Hametsu

Chapter 6

Tsubaki made her way towards the audience hall, led by one of the attendants in the green kimonos. Lost in her thoughts she had not realized her attendant had stopped. She stumbled as she came to a stop.
     "Forgive me Duchess," the attendant bowed, "perhaps you should wait a moment."
Giving her quizzical look Tsubaki took in the fact they were just outside the audience hall, Kenshin's voice resonated, he was upset.
      "They have always been our allies," he growled.
   "L-lord Hatori all we are saying is it may be in our provinces' best interest to remain neutral we do not know who will remain as the sovereign." One of his advisors stammered.
   "However consider the advantages of aiding the Sakaiko, it was the late Duke's will and purpose to unite our provinces," Tsubaki overheard another advisor's input.
    "Lord white hair is an omen of death!"
   "War is inevitable for the provinces, the turmoil in Anhui is just the reason we've all be waiting for to set it off," another advisor added.
  "Enough!" Kenshin raised his voice silencing their bickering.  He raised his eyes to meet Tsubaki's who stood at the entrance of the hall. The corners of her mouth turned up, her eyes cold and grey seemed to devour every whisper in the room. She sauntered closer to Kenshin and his advisors keeping her eyes on the advisors. Kenshin's jaw set, she wore the black haori he'd sent to her, the one he'd saved exclusively for her. Long bell sleeves with golden trims draped elegantly at her sides and embroidered on its back a golden dragon. It brought out her hair that shimmered like the moon against the darkness.
    The advisors bowed to her keeping their heads low.
    "My Lord Hatori, advisors, it is clear I have been kept in the dark of our provinces affairs. Something I suspect is more my fathers doing; however if a reason for war was what everyone was waiting for, we now have it. With that established insight into the situation is required."
The advisors looked back at Kenshin who sat back against his dais. Arms folded across his chest his amber eye bright against the shadows cast across his face, feral and dangerous. Unfolding his arms he sighed pushing himself off the armrests as he stood.
    "You're all dismissed, we will stand by our allegiances to the Sakaiko and an Anhui overseen by them," he began and added, "we all knew this day would come..." His expression hardened, eyebrows drew close as his lips drew a straight line across his face. "Inspect the soldiers and gather the three generals we need them ready. Uncle you stay with us we'll personally see to the Dragons Eyes." He commanded as the four advisors held their fisted right hand over their hearts as they bowed.
  Three of the advisors made their way out of the audience hall. Tsubaki turned to Kenshin's uncle who had stayed behind.
   Kenshins uncle bowed to her, "It has been too long since you've graced us with your presence Duchess. I had advised my nephew to reach out to you..." He paused to look at Kenshin from the corner of his eye. "You know him to be a stubborn man."
   Tsubaki lifted the corners of her mouth. "I am glad to see you still in good health uncle Isandro." She shifted her gaze towards Kenshin, "I want answers Kenshin," she demanded.
   "I never agreed to keep you in the dark," Isandro commented shaking his head and waving a bony index finger in the air. Despite his old age he still stood straight and tall, notably the most respected of the advisors.
  "Uncle i beg you, please don't start," Kenshin sat back on the dais only this time it seemed less princely as he slouched drooping his arms over the arm rest. "You, my duchess, will have your answers." He gave Fin who stood by a knowing look who with a nod of his head and hand over his heart he walked out of the audience hall.
"Tsubaki!" Mitsuki's voice carried through the halls.
  Isandro raised an over grown silver haired eyebrow. "The wildcat is here too?"
  "You remember Mitsuki?"
  "You don't easily forget a child who nearly clawed the eyes out of the fifth sovereign's daughter," he shook his head.
  "She is no longer a child uncle," Tsubaki inputted in her sisters defense.
   "Tsubaki, you didn't wait for me," Mitsuki complained walking into the audience hall. "I got lo-" Her voice trailed off, shoulders slumped her mouth hung open.
Tsubaki wrinkled her nose as she turned to look in the direction Mitsuki had set her gaze. She took in a breath and held it.  Standing next to Fin was the friend they thought they lost. Unruly chestnut hair swinging over his eyes as he bowed his head.
   "Forgive my delay Duchess," he said looking up at them.
Mitsuki not holding back ran towards him locking her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Kuro I thought you had died!"
Isandro gave a disapproving grunt.
  Kuro had opened his arms knowing what was coming, he chuckled as she latched on. "I'm not easily killed Suki, I've always told you that."
   "Well, well what I lovely scene I've stumbled upon," Akitake Kirigaya commented as he strolled into the audience hall. His long green silk robe bringing out the specks of green in his down turned eyes.
Mitsuki unlatched herself from Kuro.
  "Commander Fujiwara," Tsubaki smiled keeping her excitement contained. She bit her bottom lip and fidgeted with the blue stones in her silver bracelet. "How did you get out?"
  Kenshin stepped in, "Your answers Duchess start with your commander Fujiwara."
   Tsubaki and Mitsuki looked back at their childhood friend whom they assumed they knew well.
