(( Rp log with Takara and Phoenix. Actions take place a few days prior to posting.))

After catching Takara at the bar, he went and hit up the grocery store in the marketplace to pick up a few things. In the morning there would be company and he needed to make sure that they had the supplies that were polite. Also, that whatever they did have was ready to go, and what they planned on having could go.

He didn?t stay out as late as Takara. He loaded up the refrigerator when he got home. Nothing fancy, but he found the right stuff. Everyone from the old county always enjoyed fruits and vegetables. Usually, the cakes and everything else ended up hurting their stomachs from being too sweet. The docks were nearby so that he could get a good deal on fish but that was hard to buy late at night but the type of fish was different. Sometimes it was just better to go with something altogether different instead of giving them something similar and it not ?tasting right.?

At home, he did his usual. He hit up Kathleen with a few messages, trying to see when she wanted to ?hang out? next and if everything was still cool. While he listened to music he prepared modern-day ramen via the microwave. With the steaming cup of noodles in one hand, he used his foot to corral his dirty clothes into a lumpy pile against the laundry bin of his room. Setting his cup of ramen off to the side, he shut his bedroom door and stripped down to his pale blue boxers.

His bed was a boxspring and mattress that laid directly on the floor without a bed frame. He liked to stretch out on his side along his bed, looking at the cheap eighteen-inch flat screen while he ate. He laughed at some videos posted online about a German Shepherd named Sparky who was aggressively after his own tail. The dog either ended up looking depressed for not having caught it, angry that another dog had bitten his tail (miraculously), or earnestly bewildered at the consequence of catching his tail. Phoenix laughed every time.

When he was done eating he put the box with its shallow ramen juice off to the side on the floor. Then he watched a different sort of video. That sort of video. Socks not included.

In the end, he nodded off watching some local show that wasn?t very good, but he could tell the people there were trying. Seemed like everyone was trying a lot these days but? he didn?t suppose he was.

In the morning, he groaned before rolling out of bed. Usually, he would have put off getting up right away but there was company. Fruit to cut and things to do and he needed to check in with Takara. She?d been busy. She?d been real busy. Something about her had the sort of aura that made people want to help and it was kinda embarrassing that she had exceeded what he could do so much and in such little time. He figured maybe that?s what leaders were about, though. They had that sort of magical quality that made things happen, that drew people to them.

Pulling on a new set of clothes after he brushed his teeth and splashed cold water on his face, he stepped out to the main room, clearing his throat as he called, ?Tsuru? You up??

As promised, Takara had come home ?early?. For her, early tended to mean ?sometime between midnight and dawn? as opposed to ?after sunrise,? but still, it qualified. She?d come home to a dark house, the lights underneath Phoenix?s closed door completely extinguished, and she?d retired to her own room on the opposite side of the house more or less immediately.

There had been precious little sleep, though. Even months into her stay here, she still found the freedom to move about at night on her own exhilarating. The whole concept of not having watchful eyes on her at all hours of the day was still so foreign that every time she left the house felt like she was getting away with something, like any minute there would be some disapproving authority figure sweeping in from the shadows to bustle her away back to safety.

She grinned a little to herself, victorious, every time they didn?t.

It was more than that, though. The night had made more than one strange turn, from finding the little mountain of paper cranes like an origami snow drift behind the counter to Yuki?s oath. It was hard not to ponder the auspiciousness of the timing, to hope that this meant something important for the future. And now there were visitors from back home -- people Phoenix kept referring to as ?Company?, though he did not give names.

Takara wondered who they might be. How she should approach them -- how they would approach her. Were they people she?d met before? Would she have to retell her legends, or would they have the more recent news, the steady supply of guns and weaponry from Eri and her crew. She had even more news on top of that to impart -- how would they take her accomplishments, given that she was both the ruling class and a woman?

Phoenix?s greeting startled her out of a meditative reverie. ?I am,? she called back, stirring for the first time in an hour, though she had not undressed or gone to bed. Stretching, she lifted herself up from the floor, covered a yawn with one hand, checked the clock display on the bedside table. ?Do I have time for a shower??

?I think so.? It was still early. He stepped into the kitchen, which had no threshold separating itself from the main room. Phoenix still had some items that were thrown backs to the old country. One was a folding table that sat low to the ground, but he didn?t always have it out and usually ended up eating at the kitchen counter or stretched out on his bed. Since the company would be from the old country he went about leaning the table off of the wall and popping out the small legs, squaring it off in the center of the room.

