Snippet #2724539

Kiyoyori watched the others receive their weapons, each one giving him a small flash of recognition as they were put into the hands of his companions. His and Kenshin’s guesses were confirmed as the Shogun revealed their identities to each other and in some cases, to themselves. Holding the bow in his hands somehow anchored him to the reality of their position, a physical link to the past life he had been so sceptical of. Ah, so I really have to lead them to battle, he thought to himself as he passed his gaze over the group of guardians and the one empty seat that was yet to be filled. Lucky them.

Ikari’s vision blurred and a new scene overlaid itself on to the one in front of her eyes. Where the Shogun Yoshiharu sat, another figure took form. An old man, in court robes, his hair grey, his beard and moustache pointed, which added to the gravitas of his features, looking like nothing moreso than a civilised wolf, dressed in clothing too large for him. Sleeves draped over the hands, as was the style for nobles in those days. A tall black hat sat upon his head. The Minister of the Right, Fujiwara no Morotada, Tsuna recognised him, and though she tried to follow the words she saw forming on his lips, she couldn’t hear him. The others, Ikari saw clearly now, as they retrieved their weapons. Urabe, the shaven-headed monk, superimposed over the long-haired Kenshin, the wild boy Sakata almost exactly mirrored his counterpart in Hajime, as he took hold of the skull-bedecked axe. As for Kiyoyori, she saw Raiko’s form only vaguely – so feint as to be like smoke, the large-eyed yet determined looking girl warrior dressed as a man. While the pages and assistants seemed to fade into the background, Seimei stood out as much as any of them, the ghostly image of himself was exactly the same as the man she saw before her. In five hundred years he hasn’t changed.He seemed to smile knowingly at her as though he realised what she was seeing. Some other time when the guardians had been gathered, briefed, taking their orders from Morotada, on behalf of the Emperor, while Seimei subtly nudged him in the right direction. This Shogun was specifically not giving them orders, and Tsuna understood that Seimei had managed to find a way to cut out the middle man this time. Good, she thought, although she felt this came from Tsuna rather than herself, Fewer politicians, fewer lies.

The Shogun had one last item he needed to bestow, and summoned Kiyoyori once more. “There is one more artefact that belonged to you in your former life, Raiko-sama,” said Yoshiharu, and with a small gesture summoned forth one of his samurai who passed a long black lacquer box to Kiyoyori. Inside was a brocade bag with Minamoto crests woven into it in gold. He loosened the ancient drawstring and gave an audible sharp intake of breath as he took out the item inside. A bamboo flute, a komabue, wrapped in cherry bark and lacquered in black with the subtlest of gold bands at both ends and between the mouth and finger holes. Once again, he felt close to tears, a strange pulling at his heart, as he had when he laid eyes upon Ikari. An expression of deep gratitude crossed his face that the Shogun nodded to, and Seimei smiled at softly, and he bowed once again to the floor and said in a voice thick with emotion, “thank you.” He stayed for a few moments with his face on the floor, not daring to move until he had mastered himself. Kiyoyori had never played the flute, nor had any aptitude or particular interest in music, but then … he had never held this flute.

Seimei took the opportunity to quietly whisper, “It would be proper for you to address your companions.” Eventually he sat back up, and turned to face his companions. “I realise perhaps I’m not what you expected or wanted in a leader. Maybe to some of you, I’m even an enemy. I hadn’t thought I’d be capable of such a thing, it’s rather big boots to fill. Maybe I won’t even come close to doing this well – that’s what I thought until just now. But I know, I can feel, the spirit of Raiko-sama is with me, and that her wisdom will guide me, even though it will have to fight all the way against my foolishness. I am not your lord, and you aren’t my vassals. I have no right to expect you to follow me or do my bidding. But I hope you’ll accept me as your leader, and will be my valued comrades and brothers in arms. Will you all join me?”

The evening inevitably wound down, and the Guardians were taken to their sleeping quarters to spend the night. Their rooms were in a small building which was to be theirs alone for the time they would stay here, separated from the main palace by a covered walkway. The building looked out one way onto a small courtyard, and to the other onto a large open area used for training in martial arts and archery. While Kenshin, Hajime and Kiyoyori were to sleep together in one room, Ikari was surprised to learn that she would be sharing a room with Seimei’s page, the black haired girl who had sat beside him and looked over them all with great intensity during their meeting with Yoshiharu. She attempted to ask the girl a few friendly questions about herself, but ended up falling asleep rather quickly. It had been an extremely eventful day.

During the night, the summer rains started in earnest, and in the morning sheets of water poured from the grey sky as though the gods were throwing out their bath water. The air was humid and sticky. The Guardians were all made sure to be properly equipped, with the Shogun’s men providing them with armour and clothing, all with a special crest for their new unit. Five tomoe that circled clockwise, in a gold colour. Abe no Seimei strode across the walkway from the main house at mid-morning, carrying an umbrella, and asking the Guardians if they liked the new crest, explaining that he had designed it especially for them, with a rather self-satisfied and knowing smile. By midday the rains still hadn’t stopped and Kiyoyori sat on the veranda, looking over at the practice field at the archery targets wistfully as he waited. Even if he didn’t mind getting soaked, there was no way to keep a bowstring dry in this weather. From time to time he pulled the flute out from the inside of his kimono and turned it over in his fingers, before putting it bak again. Ikari came out and sat down, dressed in impressive set of armour, silver grey plates and lacing, with the cloth sleeves and trousers in dark red with silver figured dragons. She gave Kiyoyori a nod, still not really sure what to make of him, and Kiyoyori acknowledged her greeting. Then they sat in silence, the rain making more than enough noise as it turned the practice field into a muddy lake. Kiyoyori had many things he wanted to ask her, he needed to talk to her, but found that he couldn’t. Instead Ikari could feel him staring at her from time to time. She tried to ignore it but eventually she turned around to glare at him, and snapped roughly, “What is it?”

It was unusual for him to feel tongue tied around anyone, but even when she confronted him, he had no idea what to say. “Um, Ikari-san, do you – I mean –“ his expression took on a sort of intensity as he turned towards her to meet her gaze, his black eyes searching hers, as her expression turned from a frown of annoyance to one of mere confusion. “Do you remember –? “

Whatever his question was, it was cut off by the voice of Seimei, as the onmyouji poked his head around the door frame. “Anyone would think you two didn’t want to receive your first mission! Aren’t you coming?” he said, disappearing mysteriously and expecting them to follow. The rain continued to clatter down on the roof as the group were assembled in one of the small rooms. “First I should introduce you to Tsume. She will be your scout. Her eyes and ears are very sharp, her claws too. She is my servant, which means no using her for odd jobs, fetching you new sandals or making tea. She will be able to help you sniff out the Oni, and find information you need.”

“As for this mission,” he said, folding his long sleeves into his lap, and taking on a rather more serious demeanour. “The summer rains often bring sickness to the city, but this year it has begun in earnest more quickly than usual. It makes me suspect, more than suspect for I am almost certain of it, that this illness is not of a natural origin, and that Oni are responsible. Some nobles in the palace have already fallen gravely ill, and I suspect his Majesty the Emperor is the true target. I am doing all I can with my magic to protect him, but the source must be removed. This is where you come in, Guardians.”