月光 (Gekkou; Moonlight)

Chapter 9: Tsurumaru Didn't See Any of This Coming

"Aruji-sama! We have a problem!" Shokudaikiri pants.

Sada looks up at him, putting down their book. "What is it?"

"They came for Mizu," he warns, trying to catch his breath.

Sada leaps to their feet. Ichigo sits up, brushing sand off of his knees. Shokudaikiri raises his eyebrows but asks no questions.

"What's going on?" Ichigo inquires. "Who are 'they'?"

Ookurikara comes face to face with an unnerved Mizu. No one else was seen. Mizu opens her mouth but then abruptly closes it.

"Are you alright?" Ookurikara questions.

She nods, holding up the abalone shell. "This is my sword crest. How the hell did they make this?"

The sun begins to set over the citadel. A Nightingale calls over the dark Japanese Zelkovas. A pot of boiling water sizzles and hisses as the dark-haired Date tachi pours some noodles into it. The Date uchigatana walks past a shoji, stiff as a board. The crane tachi aids the only tachi forged by Yoshimitsu in dealing with a heated argument between some of his brothers. The flashy tantou tries to reason with the drunk Nobunaga blade who's gotten partially passive aggressive. The Saniwa finishes tying the female uchigatana's obi.

The konnosukes gather in the courtyard, the saniwa's konnosuke looking particularly grim. They sit like obedient dogs wanting a treat. The white kitsune bounds forward, shaking his bell. A screen shows up on the floor, and the konnosuke slides back some windows and tabs.

"I was reviewing the vitals of the Saniwa," he reports, "and I came across an anomaly. There were traces of an odd formula of propofol, doxepin, and melatonin (P.D.M.), among another few strange substances."

The konnosukes gasp and share glances with one another. The main konnosuke gives a sharp call for silence. He clears his throat before continuing.

"By my calculations, the P.D.M. was given to them approximately... eight weeks ago."

The konnosukes whisper among each other, ears angled back. Who would do that? Why would someone do that?

Mizu, under the guise of a sakura yukata and kitsune mask, is employed by Shokudaikiri in cutting tomatoes. She works silently alongside Taikogane, who was cutting the radishes. Shokudaikiri deposits the rice into the bowl, steal escaping with snake-like hisses of water. Ookurikara loiters at the edge of the kitchen, waiting for Mizu to come over to him and strike up a conversation. Well, try to start one. However, she made no such effort. Hell, after she finished her kitchen duties, she calmly left the room, but Ookurikara noticed her pursed lips and white knuckles.

"I wonder if aruji-san's life has been conflicted," Shokudaikiri predicts in the silent kitchen. "I've rarely seen her as of late."

"Yeah," Taikogane agrees. "Kara, do you notice anything about aruji-san?"

She has scars on her back that look nasty, along with blue eyes, Ookurikara thinks to himself. "Nothing worth noting."

"That's surprising!" Tsurumaru leans against the wall. "How much time have you spent with aruji-san, Kara-bou?"

The three Dategumi look at Ookurikara. He steps back, shifting his eyes to each of the swords. His body stiffened, and he turns to leave. Quickly.

"It's none of your business, Tsurumaru."

Mizu walks across the veranda, eyes distant. She did not notice the navy-haired tachi sitting with the fern-colored hair tachi. Mizu pauses, biting her lip. Should I tell him?