?I wouldn?t like? get fancy or anything with it, though. The new? commander and a few others are showing up today. Say they want to update us and coordinate a supply swap and all of that.? There was a couch against the wall with a small collection of pillows. He pulled off a few of them, tossing them in the seats of where some people would sit up to the table. Once it looked like it was in decent order he went to the kitchen. The refrigerator tugged open belligerently, the seal of the cold to hot air popping with a low exhale once he?d got it.

It was some twenty, twenty five minutes later that the door to her room opened, and Takara emerged. She was freshly showered and newly dressed. The clothes she had chosen were modern, but they still followed the modest tones of her homeland, the neckline crossed high at her throat, the sleeves long to cover her fingers. The skirt was floor length, a slit on the left side only rising to her knee. She put her hair up in a twist the way she would have at home, a single comb used to hold it in place, up off her neck.

As she stepped into the living room, she took note of the subtle changes that had been wrought. The table, pillows arranged around it for seating, made her smile. Checking out the other details with an appraising eye, she thought back to the things that had perplexed her most when she first arrived, and it prompted her to cross the room and open a couple of the windows.

Satisfied, she moved silently into the kitchen, looking for Phoenix, to see what he was up to. ?Yuki was telling me about a place she found that does the rice the right way.? She said, because she knew as well as he did that the strange texture of their primary food staple here might be of issue to their visitors. Speaking of Yuki, Takara reflected that she should probably tell Phoenix this new development before she sprang it on their visitors. ?You know that she is a samurai, yes? She? swore herself to me last night.?

He was washing and preparing some of the fruits and snacks he had gotten from the marketplace. People from the old country didn?t like things which were processed or in plastic covers. Even though it didn?t matter, he washed off the orange and then turned around, leaning back in the direction of the sink as the edge of his thumbnail slipped under the bright orange skin, ?Yeah? You miss it?? Phoenix was, perhaps, a bit too westernized to really appreciate all of that. He?d been out of the old country since he was six, since the war, really.

?Samurai? Oh yeah, I heard that sometimes happens back home sometimes. Still, she has to be pretty good at it, you know?? There was a little smile on his face. He dropped one long spiral of orange in the sink and then continued to strip the rest of it down to its flesh as he spoke, ?She swore herself to you? Does she know who you are?? There was a pause, the implication was small but it hung in the air. Had Tsuru inadvertently manipulated a soldier into being her soldier?

Phoenix knew that a lot of them couldn?t help it, not when they were raised that way. You couldn?t just rewire everything that someone believed in one conversation or even in one year. Had she picked up one of those? that still hung onto something they shouldn?t? If she swore herself to Tsuru did that mean Yuki would never adapt or ever move on?

?Does she even? like know who is she to this war, you know??

?Yeah,? there was a small shrug of his shoulders. He picked his tea back up for another swallow before he set it down and moved around to the refrigerator, tugging a wooden serving tray off from the top of it. When he set it down on the counter he transferred the bowls to its surface. The water of the sink ran and he washed his hands off in its stream, drying them off on his pants pockets before he spoke, ?You ever think about letting it all go? I mean, you?re already out of the old country, you could just? you know, disappear out here and not worry about it.?

In some small way, that was exactly what he?d done. The thread that kept him tied to what was had him housing a cute princess and cutting up fruit. It was kinda the worst outcome he ever wanted for both. He wanted to sleep with the girl and eat the fruit, not preserve both for other men and other situations. Anyway. He took the tray to the table he unfolded before and set it down.

?I just wanted you to know that I got a feeling about it. Maybe I?m wrong, or whatever, but I kinda felt like I should say something to you.?

?One day, maybe.? She said at last, having taken several long seconds to think on it. ?When this war is over, or my part in it is done, at least. I?m not sure I could go back to the way things were, no matter which way that means, knowing that all of this is here and available. For now, my role is too big, my responsibility too great.? Her brows furrowed, a frown pressing into her lower lip. She started to give voice to the thought but stopped, holding her tongue. ?I feel like most of the work I was sent here to do has been done, though,? she said instead, giving him a faint smile. ?You?ll finally be rid of me soon.?