   Kuro cleared his throat, "I have been a member of Lord Hatori's Dragons Eyes since childhood."
"Shut up, no you haven't, " Mitsuki was quick to reply with a disbelieving chuckle. "We would've known."
Bringing her fingers up to her lip Tsubaki squint her eyes at Kuro, "Did my father know about this?"
    "Yes and the late General Sakaiko knew as well. I was under orders no one could know, not even you... that is not until you became the Tiger's Head."
   Tsubaki raised her eyebrows and nodded coming to an understanding. That was after all the secretive life the spies under Kenshin's command took. The Dragons Eyes were in all the five provinces without the knowledge of the sovereigns that is with the exception of Anhui and Khorgo who were close allies and personal friends to the Hatori.
   "Duchess," Isandro spoke up clasping his hands together behind his back. "The relative peace that has been between provinces was foreseen to exhaust."
   "But isn't that why we all trade goods with each other to keep the peace," Mitsuki questioned.
   "The fifth province has sought to monopolize ship routes for years it was the fifths ambition to do this and for years your grandfathers and fathers were able to keep a strong hold on our routes," Isandro explained walking towards the map of the five provinces laid out on the large desk that sat off in the corner of the hall.
    Kirigaya pointed to the fifth province. "They have an incredible hand up on everyone due to their location and everyone has known it which is why-"
   Tsubaki held up her hand, "Right spare me the history lesson, I know why our great grandfathers wrote up the treaty of trade. What does this have to do with the rebellion in Anhui?" She placed both palms down on the desk her eyebrows knit together, " How did Kenshin know to find Mitsuki and I in the forest? Why did Adachi betray us?"
   "Listen Tsubaki the treaty of trade was disregarded as soon as Zorya became the Serpents Head," Kenshin informed her.
  Tsubaki's eyes widened but before she could ask Kenshin was ready with answers
  "She murdered her own father and immediately ordered the merchants ships from every province to be eradicated."
Tsubaki curled her fingers into the palms of her hands, "When? Why would my father keep me in the dark about this information?"
    "He didn't get a chance to tell you Tsubaki, he didn't even get a chance to hear of it himself. It happened when Adachi attacked Anhui as well."
   Isandro continued, "Obviously you can guess it is no coincidence."
Tsubaki turned back to look at Kenshin.
   "The Dragon's Eyes had informed us of Zorya's intentions to kill the fifth, with a little more digging we found out, not only was she not working alone, but she wants total control of all trading routes... Tsubaki..." Kenshin's voice was low as if he would've prefered to not say anymore.
  "What else? Theres more isn't there," Mitsuki pressed
  Kenshin took in a breath, "she wants Anhui and she has Adachi's help." 
  Mitsuki shook her head, "No, no Adachi wouldn't help her, he's in love with my sister! Besides this still doesn't make sense. If my father knew Adachi was going to betray us why did he keep him around?"
Tsubaki subtly glanced over at Kenshin who could not hide is fierce glower. 
   "We had Adachi under investigation," Isandro answered, "We still didn't know why Adachi had allied himself with the fifth province or what exactly they were planning."
   Kuro chimed in, "About a month ago before I could find out more your father asked me to stop all investigations on the fifth and Adachi."
  "Without any explanation," Kenshin added, "I knew him well there was something he wasn't telling me. I asked Commander Fujiwara to discreetly keep an eye on Adachi that's how we knew he was planning a rebellion."
  "And naturally you informed my father correct?" Tsubaki raised an eyebrow as she looked up at Kenshin through dark lashes.
   "Two weeks ago when he was here," Kenshin's jaw tensed. Exhaling he continued, "He  made me promise to help you. He would not listen Tsubaki, he only came to say goodbye."
   Tsubaki felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. He knew and said nothing, he knew and only came to say goodbye to Kenshin... he knew he was going to die. There was more to this, there had to be. Tsubaki knew if it had been a matter of a neighboring province looking for war her father would not have hesitated to put an end to matter like that. They were a province of warriors but did not actively seek out reasons to shed blood, it had been said before it is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. There had to be a missing piece, a reason why her father had requested the Dragon's Eyes to back off.
As these thoughts raced through Tsubaki's head she recalled the way her Father had protected the man in the black tigers mask, the way he'd tried to keep their affairs between them alone... He had known him. Her father had to have known who he was.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Mitsuki almost flying into a full on rage fit.
"No I don't believe this! Tsubaki! C'mon!" Mitsuki's eyes were a forest on fire. "That means he let this all happen! He wouldn't!" Her eyes were wild searching for someone to agree with her. Instead she received looks of pity which only served to further aggravate her. Finally she turned to Tsubaki, her eyes searching almost pleading.
Tsubaki adverted her gaze towards the marbled floor, she did believe it; by the way her father had addressed the man in the mask Tsubaki had no reason to doubt her father had gone to see Kenshin only to say goodbye.
   "Our Father had his secrets and his reasons..." She looked at Kenshin, her expression darkened as she dug her fingernails into her palms. "I will get Anhui back and cut out Zoryas heart myself."