The Curious Case of the Bird Unsinged (Part 1)

Criminal Activity

Aotsuki Tsukamoto had succeeded, to a certain degree, in his mission to safely escort his companions Ryūzaki Sanosuke and Hashinara Yoshitakatomo into the depths of Isonokami Shrine in search of an artifact. With the sword found, the dangers escaped, and a part of his soul dissolved by Tama's swearing, he was well and ready to go home. Shigeaki Fujino was happy to oblige, and soon he found himself in the moonlit entryway of Ōtsu Castle. A pair of guards welcomed him in, but as he crossed into the bleakly shadowed hall, he realized that they were not the only ones here.

Sitting in the shadows, a graceful, demure-looking woman watched him with every sign of self-absorbed amusement. She was not someone Aotsuki recognized, although her fine dress and graceful manner were not out of place in the castle's palatial halls. She, however, seemed to know Aotsuki. After asking him how his return journey had fared, she went on to admit that she had been waiting for him in the darkness for a few hours now. Apparently she wanted to thank him, although Aotsuki couldn't reason out what she might have to show gratitude for. He said as much, to which the maiden answered that it was no more than his hospitality, his patience, and graciousness with her previous attitude.   A sneaking suspicion started to steal over the Ivory Shield of Ōtsu at this point. He looked more closely at the maiden in the shadows, remembering a scruffy, belligerent girl who had come into the castle in search of her brother, but then caused an uproar and tried to scam everyone in sight. Surely this demure yamato nadeshiko couldn't be Shōjō, and yet her hair, eyes, and general build seemed to match up. Aotsuki's reverie was shattered by the slamming of a door behind him as Imamura Naiku practically stumbled into the room, out of breath. At the same time, the other girl scurried into the shadows. As she left, Aotsuki might have sworn he saw the scummy girl that had first invaded his home, and not the graceful maiden to whom he had been speaking.   Between gulps of air, Naiku explained the situation as she knew it. Her ministries with Shōjō, intended to grant the girl a bit more decorum and help her to see the error of her ways, somehow seemed to have backfired. Like some sinister sponge of dignity, Shōjō had absorbed all the teachings while learning nothing. She could somehow present herself as a graceful maiden now, through methods beyond Naiku's understanding, and had used this farce to escape. By the insight of Amaterasu, however, Naiku was not so easily fooled. She believed Shōjō to be just as dangerous as before, if not more so, and completely unrepentant. In the end, the priestess expressed doubts that her charge was even human.   Aotsuki was tempted to sally off into the darkened halls alone in search of his "guest," but he'd gotten into trouble more than once by not heeding his allies' warnings of danger. Instead, he put out the call and Assembled the Team. Soon thereafter, Ka-ten Agni rode into the hall on the shoulders of her serf, Sugihara Hidemitsu, who still had a bit of sleep around his eyes. Roxy appeared next, and was quickly able to pick out Shōjō's scent once apprised of the situation. Informed only that they were on the hunt for a troublemaker, Hidemitsu groggily asked if this was about the missing tea sets from the kitchen. Aotsuki hadn't heard about any missing tea sets, nor was the news welcome. He put the matter out of his head for now, and focused on hunting down the trickster. Agni seemed to have her own ideas on the matter, and had independently decided that their quarry was none other than Krishna. Preoccupied with other things, their leader did not disabuse her of that notion.   Aotsuki would soon regret this misstep.   Following Roxy toward the generals' quarters on the first floor, the ragtag group ran into Shōjō almost immediately. She was standing in the moonlight with a hulking, furred form that Aotsuki first mistook for a monstrous beast-person. On second glance, it turned out to be only Second Mate Ryūji in his trademark big fur coat. He was bent down, discussing something with the graceful maiden before him in hushed tones. Obviously, no good could come of this, so Aotsuki intervened. When confronted, Ryūji said that they had only been discussing an herbal remedy for seasickness. Two months' wages seemed like a lot for that, but Shōjō had skillfully persuaded him around on the idea, and he was about to close the deal.   With a short reminder to Agni that the castle wasn't fireproof, Aotsuki cautioned Roxy to keep a close eye on the maiden and let him know if she tried anything at all. The Temporarily Embarrassed God of Fire took Aotsuki's warning to heart, and so gathered up all her power within her target, rather than the castle around them. This was Krishna (she thought) she was up against, after all, so she shouldn't skimp on the inferno she was about to unleash. With a triumphant cry, mirrored by Aotsuki's shout of dismay, Shōjō went up like a bonfire.   The girl didn't scream or struggle. Instead, she just looked a little surprised as the billowing pyre reduced her to a standing pile of ash. Aotsuki, Roxy, Ryūji, and Hidemitsu were all mortified. Agni, however, was patting herself on the back for dealing with the troublesome godling Krishna so easily. Certainly, she had been an enormous annoyance to Aotsuki, but he hadn't wanted this. He rushed forward, hoping that somehow there was enough left in the ash for him to invoke Amaterasu and revive her. No matter the cost, he was prepared to-   Then, he saw it. Sticking out of the finger, scorched and sooty but still whole, was a finger. Unless he was very much mistaken, it was Shōjō's middle finger, pointing right at him. Aotsuki scowled, then went back to digging through the ash. Tama, meanwhile, pulled on the finger curiously. From the monumental pile of ashes, Shōjō tumbled. Not the graceful maiden Aotsuki had spoken to before, but ratty, normal Shōjō. Her clothes were a burnt in places and her eyebrows were gone, but she otherwise looked miraculously unharmed. Aotsuki looked to his companions in bewilderment, but none of them had any idea what this could mean. Neither did Abe no Seimei who, when consulted through the mental network, could offer little reason for the seemingly entirely-human Shōjō to survive the fire or change appearances so quickly. Agni was the only one who was confident in the answer. Obviously, this was Krishna, she insisted, and even the Fire God's just blaze would not be enough to kill her.   Aotsuki checked over Shōjō one more time, but found a strong pulse, smooth skin, and bright eyes under the lids. Indeed, she seemed to be in infuriatingly good health, other than the loss of eyebrows. Still off-balance and uncertain, he had Shōjō remanded to a well-guarded room for now. He'd deal with this mystery in the morning. With thanks to his other companions, he finally departed the lower quarters of Ōtsu Castle and headed toward his room. Certainly, Aotsuki's heroic physique didn't demand as much sleep as the average human's, but he still needed some, and it had been a trying day in many ways.   But his trials were not over yet.   Opening the door to his room, Aotsuki found his wife, Tokku-hime sleeping on the floor. His own futon and pillow, which normally graced the spot under her, were entirely unaccounted for. Kagami's was gone too, although Tama's bedding remained where it usually was. Tokku was dozing as though nothing were wrong, which led Aotsuki to the inescapable conclusion that someone had somehow stolen his bedding out from under her; perhaps along with the tea sets from the kitchen. Looking down at the disheartening scene before him, Aotsuki heaved a great sigh.