Takara drank the rest of her tea, then turned to rinse out the cup in the sink. When she was finished, she followed him into the main room. ?What do you need me to do??

?Rid of you? Ha,? Phoenix shook his head and then reached into the front pocket of his pants to check his cell phone. There must not have been any messages, or whatever he saw on his phone screen prompted him to go to the front door and open it half way, checking for their incoming company. He shut the door and looked back at her, ?Well, they should be here any minute now so I guess it?s just making sure everything looks right.?

There was a small shrug of his shoulders, ?Other than being out at really odd hours, you?re not a bad roommate. You don?t stink, you don?t eat my food and you?re kinda way more open minded than a lot of guests I get. Most of the time they have trouble adjusting to the kinda things you see in this city but you roll with the punches.?

Takara nodded, and joined him in straightening up a living room that didn?t really need any straightening, considering that neither of them ever used it. She fluffed and carefully repositioned pillows a quarter inch different than where she?d found them, wiped down a bookshelf that didn?t really need any wiping. While she worked, she listened, a light smile appearing. ?I do my best to stay out of your way, but I?m sure it will be nice to have your space to yourself once more.?

Casting one last look over the pristine clean space, she straightened a set of books she had borrowed from the local library and then settled in to wait.

?Well, they usually send someone over, you know? People need acclimating and I?m bilingual and can blend in pretty good.? He snapped his fingers as a thought struck him, ?I should get a pitcher and some cups for water.? He turned sharply on the ball of his foot and, moments later, had snagged the pitcher from the cupboard along with four ceramic mugs. Just as he bowed forward to set them all on the table, there was a knock at the door.

His eyes shot to Tsuru and he nodded before crossing the room and opening it.

?Come in,? he opened up the door fully, three men stepping forward. One was perhaps five years older than Phoenix and Tsuru while the other two must have been older, their hair was dusted with silver and their clothes, while not entirely traditional, still smacked of what Phoenix kept calling the old country. They didn?t smile when they saw Phoenix, but they did seem happy to see him in the way people are happy to see their favorite butler. Their attention was positive but fleeting. It was Tsuru that they appraised.

?You are looking well,? It was General Tsu, leader of the Rebellion army and closest in age to them that spoke first. His eyes wrinkled at the corners and he moved forward in an aggressive but friendly way. He was trying to show that he had learned, that he understood this culture, by sticking his hand out at her like he might spear her stomach with his fingers.

?Good morning,? said Tsuru in fluid Japanese, and then, in the common tongue, ?hello.? She considered each of them in turn, her gaze moving carefully over each man. The leader stuck his hand out and she accepted it a half second later, giving him the handshake he was so eager to demonstrate, but then she inclined her head in part of a bow, too. ?I am Tsuru, as you know,? she introduced herself formally, tilting her head to show that she was interested in learning their names.

?Welcome to Rhy?Din,? she said, her smile spreading. ?Phoenix,? she gestured him deliberately, ?knows pretty much everything about this place, so if you have any questions, his help has been invaluable.?

He tipped his head to the men, who were curious about the house and stood awkwardly until he moved, motioning to the table in the main room for them to take a seat. Once they had taken their seats, Phoenix claimed one of the floor cushions at a side of the table.

Tsu?s gaze fell on Tsuru, his eyes losing the joy he had before at displaying his knowledge of the local customs. He wasn?t used to addressing women, not in this way. His eyes reflexively went to Phoenix, who directed his attention back to Tsuru.

?Akio?s health is failing since we recovered him in Japan.? There was no small talk leading up to the moment. He reached over, pulling a piece of the orange from the bowl at the center of the table. His hands considered it briefly before he continued, ?Everyday the words he speaks becomes more and more like nonsense. Phoenix has told us that Rhy?Din might have a way to recover his mind.?

Tsu frowned, looking down at the slice of orange in his hand before his eyes fixed back on Tsuru?s, ?The route we used to trade goods has been compromised and the alternative one is treacherous. We?ve lost three men to it already. The mountain is so tall, so steep, that it is unforgiving. There is also talk of a group called the Sun Guardians. I do not know rumor from reality, nor have I seen them personally, but it is said that they employ a sort of oni or warlock for the emperor?s cause.?

