Shun sat at his desk, going over his paperwork for the morning. Among his many other tasks, there was a letter from his brother, and he was quietly discussing the contenta with Ryou. “Rumaty has told me of a Kutou merchant who is breaking our law on the enslavement of animal spirits. disregarding the fact that theis tiger spirit has saved the life of my little brother, I made a vow to protect the spirits, and I take that seriously.”

“Shall I have the army lay siege, my Emperor?” Ryou asked, eyebrows raised. “Or has Rumaty already made plans to rescue his tiger tail?”

Shun chuckled. “He’s got it covered, but we must find a way to crack down, as we have with the human slave traders.” He considered for a moment. “You have my permission to hire Yuuzen at whatever his blasted mistress wishes to charge. He has the proper connections, and should be able to get us a line on cutting his problem off at the source.”

“I’d buy that young man off of her, if she would part with him, just to give him and Fumiko a bit of peace.” Ryou shook his head. “Where is your shadow this morning?”

Shun recalled a vision he’d had last night when he was going to bed. Aka had kissed Shian, and his friend had suffered the indignity of a sore backside and the inability to return to the palace last night. He suspected that Shian would visit the doctor and be issued the time to rest. “Occupied with other matters. Could you please send Taiyo to stay with me so Mother does not fret?”


Ryou shrugged. “That woman won’t be up for some time. I may as well stay for a while. I’ll get Taiyo when I leave to meet with her.”

“Fair enough.” The Emperor agreed. “Now, there’s a general in Sailo…”

Most men, having returned from a long journey, would immediately seek out a bathhouse, to clear the dust out of hair, eyes, and skin, and provide a clean sensation that simply could not be compared to that one could achieve bathing in a river. Most men would seek out a drink, to forget the weariness of their travels, to surround themselves with raucous, happy company to celebrate their homecoming, and likely not find their beds until the break of dawn. And most men would not blame him for not stirring from it until the next morning, at least. Most men, returning home with an injury, would then seek medical care for that injury, and sleep off their celebratory hangovers in the infirmary, to the tune of adoration from varying numbers of feminine admirers.

To say the least, Shian Yītao was not most men. He entirely bypassed all of the usual recommended steps of homecoming and, as was his nature, immediately mounted the stairs to the Emperor's private study, without even pausing in the kitchens to get a late breakfast. Of course, his steps were far slower than usual, and whenever he could do so without being observed, his teeth fastened themselves into his lower lip to muffle grunts of discomfort. The stairs were particularly grueling, but he was able to traverse the hallways a little smoother, and by the time he reached the door of the study, he was reasonably sure that his gait was not noticeably altered… he would just hope that Akahana got resettled quickly, and came up with the tea soon. So it was with his usual, confident and yet polite air that he knocked on the door and, waiting only for the call to come in, entered smoothly under his own power. "My Emperor, I have the pleasure to report that the Miko has been returned safely to the palace, unharmed. I am sure she will be up, as soon as she has had opportunity to refresh herself… but until that time, I thought perhaps I might give my report, if you have a moment."

Shun looked up from his discussion with his head general when there was a knock at the door. “Come in!” He sat back in his seat and raised an eyebrow when Shian entered, looking just a bit surprised for a moment. “Good morning, my friend. I’m glad to hear Aka has returned safely, and I will be glad to hear your report, but I must confess I’m surprised to see you this morning.” Had his vision been wrong? It had happened from time to time, but not usually over something happening so near in the future. Still, he wasn’t sure how to inquire without making things awkward, especially with Ryou there. He tried not to use his visions to spy on his friends, and he also did his best to keep private matters… well, private. “You’ve only just returned, correct? Are you sure you wouldn’t like to rest up, or perhaps have breakfast before we discuss business?”

Ryou seemed oblivious that anything may be amiss with his friend. “I was about to go down to grab a snack from the kitchen. I can have them send up breakfast if you like.” Shun nodded to the offer, but Ryou paused as he started to leave. “I’m curious. What had Aka running around the woods last night…And what kept you two from returning last night?”

People tended to forget that Ryou was not a stupid man. He was actually very astute, he just often let people think otherwise. Something was up with Shian, and Shun was clearly mildly surprised for some reason.

A deep nod acknowledged Shun's greeting, and was calmly accompanied by words. "I did not wish to delay my report any further than was necessary. It was already expected last night, but we experienced some… traveling delays." His word choice was careful, and even his tone contained something that, while still calm and collected, would betray to his two best friends that something was not entirely right, with him. “I was intending to seek my breakfast after giving my report - I do my best thinking before food slows me down, in the morning. And at any rate, I thought it best that you know that word has reached me that forces are being gathered in the eastern reaches of Sailo. There appears to be some infighting occurring amongst the minor lords there, which could lead to potential troubles along our shared border.” He hadn’t moved far into the room yet, preferring to remain near the door in order to not upset his unhappy behind any further than it already was. He did swivel to face Ryou however, before he realized what he was doing, and though he made neither a face nor a sound, there was a subtle stiffness to his motions that an experienced warrior like the General would recognize. “We decided to camp for the night, not too far from here. Dark fell quicker than we anticipated, and we’d been on the road since before dawn. I thought it best to allow the Miko to rest, that she might be more refreshed upon arriving home.”

