The rain rustled through the leaves of the trees, pitter-pattering noisily as it flowed down the slope towards the riverbank. It flowed, briefly, together with the river as one, and as the first of the rain-waters reached the sea it stopped, its rain clouds dissipating and the sky was blue once more.
It was a brief summer rain, one of those which burst out of nowhere and splash to the best of its ability, and then disappear like so many of the frivolous things that make up summer. For all things summer and even summer itself is short and frivolous, yet so beautiful, leaving imprints on whatever that could be imprinted, wanting the next summer to arrive again. But that was the rule for summer, to be short and deliriously sweet.
He looked out of the window, savouring in the poetry of it all. It was yet past noon, but the sun had already broken out, shining down through the leaves of the trees around the small house. The rays lit a path, overrun with weeds, wet with mud. From a distance Aoi could see someone walking towards the house.
"She's early." He fingered the wet ledge of the window. There was no response. Aoi turned around, and saw that the room was empty. He smiled.
She walked on, smiling to herself. While she was still at Hokkaido she had considered the idea of not coming back. That perhaps the Kagetai just didn't fit her. But she came back anyway. For what? For honour, loyalty, trust, those three morals taught to her by her sensei? Or for a different reason? She did not know. Shiyuri looked up, and saw the sun peeking through the leaves. The rays warmed her face. Somehow, for no reason at all, her sad and retrospective mood disappeared, and she was filled with a sudden urge to laugh out loud.
"Please come out." Her voice was tinged with repressed laughter, her manner cheerful. She looked around carefully, and smilingly bowed deeply towards a tree to her left. "Onegai shimasu." There was no response, nothing except for the wind rustling through the leaves. Shiyuri looked up, and peered intently into the branches of the tree. It seemed normal. She shrugged, and continued her walk.
The wind blew against her long kyujutsu bow, leaving dead leaves on the taut string. She frowned, and picked them off.
A thought suddenly occurred to her. She gave a little smile, and tested her bow for firmness, humming a tune she learnt in Hokkiado. Then, she picked up a twig from the floor, broke off the rough edges, and fitted it onto her bow. At this she paused, and looked around again. She smiled once more, and turned around to give a deep bow towards the house.
"I guess she found out that I'm here in her house. Saitou was right. She's a clever one."
She turned back to the tree on her left, and aimed towards a spot on the tree. Put yourself away from the target. You are not aiming there, Shiyuri, you are aiming at yourself. She smiled at her sensei's words. It was comforting to recall his lessons with her, in their old dojo, just him and her.
She concentrated on breathing, putting herself away from herself, her manner seemingly drowsy, her hand barely strong enough to hold the twig. There was a moment of total peace.
The wind blew, the leaves on the ground scurried by the motionless girl.
Then, suddenly, her eyes shot open, and she let go of the twig. It whistled towards the tree leaves, sliding by the branches. It didn't appear to hit the tree, yet it didn't drop from the tree either. There was silence.
Aoi looked on sceptically from inside the house.
The leaves rustled again, making little whispering noises. No one noticed.
She smiled again. It seemed that a smile was never far from her lips. Tsuihana Shiyuri was one to welcome smiles into her life. That was what she was trained for, and it fit her personality. It helped her through many difficult times of her life, like when people she cared about left her. That smile had always accompanied her, through the bad times and the good times. It was here now, as she looked up at the tree.
"Now, I don't really have time to climb a tree, so would you please come down?" Her lilting voice was pitched high and clear, and seemed mocking to the normal passer-by. But to people who knew her, this was the way she spoke.
There was a slight pause in everything, before the rustling of the leaves continued, and from the cover of green, stood a young man dressed in black. In his hand held the aforementioned twig. On top of his shoulder sat a small kitten, which meowed in protest to the sunlight. He gazed at the young woman below him for a long time, and they stood like that, silently, assessing each other. The woman was the first to break out of the position; she laughed a tinkling sound, and then turned a full circle with her hands outstretched.
"So, what do you think?" She finished her round and stood standing, still in the same position, grinning at the ninja. "Up to your standards? Up to the mysterious watcher in my house's standards?" She smiled a genuine smile, and said, a little softer, "Up to Saitoh-san's standards?"
The ninja didn't say a word, as his hand moved upwards to stroke the kitten, who started to purr softly. From her vantage point Shiyuri could see the features of the ninja's face were angular and dark, his hair slightly longer than his usual crop-cut, and slightly unkempt. Was this really the ninja that her little sister has been telling her about? She had no doubts about it.
