Sokudo may have been stunned by his elder brother's outburst, but Kuyashii wasn't.  'He knows...  Seiryuu help me, somehow he figured it out, and he thinks that Sokudo's aware of it.  But there's never been anything like that going on, I just wanted a friend.  That's why I've kept things a secret.  I didn't want to lose a friend that actually seemed to care.  I guess that's over now.  If I hadn't been so cocky and made such a fool of myself, this never would have happened,' Tears started trickling down Kuyashii's face.
	Taki grimaced, "Come on now, don't start crying on me...  You make feel like such a big ogre for just trying to keep my family name clean.  You knew what you were doing was wrong, so stop trying to soften me up with your tears.  It isn't going to work.  Besides, the more attention you draw to yourself, the harder it will go for you."
	"I didn't do anything wrong!  Not to him or with him," Kuyashii hissed indignantly and guiltily added a few minor corrections, "Okay, so when we first met, I tried to rob him, but he forgave me for that, so it's not an issue.  And then there were those lockpicking and knife throwing lessons, which I'm sure aren't needed or desirable traits for an Imperial servant, but at least he knows how to defend himself now."
	"Servant?  Now, I know my brother's a bit carefree sometimes, but I don't see how anyone could mistake him for that when he's really..." Taki abruptly shut his mouth and glared at Kuyashii. "Not another word out of you.  Miss Fushi will take care of your wound, draw a bath for you and, I am certain, give you clothes that are better suited to a woman than those rags.  When my brother returns, his words will determine your fate, so you'd better pray that he paid better attention to his lessons on argumentative persuasion than his tutors have indicated."


	The first thing Fushi did upon hearing Taki's non-explanation as to Kuyashii's presence, need for medical attention, and a bath was take Kuyashii in and boot Taki out the door, saying something along the lines of, 'I'm sure you've got better things to do while you wait than stand around like a vulture', although she said it in much more polite terms.
	That task finished, she turned her deep blue eyes on Kuyashii and said, "Your arm needs to be taken care of immediately, but it needs to be cleaned first to prevent infection.  Also, I can't have your bandages getting soaked during the bath, so I'll have to do both at once.  It may be a little awkward and difficult to do with one hand, so I'll help you if you'll let me."  Then, Fushi smiled a little, "If you don't mind telling me, I'd like to hear what happened.  Taki has a slight tendency to blow things out of proportion when it comes to matters of security, but he usually has Kutou's best interests at heart."
	Kuyashii didn't really want to talk to her at first, but Fushi's kind demeanor and gentle way of helping her bathe and bandaging her arm touched her, and she found herself talking about, not just what happened that day or even all her meetings with Sokudo, but about how she came to live on the streets as well.  She pointed out a series of faintly visible scars on her wrists and back, most of which appeared to have been caused by a whip and said, "My father already had three daughters when I was born and no sons.  He was really disappointed, so he named me Kuyashii as a sign of just how unwanted I really was.  He was always short tempered with me, and it didn't take much to work him up into a frothing rage....  Just a misplaced toy or a small tear in my clothing was enough.  Then, it was left to my mom or one of my sisters to patch me up afterwards.
	"Finally, one day, he got so mad at me that he said he'd sell me to the first person he could find that would offer a reasonable price.  It broke my heart.  Until that moment, I thought that, somehow, he might still love me deep inside since I was his daughter, but he proved me wrong.  I was only ten years old at the time and was scared to death at the thought of leaving, but I figured that I'd be better off running away than letting myself be sold like cattle.  I took a small amount of money from the cashbox, some food and water, and a dagger.  Then, I ran like like the wind, because I sure didn't want to be anywhere to be found when he finally woke up.  I figured that people would be less likely to bother a boy than a girl, so I... uh, 'borrowed' some of the clothing from the son of one of our neighbors and left some ryo in its place.  Ever since then, I've been playacting like I'm a boy to everyone I've ever met, including Sokudo.  I really wanted to tell him, but I thought that... he wouldn't want to be my friend anymore," Kuyashii said, sighing heavily. "Not that Mr. Militant believes me.  He obviously assumes that Sokudo knows and probably would have given it to him then and there, but he said that their mom was looking for him.  I guess she's not someone that likes to be kept waiting, is she?"
	Fushi's eyes widened as she finally realized the importance of Kuyashii's last two statements, and her brain made the connection between Sokudo and Midori.  She found that her mouth had suddenly gone dry, and she had a couple of false starts before managing to say, "No, you'd definitely not want to keep their mother waiting.  There are few things worse that you could possibly do in the entire palace than get on her bad side."
