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- There is a war brewing and you’re leaving ?
Shuichiro paused, placing the one small change of clothes he could fit in his small pack on the bed. From all the possible intruders to force their company onto him…
- If your memory is getting spotty, Shizuki, let me refresh it. – The other Yokai waited, arms loosely crossed. Shuichiro would be upset at such unnatural calmness in the current situation but not only was he used to it from all the time he’d been in the other man’s company before his brother had left to do who knew what, he also didn’t care enough about anything to really allow it to bother him. – I was exiled. If you weren’t aware. I mean, - Shizuki raised his eyebrows a touch. – you were kind of there and I can see why you would get confused. Oh, wait. – He dropped the small purse of money he had been specifically forbidden from taking in the pack. – I wouldn’t.
- They’ll rip you apart. – If one squinted, covered their ears and spun in a circle, they would probably get the vague impression that anyone in the village’s main house cared about anyone but Toichiro. And even then there was no guarantee.
- Hm ? Who ? – He knew the tone would be getting on the other Yokai’s nerves even if he carefully didn’t show it. – The humans ? The Onmyoji ? The other snow spirits ? – A muscle under Shizuki’s eye twitched. Score.
- Kagemaru’s mutts.
Shuichiro cocked a hip.
- You really think all of us here spent our days sitting around baking sugar cookies ? – He faked a light smirk. Shizuki just exhaled, loudly. – Is that what Toichiro was doing all that time down at the Capital ? Or, did neither of you see us a challenge for the throne and saw no reason to even try ? Oh, wait. – He leaned forward, fingers resting on the bed. – Are the Tengu not a challenge either ? Explains a lot.
- Master Toichiro is following his destiny.
- Which makes him nothing but a dutiful son of our father. Doing exactly what he was told and not a scrap more. – He tied the strings of the pack and looked back at the other Yokai. – Is he such a good lay that you tolerate it just because of that ?
Before he’d finished the sentence his knees hit the floor, hard, and his hand went straight to his burning cheek on instinct. His other wrist popped where he’d landed on it and his jaw was going numb.
It wasn’t broken as far as he could tell and there were no loose teeth. So Shizuki had pulled the punch. A lot.
Charming.
- Defending his virtue for his new fiancée ? Guess he sucks dick well enough to make it an asset.
Shizuki’s narrow eyes and heaving chest told him all he needed to know. Snow spirits were cool and collected but were no tricksters. It would be refreshing if he wasn’t sure he was about to get executed on the spot.
- You will show respect. – Or not. Shizuki was calming down. Shuichiro was actually glad and not only because it delayed his demise. “Affected” wasn’t a good look on the other man.
- Or what ? – He had to leave in an hour and saw no reason to get up for now. Pulling his knees to sit more comfortably, he looked up to meet the other Yokai’s eyes. – In the end, it didn’t really matter, did it ? Anything I did ? Anything anyone did ? No matter what, it is set in stone.
Their father would still pour everything into the mystery of the Kyubi’s missing ninth tail, blind to everything else. Toichiro would still not look further than his nose, especially now that he was freshly engaged. The rest of their siblings had given up long time ago, when it had become clear the choice had been made. Their people would follow whoever was the current leader. The sun would come out tomorrow.
And when the humans came, followed by the Tengu…He hoped he would be able to get far enough not to hear. Hoped the rumours of the massacred village up in the mountains would not reach him, hoped no traveler would come with stolen jewelry dripping with blood and carrying his family’s crest.
He focused back on the man in front of him. There was no point in thinking about the future. It was set in stone anyway.
- Why do you hate him so much ? – Shuichiro’s face must have shown his confusion because Shizuki crossed his arms and frowned at him. – Master Toichiro.
Oh.
- I don’t. – The other Yokai raised his eyebrows. Shuichiro sighed and tried to put it into words. – Look, it’s not his fault. Our father being a huge hypocrite, that is. Toichiro had a different role in this… - he waved with the hand he’d been holding his face with. – charade. And he just followed his script, to the letter. Didn’t try to see beyond the literal instructions he was handed. – Shrugging, he let one leg rest on the floor. – He’s still a hopeless idiot but it’s not his sin. When the entire village goes down in flames and carnage, because it will, I hope my father realises it has been his fault from the very start. Only his fault. I want him to know it and live with it, and take it with him to the next world when his time comes. Which will not be far considering there are armies ready to charge.
He knew he should have been able to forgive. Or at least be disappointed. But all he felt was revulsion. And hatred burning low like barely glowing embers, ready to burn the house down from the slightest provocation.
- Anything else ? – Shizuki was slowly relaxing, muscle by muscle. Finally, after a few moment of blessed silence, the man reached over and it took Shuichiro far too long to realise what was being offered. Taking the hand, he allowed the other Yokai to pull him to his feet and dusted himself. All the fight had gone out of him and he couldn’t bring himself to meet Shizuki’s eyes. – I have to finish packing. Just…
- For whatever’s worth, Master Toichiro doesn’t want you to go.
Now he allowed himself to look up.
- We both know that’s not how it works. There needs to be punishment. – He shook his head. – Hope that human is smarter than she looks.