Takara was accustomed to that look, she?d been experiencing it ever since she joined the rebellion in the first place. That uncertainty, doubt about how to deal with her. There was something interesting about it, how the rebellion fought for freedom and more equality, and yet they seemed even less comfortable addressing her, or being addressed by her, than the men of her privileged class.

She saw the way Phoenix deliberately redirected the man?s attention to her, and in that moment she felt a sudden, small rush of affection for him. Her gaze fixed itself on Tsu as he spoke, ignoring the fact that he had not yet introduced himself. He got right down to business, and thus so did she.

?The healer I?ve enlisted is an elf and a mage. He is finalizing something for me that should restore Akio?s mind, but it?s not perfect? magic is art, after all. It may need some adjusting before we get it right.? At length, she joined them at the table, folding gracefully to her knees to sit the traditional way on one of the remaining cushions. ?The supplier I enlisted is oni,? she went on. ?She has assured me that we will have all the weapons we need. Recently, her crew has gotten ahold of destructive machinery that is left behind from a great war that is after ours but before this time. She says that it?s obsolete for her purposes but unlike anything was seen in our time, and she intends to funnel it to us. She will even provide us with additional soldiers if it comes to that.?

Takara leaned forward then, claiming a slice of apple for herself. ?I have also just had a samurai swear loyalty to our cause. This will help with training the troops we have in the old ways while we overwhelm them with the new. By fighting them in both ways, we assure our victory.? Her tone was cool, a matter of fact. It was easy, in times like this, to see that she had come from a class of commanders.

Almost three weeks later

Takara had become quiet, even more quiet than usual, in the days since the new general had come to meet her. The weight of her responsibilities, the hopes and expectations of an entire revolution, bore down on her shoulders, threatening at times to drag her to her knees. She was strong, though, and she could manage it. She carried that weight with grace and a patient smile.

It was just that she?d never in her life felt so alone.

The decision to go back to Japan with the general and his entourage had been an easy one, made without a moment?s consideration while she was leading them on a tour of the city and Phoenix was on his date with Senka. They spoke of sagging morale, and rumors that she had abandoned the cause; what better way to allay their fears than to show herself? To be present, to let them hear the stories that had been circulated a hundred fold from her own lips, to hear of the developments, the things she?d accomplished in their name since her flight to RhyDin. Tsuru had not abandoned them, not at all. She?d given up everything, dedicated herself to the cause.

And in some ways, it was even the more appealing option. Tsuru was happy for Senka, and hoped beyond measure that she and Phoenix would be happy together -- or at least, be able to have some fun. Wanting it for them was not the same as having to be around to witness it, though -- seeing them kiss that night at the inn had been a stark reminder of the things she could never do, would likely never have. She was happy for them, yes, but that didn?t mean she wanted to watch it happen. The chance to go back home and do some good there, difficult and dangerous though it would be, was infinitely preferable.

Or so she?d thought, anyway. Japan was hard, harder than she?d imagined, confronted as she was with the realities of the hardship of war. Harder still when she met Aiko at last, only to be all but drowned in a shockwave of nostalgia when she realized that she already knew him.

The Lion, broken as he was, had a face at last. It was one she?d seen nearly every day as a child, only she hadn?t known it until just now. Takara was still reeling.

She?d left ahead of the others, on the pretense of making sure that all the preparations were seen to, that everything was ready. She was now the only person who had a handle on Aiko?s condition and also what was available in that strange future world they were sending him to, which made her more qualified to know what last minute adjustments might need to be made.

Truth be told, the closer it got to Aiko being at the safehouse, the more Phoenix didn?t really want it. Not that he would say that, just, that?s how it was. He?d had plenty of guests at the house, but all of them were functioning, living, breathing adults. And, sure, Aiko was important to the cause or whatever but the guy wasn?t like? independent or anything. He was potentially dangerous, with a head screwed up like that. The guy coulda believed anything at any time, and wasn?t he originally trained to be some kind of super soldier?

Besides, it sort of made the place feel like the last destination he?d ever want to invite Senka over to. Not that she was stuck up or anything, it just reeked of responsibility and everything else that was going on and needed to be done. At times like that, he reminded himself that the world was bigger than his dating life, which had been kinda a string of sort-of-but-not-quite girlfriends.

