To the left were the dormitories. Mostly the only people living in them were young men and women, generally under 30. The rest of the Seishi either lived in the city, traveled around Konan, or, if they had high enough ranks, lived in special suites within the palace.
To the right was the pagoda, where the Priests spoke with Suzaku and where the Suzaku no Mikos learned their trade. Every Seishi was supposed to go there once a week to pay homage to Suzaku and to hone their telepathy skills with their ketsu.
The last section was the Warrior building - the one Kishuku was most interested in. Every Seishi, be they Warrior or not, would come here to learn a few fighting skills for their own protection. Those with true aptitude learned more specialized styles of fighting and became Warriors of Suzaku. Plus, seeing as how dangerous it was to allow wild animals the freedom to wander the palace (even if they were ketsu), they were given a separate section near this building. Behind the Warrior division was the wilderness of Konan, giving the ketsu the chance to hunt and forage for food themselves and some level of independence to both Seishi and ketsu. Kishuku imagined he and Toshi would be spending more time than not in the great outdoors (if they weren’t out earning some okane, of course).
"So now you’ve seen the whole lay of the land, Kishuku," Donai told him as they toured the Center. Shioki had left them to go graze in the nearby field, though Toshi stayed with his beloved to enjoy the novel sights. "We’re going to visit the Judges in a bit, so they can put you in a few classes and a room."
"Oh joy," he sighed.
"You’ll learn to appreciate it. Even when it seems like all the Judges want to do is pound useless information into your skull so they can feel smarter."
Kishuku didn’t even bother hiding his smirk as they walked back to the Center. When they reached the classrooms, Donai took him to a room off to the side decorated with a fancy script. "This is the Cardinal Judge’s room. I’ll leave you here, as I have some work to attend to."
Kishuku gave him a look of intense fear; the idea of being left here on his own was not a pleasant one. "Don’t look so frightened, Kishuku. They don’t bite," Donai relaxed him, but countered the effect by saying in a low tone, "But they can smell fear."
And the Chief Warrior walked off, leaving a shaken Kishuku to take care of this matter. ‘Well... let’s get this over with,’ Toshi urged. ‘I don’t want to be here any more than you do, my Seishi.’
Kishuku knocked and waited a few heart-stopping seconds. "Enter," a muffled voice answered, and he opened the door to be greeted with a pile of papers and books littering the floor like some creative yet useless padding.
‘Maybe I’ll wait out here,’ Toshi decided, plopping himself into a comfortable seat in front of the door.
‘Chicken-heart,’ Kishuku growled, but Toshi didn't take the bait and just closed his eyes to rest.
All Kishuku could hear were two voices coming from behind the door, meaning that the owners of those voices may become impatient if he didn't enter soon. Looking around and trying desperately not to step on anything, Kishuku managed to come all the way inside and finally see a desk hidden on the far-left corner. Two people sat at it and both were completely absorbed in a scroll they were reading. He came closer, studying and watching their features.
"Now, it makes more sense if we start manufacturing rice directly off the farms," a young man, no, a boy explained to a woman. His hair was barely long enough to tie up into a ponytail, and even then there were thick strands escaping the band. Kishuku raised an eyebrow, wondering how a kid could possibly get into the Center at such a young age. "The ratio of products to production would then be equal to the rate of exportation, giving us a better chance to earn more per crop."
Kishuku didn’t move, but his mental sirens were going wild. Well that’s why this kid is here! He’s a genius! And a Seishi too, as noted by the symbol on his forehead, though Kishuku was too far away to tell which symbol in specific.
"I agree, but what about the importation to the cities? And importation rates from the other three countries?" the woman asked. She was older, probably around the same age as Metsuza but still attractive. Her hair was still a lovely sea green though it lacked the usual luster of a young woman’s. Her face was touched with wrinkles, most of them around her forehead that was currently furrowed in thought. She looked up with wide brown eyes when Kishuku coughed and asked, "Yes? How may I help you?"
"Hi, I’m Sou Kishuku, Tamahome Seishi, and I’m a new student here. Donai-san sent me to you for rooming and placement," he repeated, keeping mental count of the times he said his name.
