperor would not question it; he would simply accept it, no matter what his guards said. And if she could make the visual of that assistance impressive enough, it might win her that bid for freedom that she was seeking... and a chance to get closer to the Emperor. Approaching the Emperor slowly, she insinuated the cultured calm of her voice into his frenzy, "Perhaps, heika-sama... I may be of some assistance."
Startled out of his fruitless digging, the Emperor turned a confused gaze her way. For a moment, he did not know her. That was clear. She forced down the surge of disappointment that automatically invoked. Just because her every waking moment was filled with thoughts of him, did not mean the same was true in reverse. Bold in the moment, knowing she had something he needed, Kourin let a flash of that anger show... and it was in that moment that she saw recognition in his eyes. He frowned, "Lady Kourin, I won't even ask by what audacity you came to be here. Instead, I will ask what impudence prompts you to imply that you can be of actual use in this crisis. Speak quickly -- I have no time for playing games."
As the guards closed rank around them, Kourin didn't even waste her breath on an answer. She just smiled and for the second time in seven years, actively sought to use her seishi powers. She reached down with one hand and lifted a piece of the ceiling off the unfortunate pair trapped underneath, then a second and a third. That each piece she lifted was larger than she was herself was not lost on any of those watching. It was with a surge of satisfaction that she noted the slack-jawed awe on the faces of the Emperor and his court. More than that, however, was the fact that for the first time in seven years, she almost felt at peace. This must have been what Sensei meant. That when it was time, I would understand what my powers were for. This feels... right.
Kourin lifted one last beam of wood and Suzaku no Miko and Tamahome were revealed lying still but unharmed in the remaining wreckage. As her eyes met those of Suzaku no Miko, Kourin felt a flash of kinship, a fleeting feeling of welcome. Frustrated with the weakness of her own resolve, however, she pushed it aside. Forcing a note of derision into her voice that she suddenly did not feel, Kourin commented, "You're alive, I see. That's some luck, Suzaku no Miko," then she turned her back and walked away. She would not have to set the next part of this scheme in motion. Judging by the shock on the Emperor's face, he would do it for her.
And, of course... she was right. Once he had ascertained that his precious miko was, in fact, intact, he came right to her. For the first time since she had arrived at Court, he looked at her and actually saw her. The awe resting so uneasily on his face could not be feigned. Once he was within speaking distance he asked, "Your name... it is Kourin, correct? One of the Court Princesses?"
Kourin nodded, not willing to give him any assistance in this matter. Let him sludge through this trap-course of a conversation on his own, "It is."
As their gazes met for the second time that day, the Emperor's filled with approval. The smile of gratitude he gave her even looked genuine. He continued, "That strength you displayed earlier... Lady Kourin, are you...?"
Kourin gave him a small, humble smile and pulled down just enough of her dress to reveal the glowing red seishi character, "One of the Suzaku Shichi-seishi? Yes, Your Highness, I am. My name, as you know, is Kourin, but I am also the Suzaku seishi, Nuriko." She let the sentence hang for a moment, knowing that she need not give him anything else. The Emperor was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He could put the facts together correctly on his own. Watching him do just that... and seeing the horror and pity fill his eyes as he did, Kourin again felt her resolve waver. Perhaps... perhaps scheming was not the way to go about this. Perhaps she could just honestly talk to these people and become part of them... belong with them. Perhaps her seishi heritage had been the key to her happiness, all along...
Then, just as she had almost decided to deal truly with her fellow seishi and their miko, said miko latched onto the Emperor's arm and began to gush her thanks and praises at "Nuriko" for saving her. But, even as Miaka's focus was 100% on the "new" seishi, the Emperor's focus was 100% on Miaka. And that the girl would lay hands on the Emperor! And he allowed it! In that moment, Kourin felt her sympathy and sense of kinship flow away like water. She gave the girl a smile that any of Saihitei's young courtiers would have recognized.
Kourin walked in Miaka's direction, holding her gaze until she came abreast of the girl, "I came to help..." and glided right past her to her seishi, "...this man." She bent and took Tamahome's face in her hands, kissing him soundly, thinking all the while, First kiss to a bandit, second to a peasant... Oh, imouto, if only you could see me, now. But, she grinned against his lips when she felt Suzaku no Miko fuming behind her. Oh, Miaka... you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into. I play for keeps and I fight dirty. If you aren't ready to do the same, you may as well give up, now.