	Kuyashii looked slightly skeptical and she asked, "Sokudo's mother has that much influence?  No way...  But, then again, that might explain why the Emperor hasn't kicked him out on the street for shirking his duties if she's too powerful to offend."
	'She really has no idea...  No idea at all of who he is.'  Fushi selected two of her favorite dress outfits, one made of the blue silk that Midori had gotten for her so long ago and the other a deep jade colored silk that would match Kuyashii's eyes and contrast nicely with her hair, which turned out to be a startling golden blond under all the dirt that had made it appear to be brown, evidence that she almost certainly had some ancestry in the Hin tribe. Fushi pointed to the jade garment and said, "You can put this one on while I change into the other one.  I'm going to go with you and be an advocate in your defense.  I'm certain that M... Sokudo's shock at your change in appearance will speak volumes in your favor, but if it isn't enough, I'll do everything within my power to convince Taki that he's about to make a very bad judgment call."
	After they had both dressed, Fushi did the best she could to trim Kuyashii's hair evenly and make it look as presentable as possible.  That finished, Fushi said, "Let's go now.  They're probably both waiting for us.  But let me say one thing, first.  Sokudo's got a secret that he's been keeping from you, no doubt for the same reason that you've kept this from him.  It's Sokudo's right to tell you what that secret is, so I will not say it here.  But please, understand that Sokudo has been almost as lonely for friendship as you have, despite your difference in circumstances."




	'Gotta continue the family line, Midori...  Must present a proper picture of Imperial majesty.  Must abandon all sense of selfish desire and think only of the good of the country.  Not that I don't care about the people, but I sometimes just want to give it all over to somebody else and let them take care of it so I can take a little vacation.  But I'd need a better excuse than that for getting out of here...  Too bad I can't think of one,' Midori, not really paying attention to where he's going, looks up to realize that he's passed his room and has arrived at Taki's.  'Aw, man...  There's no way I can run back now and change, or he'll think I've skipped out.  I'm going to die from embarrassment, here...'
	After entering his brother's room, Midori frowned, somewhat puzzled that Taki was the only one there.  Before Midori could formulate a question as to why, Taki nodded approvingly, "Back in proper clothing, I see.  Good.  And before you ask, Fushi booted me out.  She'll be bringing along your friend.  Now, sit down...  It's too late for any grave frowns from the so-called 'Son of Heaven' to be able to intimidate me.  You should have tried that earlier before I busted you."
	"I wasn't trying to intimidate you..." Midori said, sitting down in one of the chairs and mentally adding, 'I was just worried that something was wrong with Kuyashii.  Even though he was asking for it by sticking around down there and showing off, I still feel responsible.'
	Taki smiled, "That's good, because I've got something else to tell you that you aren't going to like."
	'What now?  How could things possibly get any worse?' Midori wondered.
	Seeing Midori's expression, Taki's grin widened, "I'm assigning you a bodyguard.  His name is Senritsu Koroshi...  I assume you remember his family name from your more recent history.  Don't you?"
	Midori groaned, "How could I forget?  And why don't you sic the head of House Shinigami on me while you're at it, too?"
	Taki shook his head, "I'm not trying to kill you, brother.  I'm doing my level best to make sure your head remains firmly attached to your shoulders.  But since you mentioned old man Shinigami...  I think I remember seeing a dispatch saying that he was sending his son, Kenjou, over here.  Something about guarding the 'Empress'.  Wanna take bets on whether he's talking about mother or your bride-to-be?"
	"No, thank you...  I don't want to know," Midori sighed deeply. "At least it's not the old man himself.  Nobody could be as bad as he is.  I don't understand what mother ever saw in the man that could rival my father."
	Taki raised an eyebrow, "Easy.  Unlike your father and you, he understands the meaning of responsibility."
	Midori said, "That's not fair...  I get my work done.  I'm just not content to rot in this gilded cage while the whole world goes by outside."
	Further discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door.  "Come in," Taki said.
	The door opened to reveal Fushi and another girl with blond hair and green eyes.  "Hey, where is..." Midori stopped, something familiar about the girl's eyes striking a chord and his jaw dropped, "Kuyashii?  You're a girl?"
	"No, I just dressed up in this to give you a scare," Kuyashii said sarcastically. "Yes, Sokudo, I'm a girl.  Have been and always will be.  And as long as we're on the subject of shocks, what's up with all the fancy silk that you're wearing?  If your hair were any longer, I'd be the one calling you a girl..."
	Midori looked down at his clothes and grimaced, "Ah, Seiryuu, I hate being the Emperor...  I have to wear such horrible clothing in the name of tradition."