- Her heart’s in the right place. – The only reason Shuichiro didn’t laugh was because he was sure that would be a short path to hysteria. The implication was more than clear. Shizuki wasn’t denying the girl was incompetent or not even that capable. He was going for excuses. Good thing to see that after all those years his brother still hadn’t rubbed off on him. Shizuki still couldn’t lie to save his life.
And the future leader’s consort was, apparently, naïve at best and completely gullible at worst. Peachy. Just peachy.
- Didn’t say it isn’t. Listen, - Shizuki raised his eyebrows again, obviously heard something in his tone. – You know Kagemaru. You know why he does what he does and how it all goes down. You know the Tengu. You even know the humans.
- Don’t think even for a moment I’d let anyone who comes fall after the village.
And that was all there was to be said, wasn’t it ?
- Good.
- You’d never guess what I saw on my way in. – Shuichiro twisted his lips in a grimace, carefully hiding his expression behind the shelf he was putting in order. Giggling women had no place in libraries, definitely shouldn’t have been a common occurrence, and yet there they were. Laughing loudly, leaving their rubbish everywhere and getting on his nerves. Still.
He’d been here for less than a month. He could hold on for a little more, until the extremely rude cashier got fired from the bookstore down the road and he took over the position. He hadn’t been chatting with the elderly owner for nothing, after all.
So, for his own peace of mind, he did his best to ignore the library’s manager and her hoard of ex-classmate rich women who had nothing better to do with their days.
He could feel the headache approach like a storm in clear skies. It was going to be a bad one.
- He can’t be that hot, come on. – Of course it was some random man. Or course. He’d been here for three weeks now and just by overhearing knew all the important gossip of the city.
- Oh, but he is. And he – Shuichiro could hear the smug smile of superiourity on the woman’s tongue. – talked to me.
- Impossible. – The gasps were more theatrical than actual plays and he felt the pulse of the migraine get stronger. The half a minute of giggles that followed made him think that his father calling for the greatest punishment for a traitor wouldn’t have been that bad. At least if he had been dead, he wouldn’t be here experiencing…that.
- He did ! Asked me for directions which means…
And then…blessed silence. The entire group collectively went quiet and he pitied the poor guy who’d probably just needed a book or a scroll or something. Shuichiro would admit, only to himself, that he might have shoved the tome in his hand with a little more force than necessary but there was nobody to see or tell. They all had work to do, especially the woman who supposedly ran the place, and just because some man was attractive, that didn’t mean the world would stop spinning.
He almost smiled, remembering the one person who could silence a room even in the most luxurious establishments of the Capital’s entertainment quarter. Shizuki’s looks, paired with his bordering on hostile personality was what drew men and women, and had him experience the jealousy of everyone in a committed relationship ever. It had been hilarious to observe back in the village.
- Never thought I’d see you willingly follow someone so obnoxious.
Shuichiro paused, book in hand, before turning slowly to look at the newcomer. Of course. He sighed. Why had he expected anything else from his brother ?
- Shizuki. - Draped in a navy cape and ornate travel attire underneath, the other Yokai was the epitome of a noble out for a stroll. The implications of his presence here, on the other hand… - To what do I owe this honour ?
- Master Toichiro needs you in the village. – Straight to the point, huh ? He guessed nobody changed in a few months only.
The statement…
- Do I have a choice ? – Shizuki crossed his arms.
- Do you have a reason to refuse ?
He wasn’t dense or stupid. And he played no games. So where was this attitude coming from ?
- We’ve had this exact same conversation. At least twice. – He was getting tired. Definitely didn’t need his family contributing to his headache that was now in full effect. He could feel his eyelid twitch.
- The Tengu are coming. – Shuichiro simply shrugged in response.
What a waste. His heart was bleeding for them, for all of their people and their homes. For his own home. And yet it wasn’t his place anymore. He’d done everything he could, and then some, and the results were out there.
The thought of their father still blindly doting on Toichiro while a war was getting closer and closer left a sour taste on his tongue and he tried to swallow it down.
- You’re implying I should care. – Not even a muscle twitched on Shizuki’s face.
- I know you do. – Did he, now ? Shuichiro shrugged again.
- Either way, it doesn’t matter. For my crimes there had to be punishment. – He paused. – For the damage on the village there had to be punishment. For the destruction and grief caused there had to be punishment. It’s how the world works.
- Master Toichiro needs help. – Shuichiro couldn’t help it, he snorted a laugh.
- Doesn’t he always. The little…
- And I spoke with Kagemaru. It’s about your uncle. – Shuichiro raised his eyebrows. – It’s bad.
- What, they finally confirmed he’s dead ?
Shizuki’s face softened a touch and Shuichiro swallowed. So it was that bad, huh ? Whatever it was, it was very, very wrong because Shizuki didn’t simply look this compassionate for nothing. He just didn’t.
- Much worse. It’s confirmed he’s alive. I know you used to idolise…
- You know nothing, Shizuki. – He closed his eyes, trying to find the calm. Took a deep breath. Rolled his shoulders. – I’ll need a few hours to finish everything here and pack.