Hametsu

Chapter 5

    As a child Tsubaki had always loved trips to Cortazar, the capital of Galeana. The Hatoris had built their palace high in the mountains choosing a series of waterfalls that seemed like steps towards the heavens as it's backdrop. The stories and myths of the ancient dragons that were said to had once inhabited those mountains had always been Tsubaki's favorite. For her the mountains,lakes and rivers of Cortazar held a special kind of mysterious enchantment. The Dragons Palace full of secret pathways, entries and exits had always felt like a second home.
   As the dawn began to break through Tsubaki looked ahead towards the mountains, she knew that there was a chance to catch a glimps of the palace in the distance.
  "We'll get there by noon," Kenshin assured her as he rode up next her.
  She nodded, "I know I remember."
  He smiled and noted, "Momiji and Manju remember the way as well." He reached out to pet Manju.
   "Well we used to spend a lot of time here, our fathers were close allies."
   "I am hoping that alliance will not be dissolved with the absence of your father?"
   "Is this Kenshin or Lord Hatori asking?"
  "Is there a difference?" Kenshin questioned.
  "Well Dragon Lord," she enunciated, "It is well known the Lord Hatori is a close ally to the Tiger Head. Dragons and Tigers always stand together. However, politics aside Kenshin and I have not spoken for almost ten years a lot has changed I'm sure; never the less for the sake of our provinces I believe it wise to keep the alliance our fathers built." She scoffed, "That is if i even have a province. I am currently homeless."
   "The alliance is between our families not just provinces, and you are not homeless, let Cortazar be your home."
Tsubaki glanced over at Kenshin. He seemed taller and his shoulders seemed broader since the last time she'd seen him. His hair was long and unruly add the eyepatch he now wore, he looked like a villain straight out of the pages of the romance novels she used to sneak away to read. She felt herself smile at the memory.
   "What is it?" Kenshin asked with a smile
She shook her head. "I was just remembering how I thought you were so perfect for Cortazar, a dense and enchanted forest surrounding a beautiful palace and the master of it all the moody Dark Prince." Tsubaki laughed, "You look the part more now than before."
  Kenshin clicked his tongue, "Why did you disappear on me Tsubaki?"
   "Me?" She scoffed, "Kenshin the last time I saw you was your fathers funeral and at a distance because you refused to see me."
     "To be fair I refused to see anyone," he pointed out
   Tsubaki scowled, "I wasn't just anyone Kenshin." She clicked her tongue and urged Manju forward riding ahead of him.
Before Kenshin could ride up beside her Mitsuki fell behind blocking him. She glared at Kenshin from the corner of her eye.
   "So he's the young lord you always talked about," Mitsuki whispered. Looking over her shoulder she shrugged, "I always imagined someone much more handsome."
    "Don't insult him," Tsubaki mumbled. "He just needs a haircut."
    On the outskirts of Cortázar Kenshin led them towards the palace through the dense forest keeping Tsubaki and Mituski completely out of sight.
   When they arrived Kenshin was greeted by his attendants with some seeing to Lord Kirigaya.
  "The guest quarters will be yours as before, your tigers are free to do as they please," he said as they dismounted. "I'll have someone bring clothing for the both of you. When you're good and ready meet me in the audience hall."
  Dressed in their usual green kimonos with the sleeves tied behind themselves and out of the way two of the attendants showed them the way to the guest quarters.
  Kenshin and Kirigaya watched them walk away.
   "Will you tell her everything Kenshin?" Kirigaya questioned keeping his gaze in the direction they'd gone in.
   Kenshin sighed, "I have to..."
  "But?"
  "Maybe it's too much right now."
Kirigaya shrugged, "perhaps, just don't wait too long friend." He advised giving his shoulder an affectionate squeeze before walking away.
     Things were as lovely as Tsubaki  remembered. While her home was marble white walls and glossy white columns, the Dragon's Palace was jade colored columns with dragons carved into them snaking around each column, black and gold walls with red trimmings. She had walked those halls before but it all felt so different. Tsubaki had walked the halls beside her father and the old Lord Hatori, she had walked the halls beside Kenshin, and even walked the halls beside her mother. This time even with Mitsuki at her side she felt a loss weighing heavily in her heart.