Several days later, however, Kourin had to admit that her plan was not working. The original idea had been to make the miko jealous enough of her and Tamahome's affection to stand up and openly declare her own intentions. Being as she was brazen enough to bare her legs in public, Kourin had thought it a safe assumption that she would do the same with her feelings. That, however, did not seem to be working as hoped. The miko followed her everywhere, spying on her and Tamahome's activities, but she didn't once offer up any sort of objection. And Tamahome, though he had been willing to protect the miko from being buried alive under a collapsed building, was showing no desire to break away from her to make any similar declarations. It was maddening.
Finally, unable to deal with the Tamahome's repeated attempts to sneak off into the city and further disrupt her plans, she tied him up and sat on him. At least that would keep him in one place... She jerked her head up when the door to her chamber opened unannounced. Of course it would be their erstwhile miko. She was staring at Tamahome where he was bound on the floor, an angry flush suffusing her face. The sight seemed to be preventing her from speaking, so Kourin prompted, "Yes?" in as bored a tone as she could manage.
Miaka ground out, sounding as though the words cost her something dear, "I wish to be your servant."
Kourin turned to examine her nails, hiding her elation at the minor victory, "That will be fine." Whatever had prompted the miko to make such a ridiculous offer, she had no idea. Perhaps she just wanted to be where she could openly keep an eye on Kourin's actions with her seishi. So, she couldn't resist one last jab and grabbed Tamahome up in her arms, snuggling him, "Just make sure you don't interrupt me and Tama-chan when we're alone."
Miaka, though clearly fighting down a biting response at that caveat, answered agreeably enough, "Yes, Princess."
For a moment, as Miaka left, Kourin felt a burst of anger and pain that was certainly none of hers. She dropped the younger Seishi in shock and stood up placing a hand on her forehead. Could she be sensing what Miaka felt? But that wasn't her gift... that had been Kouri-- She cut off that line of thinking before it went any further.
Chilled by the thought that her imouto surely would not have approved of her actions, Kourin was quite abruptly not in the right frame of mind for this charade. She turned back to Tamahome, quietly releasing the ties that bound him. Tamahome frowned at her as he rubbed his slightly chafed wrists, "What makes you think I won't run off?"
"I never said that I thought you wouldn't," Kourin sighed and wrapped her arms around her as she finished, "In fact, I dare say that I wish you would."
The peasant's frown deepened, "My lady Kourin, has anyone ever told you that you not only speak in riddles but you act in them, too? What the hell has this all been about, then?"
She could only shake her head, "It doesn't matter anymore, Tamahome. Why don't you just go to your miko?" She tilted her head at the young man and offered him a serene smile, "She cares about you deeply, you know. I think she loves you... or at least thinks she does."
Tamahome stared blankly at her, "You have got to be joking." And then his final words froze her to the core, "Why would I care about that? I'm just her bodyguard. Besides, I don't have time for a woman."
Kourin could only stare. This... this was what she was trying to encourage Suzaku no miko to pursue?? Oh no. No no no. That would never do. Well, there was only one thing for it. Clearly she would have to keep the man from revealing what he'd just said until she'd had a chance to find someone else to foist the girl off on. Because this situation could all too readily spiral its way out of control. Not to mention... no young woman in the flower of her first love should have to suffer through that attitude! As she rounded on Tamahome and quickly tied him back up, she tried not to examine her motives too closely, because inexplicably... she was sure that they had changed.
Within a few days, Kourin had to admit that her plan was not only not working, it was failing abysmally. Tamahome had, obviously, not confessed love to Miaka. Miaka had equally obviously not confessed love to the peasant -- though in light of his confession of earlier, Kourin was not convinced that that was a wholly bad thing. What was even more frustrating, however, were the lengths the girl was going to, to try to win her own affections. It was at once endearing and irritating beyond belief. Not to mention the surge of guilt that she felt every time she heaped yet another unreasonable demand upon the girl just to have it met and fulfilled as quickly as possible. Really... she could almost find herself liking the younger girl if it weren't for all the history between them. Well, clearly it was time to change tactics. Subtle wasn't working, so it was time to hit someone over the head with a clue x four. Miaka loved Tamahome and Tamahome, though he didn't yet recognize it, did care for the miko as well. The best way to show someone how much they love another... is to take that other away. Kourin knew that lesson by rote. So perhaps a taste of that fear would be enough to prompt Tamahome into a shift in attitude.