	Now, it was Kuyashii's turn to stare.  'He didn't just say what I thought he did, did he?' Kuyashii looked at Midori and asked, "Sokudo, would you mind repeating what you just said?"
	Midori looked a little annoyed, "I said...  I have to wear these clothes because of tradition.  What's so startling about that?"
	Fushi sighed, "She meant the sentence before that.  If you think about it, I'm sure you'll understand."
	Midori's face drained completely of color as he realized what he'd let slip out.  "Uh, well...  I, uh...  Um...  You see," Midori ran a hand through his hair, not caring that it knocked his odd hat off, and he said, in a voice barely above a whisper, "My real name's Midori, not Sokudo, and I know I should have told you this a long time ago, but...  I just took the easy way out when you thought I was a servant boy and didn't correct you.  Really, I'm the Emperor of Kutou by virtue of birth, not by choice."
	Kuyashii remained silent for a moment before saying, "If you're the Emperor, then this whole country's in trouble."
	Midori looked up to meet Kuyashii's gaze.  "You don't care?  That I'm the Emperor?"
	"Why should I?  You're still you aren't you?" Kuyashii looked him up and down. "Even if you do look kinda silly in that outfit."
	"...Aren't you going to ask me whether I care if you're a girl or not?" Midori asked challengingly.
	Kuyashii lost her cockiness abruptly, and Midori instantly regretted saying that.  "To quote what you just said, 'You're still you...'  A crazy, foolish, dagger-throwing fiend that doesn't know when to it's time to run instead of taunting people!" Midori nodded towards Kuyashii's bandaged arm.  "But, at least, no one will ever recognize you looking like that...  You're home free, now."
	"Ah, yes..." Taki said. "And just how did that happen anyway?  You were going to explain, weren't you?"
	"That, I will...  And believe me when I mean every word I say," Midori said and begun to explain what had occurred in the marketplace.




	Taki massaged his forehead.  He could feel the beginnings of a massive headache coming on.  "That was not exactly the most diplomatic way of resolving things," he said, looking Midori straight in the eyes. "Not that I'm much of a diplomat, but still...  Throwing rotten eggs?!?  Oh, come on."
	"Well, what was I supposed to do?  Get up in front of the crowd and make some longwinded speech?  I don't know about you, but I think that if a person that looked like a street urchin suddenly stood up and started spouting quotes and making classical style arguments, people just might get a tad suspicious.  They expect things like bad produce going airborne from someone who appears uneducated," Midori replied defensively.
	'Soku... Midori's acting like the food throwing thing was his idea...  In fact, he's been shouldering all the blame in his narrative, save for that last bit which was definitely my fault no matter how you look at it,' Kuyashii thought.
	"Well, you could have found a way to get in touch with the guard," Taki said.
	"Maybe, but I'm not so sure what kind of reaction I would have gotten.  I think I saw a few of our brave palace defenders in the crowd, nodding in agreement with that nonsensical gibberish.  Also, wouldn't it work in their favor if we cracked down too hard on them without having anything more concrete to say than that they're lunatics?  No doubt, they'll be watching for even the slightest mistake on our side so that they can pounce on it and use it for every ryo it's worth.  It is my intention to make sure that they are watched as well, if not better, than we are.  Once we can gain proof of their darker intent, then we can move against them in full force," Midori replied, the strong determination in his voice plainly clear.
	Taki smiled slightly, perceiving that his brother wanted to be the one to go back out and do the spying.  "Coming and going like a shadow in the night is no longer an option for you.  You know that.  Once your new bodyguard reports in, it will be up to him to ensure your safety.  I will leave it up to his discretion as to whether or not to allow you the occasional, anonymous expedition outside.  But, even then, you must simply observe as far as this new religion is concerned.  I'd better not hear of even a single stale roll making an arc through the sky at your direction, or I'll give him license to bind and gag you," he warned.
	"I'd like to see him try it..." Midori half-mumbled. "I'll kick his butt in sword fighting, even if he is a Senritsu."
	"Oh, really?" Taki was now openly amused. "Well, we'll see about that.  Perhaps you'd like an arranged spar with him to test his mettle."
	Midori frowned at Taki's mirth.  "I think I would like a match-up with him just to wipe that smile off your face.  Swordsmanship is one aspect of my education I've never slacked off on," Midori said.
	Taki nodded, "True, you've been most diligent in that area of your studies, but that does not guarantee that you will be able best every opponent simply because of that study.  To believe so would be most unwise."
	Midori nodded grudgingly, sensing the truth in his words, "I still want to fight him, though.  Even if I can't beat him, it'll be good practice."