"Nice to meet you, Kishuku. I’m Cardinal Judge Lau Miruka," the woman said rather airily, then waved a hand to the kid. "This is Ou Doukun, my assistant."
"Hello," Kishuku bowed to both.
"A pleasure in meeting you, Kishuku," Doukun said formally, and he could see the symbol starting to fade away as the boy stopped focusing on the project. Lau-sama rolled up the scroll, stood up, and began rifling through a few papers around her desk.
"Doukun, do you remember where I left the housing information?"
"Over there," he pointed to across the room. The woman sighed but began her trek across the precarious book-riddled floor. Doukun turned to Kishuku, his forest green eyes interested in this newcomer.
"What’s your ketsu?" he asked, the symbol disappearing altogether.
"A leopard."
"Really?" Doukun’s eyes widened in shock. "I didn’t know leopards could bond."
Kishuku smiled wryly. "Well, I don’t know about the rest of them, but Toshi did."
"That’s amazing," he breathed. "I’ll have to study up on them. Cats are fascinating creatures, you know? Really strong, fast, all good qualities that it takes to be a Warrior. I take it that's what you want to be?"
Am I that obvious? "I do. I think I’d be good at it," he told Doukun.
"Here we go," Lau-sama floated back to them. "Now, let me check the arrangements..." she opened the scroll and checked the names. "The men’s dormitories are rather open right now. Do you have a preference to whom your roommate is?"
"I have to have a roommate?" Kishuku frowned.
"It’s generally seen as an advantage when living here," Doukun explained. "Living by oneself is not as conducive to one’s learning, be it in classes or the field, unless you have someone you can sort of... rely on. It's a good experience."
Kishuku crossed his arms and looked at Doukun. "Who are you living with?"
The younger boy grinned shyly. "I live at home still."
He nodded and said, "Well, how about someone my age, like around 16 or 17. And I guess another Warrior would be nice, Lau-sama."
She studied the paper with flying fingers, her eyes darting back and forth over the names. She stopped at one and tapped it. "I think I have a place for you to stay, Kishuku. Room 12-South." She scribbled his name onto the scroll, then followed up on a scrape of paper and handed it to him.
"Uhm... I don’t think I know where that is," Kishuku took the paper, feeling his face flush with embarrassment.
Doukun spoke up in a rather animated tone. "I’ll show you where it is, if you don't mind. I know my way around." The Seishi grinned at each other in agreement and Lau-sama moved onto the next scroll.
"Fine then. Now... classes are a bit tougher, seeing as how I have to set you in the correct level," she explained, then looked him straight in the eye. "What skills do you have? Reading, writing, mathematics... anything?"
"Well, I can do math. I’ve been counting ryou since I was little," Kishuku told her. "I can read and write, but I’m not very advanced in either."
"Then we’ll set you up in Level D2 for all three, add a history course, and make changes later if necessary," Lau-sama almost wrote on a scroll. "Oh, wait a minute! What Seishi are you, dear? I'm afraid I was distracted earlier and didn't catch it."
"Tamahome."
"Ah, how wonderful! I too am a Tamahome!" Lau-sama said brightly while Kishuku's jaw dropped again. She replaced the old scroll with a new one. "Being a Tamahome, you’ll go on this scroll. I was about to put you for a Chiriko."
"Which is what I am," Doukun stated proudly.
"Really? That's neat," Kishuku nodded absently. He would have responded a little better had he not felt so overwhelmed at the idea of knowing another Tamahome Seishi.
‘Don’t be too self-centered, Ki,’ Toshi spoke wisely. ‘I imagine you’ll come across more Tamahome Seishi as you go through the Center.’
‘Feels weird, like a good thing that I’m not the only one, and a bad thing because I don’t feel quite so special anymore,’ Kishuku returned the thought. "Lau-sama? When do I take fighting lessons?"