Miaka would be along any minute now to see if she had any last requests before bedtime. That would be a perfect moment to set this new plan into action. She took one of a pair of iridescent pearl earrings from her dresser and walked outside to her balcony. She folded her hands in her sleeves and waited for Miaka to arrive. When she did, Kourin allowed a sad, faraway look to fill her eyes -- not difficult with all she had to motivate her recently. The miko did not disappoint with her immediate query after Kourin's well-being. Squashing the sudden flare of guilt she felt when she saw the girl's open and honest concern, she pulled one hand out of its sleeve and showed her the earring. She explained that it had been a gift from her mother from when she had left for court and that she had lost the other while walking near the lake. Miaka would have no way to know that none of the Court Princesses were allowed anywhere near that lake...
She swallowed another surge of guilt as she saw Miaka completely taken in by the lines that she was feeding her. "The moonlight reflects off them, making them shine, so they're easier to find at night. But my maid is scared of the dark and won't go out to the lake to find it." Feeling ever more like she was committing the worst kind of betrayal, she let a tear fall from one eye as she delivered the coup de grace, "I don't know what to do."
Miaka smiled tenderly at her and, as Kourin had known she would, immediately volunteered to go find the earring for her. She made a show of protesting, but Miaka insisted. She looked down and met the gaze of Suzaku no Miko -- it was full of love and compassion. There was more care, more true affection in that gaze than Kourin had seen since Genrou's last visit. Already uneasy from her own guilty conscience and more unsure than ever that she was on the right path, that look tipped her over the edge. She couldn't fight this any longer. The girl had won, though she didn't even know it... And so she made this concession, one that she had told herself she would not make... not ever, "Miaka, if you can find my earring then I must show my gratitude, in my own small way. If you find it, then I will agree to protect you as a Suzaku Seishi."
Miaka's eyes lit up with happiness at the offer and Kourin was dazzled, Imouto used to smile that way... Miaka swore that she would find her earring and ran off, yelling "Thank you, thank you!" the whole way. Kourin let herself sink against the rail in exhaustion. What was she doing? What had made her say that? She growled in frustration and clenched her fists. It didn't help any that Miaka couldn't possibly find her earring, thus letting her off the hook. The earring was still sitting on her dresser, after all. But still, the fact that she had even made the offer -- and meant it, no less! -- bothered her immensely. She walked back inside and had Emi pour her a glass of wine to calm her nerves, and desperately tried to ignore the voice in the back of her mind screaming obscenities at her for her false vow.
Hotohori stood looking out at the lake. He was surrounded by advisors, as he always was. Lately however, they'd been worse than usual. They were not even giving him a moment's peace from their eternal pestering. And their subject of choice? As usual, his unwed and -- more importantly -- childless status. It had been a year, and he still had not chosen an empress. It bothered them, so they in turn, bothered him. He sighed heavily as they once again asked him why he had not chosen a bride. He smiled and said, in deadly seriousness, "Because none of them are as attractive as I am." At their nervous laughter he smiled. He could predict with a fair degree of certainty what their response would be to that last sentence. He waited.
"What about the Lady Kourin? She's very attractive. Most of the young men at court fall in love with her at first sight."
And there it is. He sighed heavily as he shook his head. The situation with Lady Kourin was... complicated. When she had first arrived at Court, he had, of course, noted her beauty. Who wouldn't? As he advisors invariably pointed out, she was the only Princess at Court, quite possibly the only woman in all Konan, whose beauty matched his own. But that was only on the outside. On the inside... she had become cold, bitter, vindictive. Her sharp tongue and sharper wit was wielded with deadly precision against any and all who crossed her -- whether the slight was intended or not.
It was a true shame. With her arrival there had been many rumors about her: that she had trained the little bay mare that she had brought with her to Court; that she had ridden through the palace gates unaccompanied not because she had lost her escort, but because she had ridden with none; that she had been captured by bandits on the road to the Palace and had escaped unscathed and with all her possessions plus additional trail rations... the list went on. Any woman about whom those tales were told was one to be reckoned with... one who could be his equal. But, it would never be. Whenever he looked at Kourin, that was not the woman he saw. The one that he saw was cruel and too full of anger to ever love another. And so it was with great relief that he was now able to offer his advisors a perfectly legitimate excuse, "Don't be silly. The Lady Kourin has been released from her responsibilities at Court to take up her position as a Seishi. You know that."