Crap. He hadn?t even talked to Kathleen about it yet. It?d be like maybe an hour of drama and then it?d go away. He could handle that.

His eyes opened and he stared at the ceiling of the main room. He hadn?t got the room next to Tsuru?s in order yet, and had spent the night, last minute, cleaning out his room not just of his belongings, but also just to make it clean. Returning just a few hours ahead of the rest of the party from Japan, Tsuru had offered to help, but that somehow seemed embarrassing. How did a guy with so little stuff make such a mess? Why was there so much dust? That?s the bathroom? really? Yeah, all that had to be cleaned, and once he was done it was one a.m. and he just wanted to crash on the couch.

Now it was the morning of Aiko?s arrival, and he needed to jam what he had into that other room once Tsuru was awake. The couch was a pretty good bed, though. No neck strain or whatever, and he felt pretty decent on waking up. Now he just needed her to be up.

The young woman had been virtually silent since her return, answering a handful of text messages from her friend with as little detail as possible, leaving invitations to get together vague. Senka said she was worried about Tsuru, and that at least brought a bare glimmer of a smile to her lips -- Tsuru was worried about Tsuru, too.

There was nothing more she could do to prepare until she could get into the newly vacated master bedroom. She was relieved that Phoenix hadn?t wanted her help with the clean up, though she?d felt honor bound to ask, and she?d sequestered herself in her own quarters in the interim. There was nothing left to do but wait until daybreak. Sometime just before dawn, the feudal princess closed her eyes at last.

Morning came too quickly, heralded by the sound of movement outside her door. Phoenix was awake then, which meant it was time to get started on the last of her preparations. She dressed quickly, in silence, pulling her hair back from her face into a bun that was a poor facsimile of the ones she would have worn at home. Opening the door some ten minutes later, the woman emerged from her dark bedroom with a bag of things she?d picked up on the way to the safehouse the night before. She gave Phoenix a nod of greeting, and made her way to the master bedroom.

?Hey,? he said to her with a rub of one eye before he sat up, sticking one elbow behind him to prop up his weight, ?You don?t have to be quiet or anything. I?m up. When?s everyone due to arrive, anyway?? One leg slowly tugged out from under the other, his foot planting on the floorboards. Like a zombie, he groaned and lurched up to a sitting position. Mornings were hard on Phoenix, he was pretty sure that the sun shone in a spiteful way up until at least noon. His teeth felt fuzzy and his tongue felt stale, both were excellent indicators that he needed to brush his teeth.

?This afternoon,? she replied, lingering in the doorway only a moment to answer his question. She would not have acknowledged the greeting at all except that he?d asked a pertinent question; she did not look over her shoulder to establish eye contact even so. ?He is especially disturbed in the early light of morning, when he does not seem to realize that any time has passed. He is more himself after the midday meal.?

It was more information than Phoenix strictly needed, all things considered. He wasn?t the man?s security guard, and he wasn?t a nurse. Even so, she felt compelled to warn him, if not in so many words. ?You can have either of those two rooms,? she added quietly. ?I will leave my things in the other. Choose whichever is more comfortable for you.? The way she said it, it didn?t seem like she had much intention to sleep in either. Her small, silent steps carried her into the master bedroom to attend to the final arrangements.

He nodded when she said it, though he had never known Aiko. He wouldn't have known him to be more or less himself besides just acting weirder than what was expected. ?I'm sure that there's something that can be done for him. I mean, if he gets better then he'll be the one, you know?? Phoenix wasn't sure if that was something that would comfort her or make her miserable.

The fact that Tsuru was who she was made her special, and she was undoubtedly that in the absence of anything hopeful. Last year, he knew, had been brutal. The antibiotics and supplies they brought the faction had done a lot to lift spirits, all of which was attributed to Takara. If Aiko regained himself, would she be put to the side and just be okay with it?

?You're not going to stay here?? He realized it sounded like she was leaving. Plus she wasn't really looking at him. People did that when they didn't like you, or were shy, or maybe just trying to get out what they wanted to say and, knowing it might hurt, didn't want to see the hurt show up on your face. Whatever it was, it wasn't a comfort. Usually, she was curious and liked to give him just a little grief.

