A Visit to the Samurai

The YSS Amaya had finished a lonely journey back to the centre of the Empire. Its commander could not stay, but she had business to do before moving on.

Murasaki Aoiko carefully inspected her appearance. She was wearing her very best formal outfit, an elegant juni hitoe, and she looked damned good in it. She shifted the long, silk-wrapped package she carried in her hands and proceeded to the gates of the Ketsurui palace.

At the Palace Gates were many samurai, some on guard, others milling about on patrol.

Aoiko regarded the scene carefully for a few moments before she proceeded up to one of the guards, bowing precisely deeply enough before her. "I beg your pardon," she said in flawless formal Japanese, and gestured to her parcel. "I bear the sad duty of returning a daisho. Who may I speak with?"

Two samurai brought Aoiko into the palace to meet with Taisa Tsuya, their leader, in the palace's famous Red Room.

Aoiko took a few moments to look over the elegance of the Red Room before proceeding to whatever manner of table Tsuya would meet her at. She bowed very low to Tsuya. "Thank you very much," she said, "for meeting me today."

Carefully, she laid her parcel on the surface and unwrapped it, then arranged the katana and wakizashi to be perfectly aligned before her. That done, she bowed low again. "These belonged to Inaba Reiko," she said, her eyes downcast. "She left them with me when she left. The only thing I could do was return them here."

After a bow, Tsuya nodded knowingly, and silently took the sword.

Aoiko bowed again and backed politely towards the door, and from there quietly left the palace.

Once outside, she stretched languidly, taking in the pleasant weather. I should, I suppose, she thought to herself, do some catching-up while I'm here.

'You look well, Aoi-chan!' the SAINT behind the desk said with a wide grin. 'Miss us?'

'As do you, Kuro-chan,' Aoiko said with a light bow. She had changed out of her formal kimono, and now wore a sharply-cut navy blue suit. 'You know that I always miss you. How are your younglings?'

'Busy. Very, very busy,' Kuroiko said with a sigh. 'Here. And I bet you've been busy yourself, eh? Gallavanting around the galaxy?'

'Not as much as you might expect,' Aoiko replied. She was halfway to leaning on the desk when her counterpart pushed a stack of papers into her hands. 'And what is this?' she asked.

'Work!' Kuroiko responded. 'If you're going to be enjoying my company, you have to pay for it!'

Aoiko's eyes sparkled at the other neko.

'And there you go again!' Kuroiko said, scoldingly. 'Learn! To! Smile! That's why you're not in a relationship, I bet!' She tossed Aoiko a spare pen.

'That is why I have been spared poor relationships,' Aoiko said, quite smugly.

'Hmph. So, what're you doing here, anyway?' Kuroiko asked. 'Not that I mind you showing up, but shouldn't you be in the field?'

Aoiko made a quick tch noise as she began leafing through the papers. 'Nearly the entire crew of the ship I was last on decided it was preferable to live with rebels and slavers,' she said. 'And there were samurai. I had to deliver an abandoned daisho to Tsuya-sama herself!'

Kuroiko whistled softly. 'Rough,' she said. 'So, gonna come back to us?'

'Perhaps. I have caught a liking to field-work, though. I heard the Eucharis wanted me.'

'Ooh, flashy!' Kuroiko said with a very wide grin. 'Get to work with the Princess. Every eye in the galaxy on you!'

Aoiko winced. 'Please, spare me,' she said. 'I hate high-profile work. You of all people should know that.'

Kuroiko giggled. 'Well, why not look up other covert assignments?' she asked, gesturing to the vastness of the archives behind her. 'There's no lack. Couldn't hurt to try, eh?'

'I think you may be right,' Aoiko mused. A faint sliver of a smile played over her lips for just an instant.