He looked skyward and let a soft smile touch his lips, "That aside, all my life I've had the image of the perfect woman..."
He then gasped in surprise as said perfect woman popped her head up from the ground and giggled, "Hello, Hotohori-san!"
He smiled as he knelt down next to her, "Miaka, what are you doing out here?"
Her smile took on a slightly false cast as she answered, "I'm on a mission for the Lady Kourin."
He felt his anger rising, but kept his voice gentle, "I've heard about her terrible behavior towards you. I will speak with her and order her to behave."
She surprised him by lifting up a finger and shaking it back and forth under his nose, "Orders don't change people's minds, Hotohori-san. Besides, I want to become her friend honestly!" Her eyes took on a sad look, "I think... I think she really needs one." Unhappy with the answer, but unable to see a way to go around his miko, Hotohori nodded his acquiescence. As Miaka ran off towards the lake, he stood and stared pensively after her for quite some time.
Kourin swirled the wine glass in her hands, then slowly took a sip. It was taking Miaka an awfully long time to come back. She should have admitted defeat by now. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Kourin remembered hearing about vines that grew at the bottom of the lake and how easy it was to get tangled in them if you fell in. She began to shake. She'd meant to send Miaka away and worry Tamahome with her absence, maybe even for her to get a small dunking, but not anything worse than that. And with each passing moment that Miaka was gone, Kourin became more and more frightened. Perhaps she should go look...
She had risen to go do just that when Emi placed herself in her way, "My lady! You can not go out to the Lake. It is forbidden! Just because the Emperor granted you lenience the once does not mean he will be equally forgiving a second time. I beg you not to put yourself at further risk!"
Kourin wrung her hands together as she shifted her weight back and forth, "But Emi... She's been gone too long! She might be in real trouble out there. She's alone in the dark looking for a small earring that doesn't exist! It's a fool's errand! And no one even knows that she's out there but you and I!"
Suddenly the door to her room was thrown open and a low voice growled, "Is that true?"
She gasped at the figure of Tamahome standing in her doorway. He practically radiated protective fury. Well... at least one positive thing had come from this debacle. One of her plans was finally working. Unfortunately, in her impotent fear, she found that she didn't care one bit. Apparently, this plan had worked a little too well -- for she had caught her own self in its web, too. She hung her head as she whispered, "It is."
Tamahome cursed at her, "All she ever wanted was to be friends with you! Don't you understand that?"
The words were like a knife straight into her heart. She did understand it. She had understood it. She just had refused to see it. And now... now it might be too late. She grabbed Tamahome's hand and pinned his gaze with her own, "I did not deal with either of you honestly. For that, if you feel you need it, you have my apology. But that doesn't matter right now. You are free to move about the Court as you will. So go! Go to your Miko! She needs you!" With that last cry, she released him. He took off at a dead run... only to run straight into the person who had prompted all this frenzy.
Miaka looked adorably puzzled by the whole thing. She walked past Tamahome, dripping water all over Kourin's floor as she walked up to eye her bemusedly, "I didn't find your earring, Kourin-sama... but I found this rock." She held up a stone, polished to a smooth shine by the waters of the lake, glowing nearly indigo in the moonlight. The glow was, however, eclipsed by the one in the miko's eyes, "It's so beautiful, it reminded me of you. Would you like to have it?"
Kourin's jaw dropped open, then snapped closed and began to tremble. She heard Tamahome in the background scolding Miaka for trying to be nice when Kourin had been deceiving her all along. Kourin clutched the stone in her hand and fought off the threatening tears to speak, her voice rough with the suppressed emotion, "He's right, you know. I have been deceiving you. All this time, I've lied to you, I've treated you cruelly, I've deliberately tried to break down your spirit. How can you possibly still want to be my friend?"
Miaka frowned at the honest confusion in Kourin's voice, "Because... because I think you need one. Because I sense that there's something in you worth knowing, worth salvaging. Because I think you're a good person who's been through some bad experiences. Because I think everyone deserves a second chance." Her eyes rose to meet Kourin's, "Because I want to. Isn't that enough?"
And that was when the tears broke free from the bonds under which Kourin had placed them. Through her sobs, she only managed to choke out these words, "I don't deserve you."
Miaka just smiled and enfolded her in a gentle hug. And it felt as though she had finally, at long last, come home.
R-chan: I die of shock. The post was too long. O_o;;; I'll split the other half off into a new post. Sorry!