Suddenly, the cat leapt from the ninja's shoulder into her awaiting arms. A quick glance at the ninja revealed that he had not been expecting this. But Shiyuri just smiled sweetly and started to fondle the kitten, whose soft white fur was well-kept and healthy. Her sensei had always told her that one can tell a person's personality by how he treats his pets. By that mark, Shiyuri would have inferenced that the black ninja above her was a nice person, because his cat seemed to be more cared for than himself. But she didn't need her sensei's measures to tell he was a nice person. Shiyuri had always felt more than saw, even when she was young. A sad look crossed her face, only a flicker, then it was gone. It was precisely because she was so special that they sold her away...
The kitten purred, and she blinked out her thoughts, seeing that the ninja had already soundlessly descended to ground level, and staring at the cat. His mouth moved awkwardly, his eyes fixed on the kitten. Shiyuri suppressed a giggle. The ninja looked so out of his element. From his mouth came a soft but urgent "Ya-ma-ne-ko!"
"Yamaneko." She said softly, tasting the words, rolling it around her mouth. The kitten purred at the name, looking at his master, then at her when she said it. It mewed softly, licked Shiyuri's hands, and bounded off her embrace to his master's shoulder. He paused, then looked at his pet, putting up his hand almost instinctively to pet it. With that, he looked at Shiyuri, and gave a sharp nod.
"Tsuihana Shiyuri. Trained in the arts of Kyujutsu by the famous Tsuihana Sanjuuto from young. Took over the Sangensoku dojo at the age of 16. Inducted into the Shinsengumi Kagetai two years later, when Ishin Shishi rampaged the dojo. Left for Hokkiado almost immediately after joining the Kagetai for further training of Kyujutsu. Arrived back in Kyoto. Today." The man walking slowly from her house finished his little speech, and stood beside the ninja. He was wearing an expensive deep blue kimono, but his stance was relaxed. His chiselled face and short-cropped hair stood out deeply in contrast with the ninja beside him, yet there was something similar about them. There was something common that linked the man, the ninja, and the girl they were addressing.
"Now a budding age of 20, she has come back to her roots, and am eager to carry out her orders and her mission. As well as to know more about her colleagues, hopefully friends. Wish to see Saitou-san as soon as possible, and knew that he would send people to check whether she's ready or not." The girl finished for him, a smile tugging at her lips. She continued her humorous breakdown on herself in the third person. "By the appearance of the man in her house, she has assumed she has passed some test or other. And hopefully would be led to Saitoh-san as soon as possible." Now fully grinning, she chided, "So, am I up to your standards? Have I passed the test?"
The man in the kimono looked at her, and said nothing for a while. The cat purred. He looked dispassionately at the kitten, and met the ninja's eyes instead. The ninja gave another sharp nod, and pulled down the cloth covering his mouth. He gazed intensely at the girl, not so much younger than himself, and, remembering his manners, smiled back.
"I guess we'd be sending you to Saitoh-san as soon as possible. Is that not right, Aoi-san?" The ninja addressed the man, with a challenging tone in his voice. The kitten Yamaneko merely purred again. The other man looked back at Shiyuri, and, giving no hint of a smile, nodded.
"I am Hikegami Aoi. This is Suiki Kenjuro. And you are - "
"Tsuihana Shiyuri."
"We know." He said, his expression never changing.
She shrugged. "Always better to introduce myself formally."
The ninja smiled an unpractised smile. "And this is Yamaneko."
She smiled. "Yes, indeed. A cunning cat."
A miniature crease appeared on Aoi's forehead. "We should not dawdle. Saitoh-san is waiting."
She smiled an easy smile at the ninja, and then back at the man. Her bow came naturally. "Indeed. We must hurry. I shall follow your lead."
And that was how Shiyuri got welcomed back into the Kagetai, doggedly tailing the Inazumi and the ninja.
Glossary . sensei --- teacher or instructor . Onegai shimasu --- a polite way of saying "please" . kyujutsu --- the japanese martial art of archery . dojo --- a training school for martial arts . ninja --- a martial artist trained in the arts of spying and assassination . Shinsengumi --- a policing force in Kyoto during the Tokugawa era, loyal to the Shogun . Ishin Shishi --- a policing force in Kyoto during the Tokugawa era, loyal to the emperor . kimono --- a wraparound robe that is the officially recognised national costume of japan . Inazumi --- Aoi's nickname
chiiyo's comments :
To be honest I'm not very keen on this piece of writing myself. It was written long before The White Lily was written, and was written long before the newest version of Shiyuri's profile was written, and consequently, the Shiyuri in this piece has a vastly different personality than the one I would have intended her to have. Granted, this was set several years after The White Lily, but I forsee myself rewriting this piece, once I decide what I'm going to write after the first chapter...