     Mitsuki held her mother's torn white haori in her hands gripping the fabric in her fists.
   "Why are we even here?" She clicked her tongue mumbling inaudibly. 
    "It has been a long time since you've last been here Princess Tsubaki," the older attendant commented.
   The corners of her mouth lifted giving the old woman a small smile. "Yes it has."
    "Our Lord has waited a long time for your return."
    Tsubaki raised her eyebrows quizzically, but it was Mitsuki who asked. "For what?"
    The attendants came to a stop, turning to face Tsubaki and Mitsuki they bowed. "Your quarters miladies. A bath will also be prepared for the both of you."
  "Thank you," Tsubaki answered as Mitsuki shoved passed her walking up the steps to the veranda.
   "Mitsuki that was rude," Tsubaki called after her once the attendants left.
  "I don't care," she shrugged. Mitsuki walked in the room taking in the intricate dragon designs on the walls.
  "We are guests and we represent the Sakaiko clan as well as Anhui," Tsubaki reminded her.
  "Who cares anyways, everything and everyone is gone. We abandoned them."
   Tsubaki slit her eyes, "Everything is not gone. We lost a battle-"
  "Yeah we lost a lot more than just a battle!" Mitsuki snapped back, "We lost our parents which by default means the sovereigns of our province, our uncle which by default means loosing our military and our province which by default means our home. Wake up Tsubaki! Or did the poison do permanent damage to your better sense?"
  Mitsuki looked back at her sister. In her nineteen years of life she could count on one hand the times she'd yelled at Tsubaki. Normally Tsubaki's steady temper and patience meant she'd walk away and let Mitsuki's contrasting hotheadedness cool on its own. These however were not normal circumstances.
Mitsuki looked back into Tsubaki's unreadable glare, shaking her head she turned and walked further into the room. As she walked away she felt a cold wind suddenly swoosh by her. Noting the few scattered strands of hair that fell away from the rest of her hair, Mitsuki's eyes widened. She jerked her head to face Tsubaki, "You snake! You threw a dagger at ME!" She growled, her jade eyes darkening as they slit into daggers themselves. 
   Tsubaki readied another dagger from the ones she kept strapped to her thigh. "If you  intend to waste this  life away I will see to it that you do not waste away the next."
   "You wouldn't dare," Mitsuki threatened reaching for her katana.
   "You dishonor the sacrifices made by our sovereigns, it pains me sister, they died so that we may live and take back what is ours. I'll have the heads of those swines for their treachery and I'll have yours for disgrace." Tsubaki smirked baring her left canine she fanned out five daggers as  she prepared to throw another at Mitsuki.
  Mitsuki unsheathe her katana, a smile spreading. "Our sovereigns?" She scoffed, "And I'm the one that's behaving dishonorably?! When you don't even shed a tear for OUR PARENTS. I'm not sure we need an ice queen as the Tigers Head."  She raised her katana.
   Tsubaki threw her daggers all at once aiming at five different places throughout Mitsuki's body. Mitsuki expertly blocked all five daggers with her katana. As she did Tsubaki swiftly made her way close enough to Mitsuki to bring her knee up to her gut knocking the wind out of her. Gasping to catch her breath she back away from Tsubaki who pulled some of her daggers off the wall.
   "Eyes open," Tsubaki mocked. She knew she had to keep Mitsuki on the defensive, so without much of a chance to catch her breath Tsubaki chucked a few more daggers at her.
  Mitsuki moved back towards the inside of their quarters averting some of the daggers while she deflected the others with her katana.  She noticed Tsubaki unsheathing their fathers katana, she'd already thrown all her daggers at her.
   "It's been a while huh," Mitsuki commented smiling as she caught her breath and slowly moved towards the main entrance. She needed space.
    "Yes, Uncle would not let us spar," Tsubaki replied watching her movements.
    "Something about never lifting my sword against the Tiger Head and it's heir," Mitsuki  laughed wryly, "But you know what?" She stood at the entrance, between the two stone columns holding up the dragons arch. "I think it was because he knew you would never stand a chance against me." 
   A dastardly smile crept on Tsubaki's face, her already white knuckles cracked as she squeezed tighter around her katanas hilt.  She took a deep breath through her nose... Mitsuki was baiting her. "Level head and clear thoughts," she could hear her father say.