She looked at him with interest and smiled gently. "You must be here for at least six months before you can start specializing, and even then it usually takes a year before the final decision." He groaned and hung his head. "Don’t worry so much, young one, time flies much faster than you know. Now... as a Tamahome we visit the Temple of Suzaku every Monday but you may want to go sooner than that to become aquatinted with the priests."
"OK," he agreed, thinking to himself. Gotta hit the Temple ASAP!
"And as for fighting... talk to Donai-sama for placement in that," Lau-sama finished. "But I think that should do you for now." The elder wrote down different rooms, times, and the subjects that he would be investing in. "Here you go, dear."
"Thank you, Lau-sama, for your time," he bowed at her. "I’ll be going then."
"Then I’m going to help him get settled, since we have yet to come to a decision about the crop productions," Doukun stepped out from behind the desk. The kid was a head-and-a-half shorter than Kishuku, making the elder feel like a giant. "I’ll let him know all the extras about living here."
"Thank you, Doukun," Lau-sama nodded to the boy before turning to Kishuku with lively eyes. "Good luck, brother Tamahome."
"Thanks... sister Tamahome," he said brokenly, feeling all other words getting caught in his throat. The two, carefully avoiding the papers and books, managed to step outside into the hallway. They were greeted with the sight of Toshi watching an owl resting on an upper rafter, his gaze piercing and tail lashing like a whip. The owl wasn't too big, about a foot tall with chocolate feathers and vanilla marbling, and was watching Toshi with what were probably much sharper eyes than those of the grounded trio.
‘Dinner?’ Kishuku teased.
'Uh... not quite,' Toshi answered with a certain level of tightness.
"Chie!" Doukun spread his arms wide. The owl flew down and allowed a quick hug from her Seishi before finding a spot on Doukun’s protected shoulder. "This is my ketsu, Chie," Doukun said with loving fondness, stroking the bird’s white and brown breast. "She’s a barred owl, only a year old but extremely smart. Sometimes I believe that she knows more than she is willing to tell me."
"Nice to meet you, Chie. Uh, Doukun, this is Toshi," he replied with a formal bow. Inwardly, Kishuku was dying a thousand mortifying deaths. I called Doukun’s ketsu dinner! Oh man... Suzaku’s gonna strike me down, if Chie doesn’t peck my eyes out first! It was a known fact that Seishi could only speak with his or her own ketsu, but that didn't mean that the ketsu couldn't read other Seishi's minds. When he looked at the owl, he saw her beak open and close with an audible and threatening snap.
‘Just be glad you didn’t say anything aloud,’ Toshi whacked his tail at the back of Kishuku’s knee as he passed him by and the Seishi could only pray that Chie wouldn't tell Doukun what transpired.
"Let’s get going! There’s so much to tell you, and so much more to show!" Doukun bounced on the balls of his feet, bringing a grin to Kishuku's face. The boy’s demeanor, despite the mental aptitude that far exceeded his age, reminded Kishuku of his younger brother Chuuei--so spirited and helpful and bright. But a sad darkness fell inside his thoughts at the memory of leaving his family, so he shook his head to try and keep his emotions light.
Gonna have to get some money soon... who knows how long that bit I left is gonna last...
Doukun turned out to be a much more knowing guide than Donai, and a bit more friendly. Chie, unlike her human counterpart, decided to take wing and go off on her own for a time. She made some kind of odd hissing sound as she flew over Kishuku’s head, creeping the blue-haired boy out. Kishuku made a mental note to patch things up with Chie before the week was out and went back to listening to Doukun. But apparently Doukun knew everything about anything and didn’t hesitate to point things out to Kishuku. Most of the inconsequential stuff Kishuku simply nodded his head at, but he did manage to bring Doukun to the subject of living necessities.
"Oh yes, that’s right! Well to start, food is served during the dining intervals of 7, 11, and 5 for two hours in the main dining hall, which I pointed out is part of the Palace. There's a small dining area between the dormitories and the classrooms, if you miss a meal, and it's open during the day. And every Seishi wears their color robes during worship ceremonies at the Temple and other important meetings. The highest ranking almost always wear their robes, but everyone else just wears their daily clothes for normal routines."