It had been several weeks now that Tsuru?s interactions with Phoenix had changed. In truth, they had never really spoken to each other, more at. He seemed to think she was being playful or cute or giving him a hard time at times, when really she had been legitimately hurt and confused by his actions, retreating a little more each time as she grew ever more convinced of his distaste for her presence. She was polite, of course. She answered questions that concerned their effort, shared information when necessary. She did not ask about his life or his movements, however. She did not accompany him when he went out, and she did not ask him to accompany her. All pretense of -or hope for- a possible friendship had been abandoned.

She understood it now. Her time in Japan, moving from camp to camp on their way to Aiko, had given the people the opportunity to see her, to speak with her, to hear her stories of Mamoru from her own lips. She could tell them of the wondrous things that had been secured in the strange place, the help that was already coming, the more incredible things still yet to come. It was good for the people and devastating for the young woman on whose shoulders the entire rebellion had seemingly come to rest. Phoenix had been right all along -- there was no time or place for fun. Not for her.

?I have to stay with him,? she said pointedly. ?It does not matter which room my books and clothes are in.?

?How was home?? The question was weird because he didn't always think of Japan as home, but it definitely was. It was home the way your preserved bedroom at mom and dad?s house was when you turned thirty and had been living on your own for years. He didn't know if she would harden when he asked her about Japan and called it that, and some part of him really wished he had phrased it better.

?You look? I dunno. Upset?? They hadn't gotten close, but he'd always felt so much pressure not to screw up or screw things up with her. He was pretty phenomenal, as it turned out, at screwing things up, even when he put in the best effort not to. He didn't think she was mad at him or anything -- he thought something had happened. The old country was at war and he had seen some visitors get that haunted quiet about them.

She wasn?t mad at him. She wasn?t anything at him or to him, at least, not anymore so than she was to anyone else involved. She was the Tsuru, the symbol, the gift. No more, but also no less.

?It was fine. I am fine. You needn?t concern yourself.? Takara spoke dismissively, moving the rest of the way into the recently vacated master chamber. The task at hand was to reassess the space with new eyes. Things that seemed empty or safe to the average person had to be seen differently when someone as injured as Aiko would be near them, like clearing a room of any objects with sharp edges in advance in anticipation of a child.

The window, for instance. As intriguing as the ?clear wall? had been for her when she?d first arrived here, it would be downright terrifying for the wounded Lion. When he was least aware, he was most as he once had been: strong, fast, and better skilled than anyone around him. At those times he was truly dangerous, a lethal fighter who reacted to fear with violence, one who could not always be immediately sedated. The medications helped, but only if you could get to him before he caused himself or someone else harm.

She set down the bag she?d been carrying, pulled a smaller vinyl bag from its contents. Flipping the package over, she carefully read what few instructions there were, studying the pictures intently with occasional glances back up at the window. Satisfied that she at least had an idea what she was doing, Takara slipped her fingers under the sealed flap on the pouch and pulled it open, intent on hanging a set of curtains.

?I am worried.? It was awkward to admit it, only because he didn't think he had to and in some way, wished that she knew it. She was focused, though, and he only stood in the doorway a few minutes longer before clearing his throat, ?I guess I'll just let you know when I hear something.?

"You will not hear of it before I do."

She had dismissed him and, like the last kid picked on the kickball team, he turned away slowly and drug his feet to his new living quarters.

Aiko was coming. There would only be a few more hours until that occupied everything. What would happen if the Lion could not be helped? Where did damaged soldiers go to die?

Tsuru had no further answer for him, and it puzzled her that he lingered in the threshold of the door like that. She could not imagine what he might have wanted, but neither did she have time to consider it -- or so she?d told herself, in any event. Focusing herself on the task at hand, she pulled the folded cloth from its packaging and shook it out, letting it billow and sag with the motion of her wrists in an attempt to shake out the creases.

It put her in mind, suddenly, of the kites she?d loved so much as a child. The memory was as poignant as it was painful, recalling that warm afternoon more than a lifetime ago when her Shadow had taught her how to manage them more masterfully, how to make it bend and swerve at her whim rather than being at the mercy of the wind?s caprices. Like a chain of falling tiles, her memories leapt from kites to Mamoru to her childhood in the palace, to Aiko as he was then, to Aiko as he was now. A choked noise like a muffled sob very nearly escaped her throat, but she swallowed it, her breath shallow as she tried to find and line up the holes in the fabric through a sudden film of unshed tears.