  She would strike until the right moment, Mitsuki was a prodigy amongst the warriors after all. However she was hotheaded and emotional.
  "We could always ask-Oh wait! He is dead... because of you," Tsubaki hated she'd stoop to such a low blow but this was the quickest means to her purpose.
  Mitsuki faltered, her eyes lollipop wide she clenched her jaw, "You'll regret that Tsubaki." She shouted as she ran towards her sister in a fit of rage.
  Unprepared for how much stronger she'd gotten since the last time they'd sparred Tsubaki found herself with her back against one of the columns and Mitsuki's katana dangerously close to her face.
   "Take it back damn it!" She demanded
Tsubaki laughed wickedly as she pushed back with her own katana. "I thought you gave up on our province so what does it matter," she asked grunting as she shoved Mitsuki away from her. She felt warmth spread down her arm to her fingers, Mitsuki had cut her after all.
   Mitsuki caught sight of the blood running down her arm.
  "Protect each other," Mitsuki remembered her Uncles words. "I haven't given up on our province," Mitsuki answered.
Tsubaki saw her sisters gaze on the blood on her arm and chuckled. "Haven't you though? You're so ready for defeat and you defy me, that is not our way." Tsubaki didn't give her time to answer she tossed her katana over to her injured arm and swung at Mitsuki.
  Their katanas clashed again and again, against each other and against the pillars around their quarters until they were outside the guest quarters. The chatelaine of the guest quarters caught sight of them and ran to inform Kenshin.
   "Lord Hatori are you just going to let them kill each other," the lady chatelaine asked in visible panic.
   "They will not kill each other," he assured her although from their current state it was hard to tell.
    Tsubaki still dressed in Kenshin's heavy black coat had blood streaming down her arm, meanwhile Mitsuki fought in a torn white under robe that had definitely seen better days.
   "It is simply their way," Kirigaya chimed in, "they must be sorting something out." He continued to observe as the sisters katanas clashed once again. "It's impressive to see such evenly matched opponents... even fighting like this."
  Finally they both let their katanas hit the ground.
   Mitsuki began, "...It was wrong for me to say we had nothing. Anhui has its sovereign still." She fell to one knee just as she'd seen her uncle do and crossed her arm over her chest. "Uncle never wanted us to fight because he said the Tigers fangs are never used against itself..."
   Tsubaki sighed, "Stand up General Sakaiko."
Mitsuki rose to her feet, it wasn't the first time she heard  "General Sakaiko" however it was the first time it was directed towards her. The title was hers now but she felt she hadn't done enough to deserve it.
  "Mitsuki, I need you with me- what I said about Uncle, I didn't mean that."
  Mitsuki's raised her eyes to look at Tsubaki. Gone was the unreadable expression.
  "I mourn and I ache at the loss of my family but..." she wiped away the tears that freely flowed down her cheeks. "... I'll be dammed if I just sit back and let those bastards take everything the Sakaiko have built. I will hunt them down and slay them with my own claws."
  Mitsuki realized she was just as angry and in just as much pain. "I will always stand with you." Mitsuki clicked her tongue. "But with- without our parents and uncle-," she whispered clenching her fists.
   "I know," Tsubaki answered, "Cry Mitsuki." She said, her voice softening. "Throw a fit, slice my other arm if you have to but come back to me ready for whatever may come next."
  Tsubaki walked passed her stopping to put her hand on her shoulder.
   "About your arm-" Mitsuki's voice cracked
   "Don't worry about it. It's forgotten," Tsubaki assured her giving her shoulder a small squeeze.
Mitsuki turned her head, from the corner of her eye watched Tsubaki make her way back inside. She swallowed another knot in her throat as she noticed Tsubaki's arm continued to bleed. She knew it obviously hurt and still Tsubaki had continued to use the same injured and bloody arm.
   "You've got the raw talent Little Bird but that temper of yours may be your undoing." Mitsuki could hear her uncle saying that to her once more.
  She grit her teeth, he had been right. Uncle was always right. She'd let her emotions blind her once again. Blind her to the fact that Tsubaki too was in pain, blind her to the fact that Tsubaki had just allowed her to vent, and they blinded her to the point where she did not show enough restraint and injured her sister even while being well aware Tsubaki had been holding back.