	"Indeed," Taki agreed. "And now, before we adjourn our little meeting for the day, there's just one more thing to take care of."
	'Oh boy...  Here it comes,' Kuyashii thought as Taki turned his gaze on her.
	Taki steepled his fingers under his chin.  "As I said before, I'm not a diplomat, so I may have jumped to... conclusions earlier about what was and wasn't going on.  I'm sorry about that, but the question remains.  What is to be done with you?" Taki asked. "I really can't see sending you back out there as being an option... at least, nowhere in the foreseeable future.  So, we have to find something for you to do around here.  Something that won't bring your sudden appearance into question.  Hm..."
	Fushi said quietly, "Perhaps she can stay and help Father and I with our medical responsibilities..."
	Taki shook his head, "No can do.  I really hate to say this, but your father doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.  If we told him, the whole palace would know before you could summon Seiryuu...  Not that we could right now, being that we only have one of the seishi and no miko, but you know what I mean."
	"That's it!  That's what we can do!" Midori exclaimed.
	"Huh?  Do what?" Kuyashii asked.
	"The seishi, ah, which one is she?  Miboshi!" Midori nods. "Staying with her would definitely be a good place to be since even I haven't ever seen her before...  I've been too busy studying and running around Keiji to check on her.  I suppose now that I'm temporarily palace bound, I'll have loads of time.  Besides, since she's a seishi, she really should hear about this 'Seiryuu is a false pretender, and my god's the only one' stuff that's going around."
	The headache that had begun to bother Taki before redoubled in strength.  "That... could be done," he said, thinking, 'If Midori didn't look so much like his father, I wouldn't be worried about him going to see her.  Ah, well.  It couldn't be avoided forever, I suppose.  Whenever the miko shows up, she would end up seeing him anyway.  Now is as good a time as any...'



	"Mali, come here at once!" Miboshi yelled down the hall to her maid. She took a deep breath and waited for the girl to come. Pushing a stay hair behind her ear, she looks down to the small creature next to her on the bench. Just for a second, a smile traces on her red lips. "Mali, where are you!" Frowns again as she hears the girl's soft footsteps outside her door.
	"Yes m'lady?" The girl’s voice is slightly breathless as she looks down, not wanting to make Miboshi mad. She slightly raises her eyes to her and sighs softly, Miboshi’s cold glare on her. "I'm sorry m'lady, I was, well, I was."  She stumbles over the words, not really wanting her to know where she was.
	Miboshi sighs and looks down to the small cat, now awake. "Oh, nevermind girl. I have other matters to attend to. Not that your problems aren't important," she smiles and adds quickly. "And they are of course. But we must prepare of his majesties arrival." Said with a slight undertone of sadness. She places a pale hand on the cats head and smiles down at him.  "So, what are you waiting for?" Her words are harsh and unfeeling as she looks up to Mali. "Go now, and ready a room." Dismisses her with a motion of her hand.
	Mali bows slightly and rushes from the room. A slight panic to her movements. "Oh my, he's coming" her thoughts are cut off as she hurries into the room across from Miboshi's.
	Miboshi sits a moment longer, a hand still on the cats head. "Oh, Akuma.  What am I to do?" She stands and begins to pace. Her movements watched by the cat's eyes. She closes her eyes and takes another deep breath, thinking back to when she first came to the harem.

	It had been cold in her village, A soft snow had just fallen, and lay like feathers on a lake. She was perhaps a little over 7 when her mother had died. She would remember that day forever. She was out playing with the other children when her father came to gather her and her sister. He had never said anything of their mothers passing, but took them home. A few days later the snow grew, almost to her knees, she could no longer play, but stayed home and listened to her fathers coughing. She knew something was wrong, but when he died a few days after she knew things were never going to be the same. She helped with her sister's chores and helped her gather money anyway she could think of...

	Miboshi wipes a single tear from her closed eyes, not remembering when she stopped pacing. She sighs and opens her eyes. "Oh dear," She quietly whispers. She shakes her head and gathers Akuma in her arms and walks out into the hallway away from the sitting room. She looks for Mali down the halls, not wanting her to see any emotion from her. She turns down a short hallway leading to her own room and a guest room, she notices the both doors open, as she walks closer she pauses and looks into the other room. "Mali out did her self again." She whispers.
	The room was filled with flowers, and smelled like jasmine. One of her own personal favorite smells she recalled. Miboshi smiles and looks away from the room, with its flowers and paintings. She sighs and steps into her own room, closing the door behind her. Time to get ready for his arrival she thinks.