"Color robes?"
"It’s a reliable way to keep track of all the different Seishi. For instance, I’m wearing red and yellow because I’m a Chiriko Seishi. We went to the Temple today," Doukun pointed at his own tunic. The long red robe went all the way down to his feet and over his hands, edged in a glorious yellow-gold. It buttoned once at his right shoulder and was held together by a fine saffron sash. "Tamahome Seishi wear black and red."
Kishuku’s mind went back to Lau-sama and he remembered the red gown with a black edging she was fluttering around in. "When do I get it?"
"Oh, someone will be by in a few days to take your measurements and they’ll make one up for you. Now that Lau-sama has you down as a student, things will be put into motion for you," Doukun told him. "See, now we’ve just passed the east rooms and after turning down here, we'll be near the southern rooms."
"What about monetary costs? Doesn’t this charge a lot of okane?" Kishuku asked as casually as his nervous voice would let him. His mind kept flickering back to the idea of going broke right in the middle of his first week.
"Don’t worry if you can’t afford things. By doing certain work around the Palace or helping some of the more high-ranking people, you can earn enough to buy the necessary supplies," the Chiriko Seishi calmed his nerves. "And this is your room, Kishuku-san."
On the door were painted the number and symbol 12-South. Kishuku knocked the wood and waited.
No answer.
"Guess my roommate’s not here now." Kishuku noted. The two shrugged at each other and the Tamahome Seishi opened the door.
And was somewhat surprised when a girl came out of the room, hurtling herself at full speed at him and screaming, "I love you, you asshole!"
Both of them hit the floor with a breathtaking thud, Kishuku taking the brunt of the fall while the girl lay on top of him. A ragged half-cry escaped his throat the same time the girl continued to confess her love for him, with her head buried in the middle of his chest. Doukun let out a silent gasp, simply too stunned to say or do anything while Toshi just watched with uncomprehending worry.
Can't breathe... Kishuku thought agonizingly. I think she just broke my back
'Ki, what's going on?' Toshi demanded.
'Beats the hell outta me!' Kishuku mentally screamed as his anger (and pain) nearly drowned the ketsu. 'Just get her off!'
Luckily for her, it didn't come to that. Within the span of the conversation, Doukun found his voice and body and tapped the girl on the shoulder. "I'm sorry miss, but I do believe you have the wrong... asshole," he tripped on the last word. Kishuku would have laughed but he didn't have the breath to spare.
She stopped ranting long enough to take a good look at her supposed love. Her eyes widened and she jumped up off him with enviable grace. "OHMYGOD!" she shrieked. "Oh dear Suzaku, I didn't... I mean, I thought he lived by himself!"
All Kishuku could do at the moment was groan and sit up, wondering if his lungs would ever be the same again. Toshi's head was next to his Seishi's, licking his face in empathy now that the threat was gone. "What are you doing here?" Doukun asked, his curiosity sprouting up.
"Waiting for Stupid Fang Boy," she crossed her arms in irritation. "Kou Shun'u. Don't suppose you know where he is."
"Nope, sorry," the younger shook his head. "Why?"
The girl ran a hand through her copper hair, trying to comb down the wild strands flying everywhere. "Because I really like him despite the fact that he keeps avoiding me," she admitted. "I know he doesn't like girls but I figured the direct approach was the only way to go in this case." She looked at the floored Seishi and bent to his level. "Hey, I'm really sorry about that. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I'm OK," he lied through clenched teeth. "Who are you, anyway? Are you even a Seishi?"
"My name's Dou Arusei, and yes I'm a Seishi--a Hotohori. I wouldn't be here otherwise," she said in a very matter-of-factly tone. "Mind if I ask who you are?"
Kishuku took a deep breath, regretted it instantly, and rattled off his name, Toshi's name, and Seishi symbol as quickly as he could. "Now, if you excuse me, I think need to sit down somewhere soft..."