Shun listened to Shian’s report, as well as his many excuses for not venturing further into the room, and for not sitting at the table as he normally would when it was just the three of them. “Yes, I believe I am aware of some of those traveling difficulties, and I am sure I will be helping to correct them soon.” As soon as he could, he tried to spare his friend’s dignity another blow by getting the mischievous general out of the room. “Ryou, would you please go have food sent up for Shian, and order some tea for me? I’d send one of the maids, but as you said you were on your way anyway…”

“Of course. It’s no trouble. I assume if there are any of Himelo’s pastries left from this morning…” Ryou raised an eyebrow in question.

Shun smiled. “Yes, that would go nicely with the tea. When you return, we can discuss matters in Sailo in more detail.”

Ryou nodded and moved to leave the room. As he did, he passed by where Shian stood near the door. He had seen the stiffness that Shian tried to hide, and he recognized the sort of injury that was likely to cause it. He didn’t know what had happened, in Shian’s case, but it was clear that Shun did, and was trying not to let on until he was out of ear shot. That meant that, whatever had happened, it was embarrassing.

That meant that Ryou - as Shian’s friend, and the second closest thing the young guard had to a brother - had to act on his knowledge of the injury. As he began to leave the room, he reached out, lightning quick, and jabbed his finger into the nearest side of his clearly traumatized behind.

In his seat, Shun stiffened, not sure what to do. After a moment, he spoke, voice stem. "Ryou! Kitchen!"

"Yes, sire." Ryou said with a smirk, chuckling as he left the room.

The Emperor’s commentary flowed entirely innocently into Shian’s ears, not picking up on the subtle hint simply because he was under the impression that his friend had absolutely no idea he was injured. After all, he’d been injured in this fashion many times in his life, and had endured many worse, thanks to his time on the battlefield as an ordinary soldier when he was younger. He knew how to cope with injuries, and how to continue performing necessary duties while wounded. He’d been particularly noted during his military service for his ability to hide a wound in order to avoid being pulled from the front lines, and his ability to do so well enough that his fighting style remained unchanged. Unfortunately, he failed to account for how well his friends knew him. “We encountered no attempts at constructing blockades or walls to impede our path, but I believe that-” A finger prodded his butt deeply, and he bit back a yelp, which still sounded as a noise of half-muffled pain. Almost instantly, he whirled, the sheath of his sword in hand and directed at the general. “Ryou!” His blow missed its mark as the other man ducked out of the room, and thanks to the movement, his lower back grabbed, sending him stumbling a bit into the wall, cursing. “Seriyuu take it, I don’t know how Hisoka puts up with that idiot…”

Ryou’s hearty laughter floated back down the hallway as he made his escape. Shun shook his head and got to his feet, crossing to his friend and offering a steadying arm. “I did try to be subtle, to keep him from doing precisely that.” His tone was apologetic. “As for Hisoka, I dare say she sees something in him we never shall, and has leverage over him that I do not wish to possess.” He looked about the room as if trying to decide what to do, and then looked back to Shian. “Right, come on, let’s go. Dr. Gensai has some medication for pain, and you need to eat and rest. You can give me your report later.” He started to move out of his office, clearly expecting his friend to follow. “This afternoon, perhaps, I can update you on what Ryou and I have discussed in your absence…”

He was well aware that Shian had worked with far worse injuries before… And Shian was well aware that he did not approve of that tendency. It was the same reason he pestered Chisaka about her medicine, and making sure she received enough rest. He did not enjoy having his friends parted from him while they recovered, but he acknowledged that it made more sense to miss a couple of days to recover than it did to work through it and harm yourself more. In fact, he suspected that Shian would fight him on the matter now - as he always did. With that, he decided to be just a bit underhanded. “Besides, if you take your medicine as the doctor says and return to your room to rest a while, I do believe that Aka-chan is going to bring you some of her amazing treats…” He grinned, tapping the side of his head to indicate a vision. For once, he’d had no vision, but it would be easy enough to go find Aka and ask her to take something up to Shian in a little while.

“Subtlety is a delicate gift you have always possessed, which Ryou has frequently rejoiced in shattering.” That response was a little stiff, though that was entirely due to the pain, rather than to any real annoyance with either of his friends. He grasped the Emperor’s arm for only a moment before he shifted his weight carefully and, as was probably expected, released this means of support, in favor of bracing himself on the wall for another moment or two. “I am perfectly capable of delivering a report in my current state, provided that certain vexatious generals remember that only Hisoka appreciates his insistent, tactile expressions of capriciousness.” In his own, overly wordy way, this was an almost ribald comment, and indicated his distraction… which was quickly overtaken with curiosity at the understanding that something had evidently occurred, during his absence. “Oh? Anything of significance?” His friend was trying to steer him toward the door now, and he scowled faintly. “Shun, you can’t just hint at something like that and expect me to head off and take a nap like you didn’t say anything. Dr. Gensai will keep, and I give you my solemn word that I will avail myself of his services as soon as-” His eyes widened a little at the mention of Aka, and he checked himself carefully before a blush could creep into the tan features. “Akahana? ...why should she bring anything to me? We’ve seen little but each other for over a week. Surely, she’d be off seeking female companionship, for a change.”