The Day of Thunder

With the morning meeting passed Han-Hei walked back through the town market towards the residence of her hosts. Any good guest should bring a gift of some sort and find a way to return the kindness of those who cared for them.

Her mind was anything but focused on the purchase of something however… The market seemed busy. The upcoming festival had the locals all milling about from the early hours of the day in anticipation.

Han-Hei stopped suddenly in her path and looked to her left and right…

What a strange place for all this… What will become of these people…

There were not so much frantic, a Crane would never be frantic, but hurried and graceful… perhaps even concerned steps approaching from behind. She was sure, but also she had to be sure, because assuming she was sure on such things was no assurance that she was assured of her initial notion.

When she had stopped, she reacted quickly and slipped by the tall woman and then said once she had her attention, “By all the ten-thousand stars in Heaven… why are you are here?”

She had a look that warred between anger and joy, it was god to see her and yet she was angry because she should definitely be here.

The sudden appearance of the younger woman and flustered question was met with a warm smile and eyes that glinted brightly.

“Ai-chan, long time no see.” She nodded a greeting.

“Sora said you were here.”

She looked around for a place with fewer people and finding a sparsely populated direction said, “Walk with me.”

She gave a frown and fell in step respectfully and properly, “Han-Hei-chan, it has been some time since our last adventure.” At the mention of Sora she started to put her own pieces together, but still she felt it incredibly reckless.

“Jiyo-sama here to… fetch you?”

She shook her head, “No… the fool’s here being a fool.”

She walked along the streets slowly, “I was never a big fan of ‘fetch.’ I’m wrong type of ‘Shiba’ I suppose.”

She panted a few times like a dog and offered a smile.

After a moment her smile faded slightly and she responded to the first question, “I got an invitation… And it felt right to come.”

Ai glanced around making sure none heard the name, or hoped at least. She added quietly, “Well let us not tempt Fate, dearest friend. The fog… the peasants… the very buildings have ears and our enemy is always listening.”

She sighed and then added, “It’s good to see you, even if I want to cut down whoever was foolish enough to extend you an invitation.” She visibly rolled her eyes at the ‘right to come’ statement. “You following your gut is what gets us into trouble.”

Okay maybe both of them were good at that, but she could ignore her own past for now.

“Welcome to the trouble capital of the world Ai-sama.” She said with a smile and extended her hands out gesturing towards the village.

“Wouldn’t be right if the queen of trouble wasn’t here. It’s my kingdom.” She chuckled once through her nostrils.

“And what about you Ai-sama? Why aren’t you sitting comfortably back at home? Duty surely would keep you from wandering half-way across the empire…”

“Your queendom could do with some amenities,” she said warmly.

At mention of her circumstances she replied, “Fine… fine, you got me. I told my Honored Father that I needed to be here but blame him for filling my head with talks of the Thunder and the Wheel since I was old enough to hold a sword.”

“It seems we are both drawn to trouble… and perhaps our certain dooms.”

“Perhaps.” She said with a soft smile.

“But I know personally… Having the daughter of Nanzi around gives me hope.”

She paused and grinned, “Worry, too… and stress. But there’s some hope in there too.”

She glanced around and feeling it was safe to show some emotion she said quietly, “There is always hope, and I am glad to have you at my side, just… well you know your situation better than I and a whole lot of folks would throw themselves on swords to see you safe. Myself included though only because I owe you for that mess with the Bandit-King, that situation with the pirates though does not count.”

“Any other surprise guests I should look out for? Bayushi-ojisan hiding in the rafters?”

“No… I think ol’ uncle Bay-Bay sent a spy this time. And the pirate thing totally does count. If I hadn’t drunken them all under the table… Who knows what would have happened?” She smiled.

She turned to face her cousin and spoke so only she could hear, “To be honest… what you just said is one of the reasons I’m wearing this mask. I don’t need anybody being stupid and sacrificing their life for mine and I don’t need anyone looking to me to tell them what to do. You all have your own stuff to do. I won’t take anyone else’s choices from them… like I won’t have anyone take mine from me. I’m the wandering fox… just like before.”

“I’ll consider it,” she added tersely about the pirates.

She wanted to reply that she wasn’t just a wandering Fox… but then she would be a bit hypocritical herself and just accepted it. If Sora knew and Uncle Bay-Bay was aware then that made at least three people looking out for her well-being, including herself.

“I won’t cause a scene but you know Satsuki is here and she… take that as you will. I am not saying she will be a problem, but she might be a problem,” she joked. “Way too many cousins and family here, just… be prepared when this whole mask thing goes sideways like the pirates.”

“I’m still impressed at how much you drank… Hida-ojisan would be proud.”

She chuckled, “I wish I could trust the sake here and we could all actually party… But apparently you can’t even drink the water from the river.”

She then shrugged, “I’m sure Satsuki and all the other cousins just want to be left to their own ‘path’. I’m more than willing to let everyone do whatever they think is gonna work… And more than willing to bitch about it when things go awry. Cousin, daimyo, or anything else…. And when the mask thing goes sideways… Then fuck it. We’ll deal with shit as it comes along.”

"So what is your path, now?" she asked.

"Wait... you can't drink the river water? Where do they get their water from then?"

“Wells. I’m staying in the home of an elderly couple in the village. They say the water messes with your mind… Gotta get it from the wells.” She replied.

“As for a path… figure out who the hell is messing shit up around here… And possibly start some trouble.”

"I am not sure why I expected anything deeper than find problem and apply excessive violence," she replied.

"That tended to work well for us in the past."

“If it ain’t broke… Don’t fix it.” She sighed and looked around the market.

“Though figuring out what to violence… may not be all that easy this time.”

“Well I have learned a thing or three about Yume-Jigoku to help even the odds,” she replied. “So we won’t be completely ignorant of the threat. Name a time that was easy for us, I dare you… we always find our way… most of the time.”

“And if things get real bad maybe you can resort to your specialty, drinking our foes under the table.”

She smiled, “I would prefer drinking to cutting in a village like this…”

She then continued, “I hope your training pays off… Your family has tried real hard to be ready. How are they all doing?”

“Dojihime is… well she’s like Mother, there is no problem she can’t smile and chat with to make it disappear. But she has been strong after what she experienced in Shiba-ojisan’s court. Ananzihime is well and seeing to Hajime, her son, he is beautiful and wonderful. He never stops moving, so she is busy but hopeful, while Kiyojima tends to mother when she isn’t neck deep in her studies,” she finished.

“Everyone is well, though I am sure they are all worried about the days to come. Father always warned us that this day of Thunder would come,” she said seriously.

“And you, mysterious Fox-Friend, all the little foxes and fiery birds, well?”