Without question, Arusei offered him her shoulder and, very slowly, the duo stood up and brought Kishuku into the room. Doukun opened the window curtains and light drifted inside. At the moment, Kishuku was less interested in looking at the room than just getting to the bed. Arusei took him to the neater part of the room and helped him recline on the futon. Toshi followed and lay next to his Seishi in a rather defensive position.
For the first time, Arusei really took note of the leopard, though how she could have missed him before was beyond Kishuku's reasoning.
"Cool! A cat and dog in the same room," she grinned. "You guys are gonna be fighting a lot, I can see it now."
"Where's your ketsu?" Doukun asked. Apparently, Kishuku thought, the boy never ran out of questions.
"Oh, she's out in the courtyard. She can't really walk through the halls as freely as the open plains," Arusei explained. "Ensa is a deer."
And Arusei tackles like Shioki... Kishuku figured, his chest still hurting but breathing more evenly now. 'Toshi, my bond, we've been here only 2 hours and already we've had the snuff beaten out of us. Twice!'
'Just lucky I guess...' the leopard growled, though the irony brought a slight smile to Kishuku.
"I thought females weren't allowed in the male section of the housing dormitories," Doukun said, sounding like he would have liked an explanation.
"We're not," Arusei shrugged, and Kishuku rolled his eyes in exasperation. "But desperate women do desperate things."
"Ya mean, stupid women do stupid things," the lazy words came from the doorway, in which all three of them turned to. Toshi, not enjoying the repeated surprises, got to all four and snarled at the figure. With the light at its back, it was impossible for Kishuku to actually see any details, but he had a pretty good guess of who it was.
'Toshi, I think it's OK. We're all right--I think it's my new roommate.'
The leopard responded with a sensible, 'I'll believe it when I see it!'
Arusei gave it away. "Shun'u!" she screamed, stomping over to him. With an accusatory finger she was about to begin shouting when he grabbed her hand.
"Don't fuckin start with me, Arusei," he said darkly. "I'm not in the goddamned mood right now for yer games--"
"This isn't a game!" Arusei interrupted loudly.
"--So get the fuckin hell out of here before I tell Moru-san you were sneaking around the goddamn place." His voice rose in volume as it deepened to a threat.
This is my roommate? And Kishuku wondered if he should ask for a new room.
With an irritated protest, Arusei pulled her hand from his and the two exchanged glares. Kishuku sat up with undue interest, trying to see them better, then regretted the action at his chest still ached painfully. He glanced at Doukun, who despite his vast array of knowledge was clueless on this battlefield as to what to do. It was made obvious by his creased forehead and uncertain eyes.
"Asshole," she muttered one last time before stalking out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Doukun winced at the sound of her anger while Kishuku simply put a calming hand on his ketsu. The leopard then jumped back onto the mattress with his Seishi and lay protectively across Kishuku's lap.
'My Kishuku. No one's gonna get to you,' Toshi made certain his rumble was heard.
'Thanks, Toshi,' he told his ketsu, the emotion between them strong as the earth they ran across.
"Doukun!" Kishuku's roommate declared heartily. "Hey kid, what'cha doin over here this time? Lookin for some trouble?" He grabbed the boy around the neck and affectionately rubbed his fist into Doukun's head, causing the boy to burst into laughter.
They know each other? Kishuku thought as his expression turned comical.
Doukun giggled and wriggled out of the grasp. "Sorry, Shun'u-san, not this time. But I brought someone." He pointed to Kishuku and said, "This is Kishuku-san. He's your new roommate."
Toshi jumped to the side as Kishuku stood up and Shun'u walked towards him. "New roommate, eh?" he looked Kishuku up and down, then smiled a well-fanged smile. "We'll see how long ya last here. I'm Kou Shun'u, a Tasuki Warrior."
"Sou Kishuku, Tamahome Warrior," he replied in kind. Kishuku took note of his roommate as the flame-inspired hair upon the other's head immediately grabbed his attention. Shun'u had to have been around his age--his height and weight looked to be similar if not the same as his own. The redhead had a rather arrogant look in his eyes, as if he was used to winning any and all fights.
Kishuku planned to change that look right away, especially after Shun'u laughed at his declaration. I think I've just been insulted...
"Ya been here a day and think yer a Warrior?" he laughed derisively, then cracked his knuckles. "Think yer hot shit or somethin? I can take ya down, no sweat."
"Bull!" Kishuku snorted. "I'll kick your ass before you even know what hit you." By now the pain in his chest had faded to a nagging bruise, so he figured he'd survive a fight.
Hopefully.
"Let's go!"
"Shun'u-san, I do not think..." Doukun began and was quickly silenced by a wave of Shun'u's hand. He clasped his lips together and watched with growing worry.
Both of them, as if on silent cue, took a quick fighting stance, ready to pound the hell out of the other. Kishuku was actually looking forward to it; ready to let loose all the anxiety and stress that had been building up all day, he was about to run at Shun'u when a voice shouted in his head, 'No!'
And two blurs, one from behind Kishuku and the other from the doorway, went springing at each other, claws and fangs bared in a very real attack.
"Toshi!"
"Genrou!"
The ketsu rolled as one animal, snarls and guttural threats echoing within the room. Kishuku's whole soul bled and burned as he wished for the chance to jump in and protect his beloved ketsu. However, they were moving far too fast for him to follow, and unfortunately he would more than likely end up hurting rather than helping Toshi. He spared a glance up at Shun'u and saw, with mild surprise, that the other was watching with horror and (was it possible?) a touch of fear in those amber eyes.
The two vaulted away only seconds later besides their respective Seishi, and Kishuku saw that Toshi's opponent was a handsome red wolf. His fur was a sunset russet with dusty gray brushed on his back and tail. He was smaller than Toshi by about a foot, and probably a good hundred pounds lighter too. Still, he must have been an unbelievable fighter because Toshi was breathing hard and the rips on his neck weren't there ten minutes ago.
'He is, my Seishi,' Toshi said, his thoughts stormy. 'And if Genrou is any indication... I would imagine Shun'u is no pushover either.'
But then Genrou did something that shocked everyone in the room: he came next to Toshi and calmly licked the wound on the leopard's neck.
Had this been a cartoon, both Kishuku and Shun'u would have their jaws falling to the ground like bricks.
"Uhm..." Doukun slowly came up next to the duo, fearful of them suddenly turning on each other again. "Genrou-ketsu, may I ask what you are doing?"
The wolf broadened his mental voice to include the trio outside his ketsu link. 'I thought Toshi was attacking Shun'u. Toshi thought I was attacking Kishuku. We were both trying to protect our Seishi, not realizing that they were in no more danger than a couple of tussling cubs. Thus, I injured a fellow ketsu and I now apologize for that.'
'Then I too apologize. I was still overwhelmed after Arusei's... entrance and saw a fight where there was none,' Toshi replied, licking off a cut on Genrou's muzzle. Doukun turned his head, satisfied and looking very pleased with the release of tension and Kishuku decided that if Toshi's voice was a humming bass, then Genrou's was an expressive tenor.
"See, if your ketsu can get along, then I imagine that the both of you will become the best of friends," Doukun grinned.
The two looked at each other.
"Not gonna happen."
"Like fuckin hell."
Doukun sweatdropped as the ketsu separated and each adjourned to opposite parts of the room.
'Did you have good time?' Kishuku asked, mockery tingeing his words. Toshi answered with a swat at Kishuku's leg before jumping onto the bed.
'You're right. I like it here,' he purred in a rather kitten-like fashion, delicately licking his wounds. Kishuku found a smile tugging at his lips and turned back to Shun'u. 'This is going to be fun.'
The redhead was glaring at his ketsu, who was currently ignoring his Seishi by sitting down next to the bed and cleaning his paw. He turned and said to Kishuku, "I s'pose if Genrou likes ya then hell, ya gotta be okay." He clapped Kishuku on the back in a somewhat accepting way.
Maybe this won't be too bad. Even fun, like Toshi said, Kishuku thought hopefully.
"But I'm still gonna have t' pound the shit outta you some day."
Fun... like wrestling a bull and wolf in the same day...
