http://clampfix.fanworks.net/rgv-fix/smile5.txt </head><body><pre>And To See Him Smile Part V A RG Veda Story By Myranda Kalis There was something uniquely soothing about the air in the West, Ashura-ou had long ago decided, something which no other place in the Heavenly Realm could come close to matching. It could be the fact that the Western Realm was farthest from the center of Tenkai, nearly on the edge of the world, and wilder because of it. The lands surrounding Naga-jou were rougher, wilder, less civilized than the heartlands of the Heavenly Realm, and the Sea which was a Realm unto itself spread out on three of its sides. The air was cooler, scented with salt rather than the perfume of too many flowers, and scrubbed clean whatever it passed over the way the waves raked the beaches clean on a calm day. A thousand small islands were scattered just off shore, and a thousand small inlets and lagoons graced the line of the coast, itself as jagged as a mazuko's smile. And, of course, there was no comparison for Naga-jou, particularly not overlarge Zenmi-jou and its occupants. Zenmi-jou, filled though it was with ministers and courtiers and all the apparatus of government, was a home to no one but the Emperor. It was, despite its great beauty, a cold and unwelcoming place. Even Ashura-jou, despite its own splendor, the strange and compelling sights that could be seen through its kekkai, did not soothe him the way Naga-jou did with its simple grace, its unprepossessing size, its feeling of home. He had not, after all, been primarily raised within the confines of Ashura-jou and the Heavenly City, but here, with the members of Nagaina's far-flung and wildly diverse collection of aunts, uncles, cousins, several-times-removed cousins, and not very near at all relations. Ryuu, despite the fact that it had the smallest holding of any, was an enormous Clan, and each of the coastal islands could boast as a resident some member of the royal house. A small home clinging to the bluffs could be the abode of some distant relation. And, at any given moment, one of them could drop by for a brief visit that, knowing the fondness the Ryuu Clan had for its own company, could easily last for several years. Ashura-ou reflected philosophically on this as he sat in the westward-facing pavilion, sipping his breakfast tea and listening with perfectly concealed amusement as Nagaina gave her Aunt Lakshimi thirty good reasons why it was inappropriate for her to marry her aunt's friend's cousin's youngest son. He had to admit to himself, as Nagaina paused for breath and then swung into the twenty-fourth reason, that some of them were very good indeed, wildly creative beyond even his own abilities to dodge the issue of marriage, and this was a virtuoso performance in inspired bachelorhood. "Nagaina, you must listen to reason. The entire clan is concerned-" Lakshimi broke in as Ryuu-ou refreshed her breath again, and Ashura-ou set his cup down and found something more substantial to put in his mouth. Lakshimi's rare turns at speaking inevitably led to her pleas for his intervention against the dangerously headstrong nature of her niece. "The entire clan," Nagaina's eyes flashed and her cheeks suffused with the charming pink she turned when thoroughly enraged, "does not have to marry. I do. And, by the gods, if I do marry, it will be the man of my own choosing." "My Lord Ashura-ou," Lakshimi turned melting dark eyes the color of the sea at sunset on him, and he managed to look simultaneously supportive and unable to speak around the piece of bread he was chewing, "Nagaina. Please-consider what I ask. All you have to do is meet the boy-I am not asking you to carry him off to the garden and ravish him on the spot." Ashura choked, a completely unfeigned choke, and both Lakshimi and Nagaina were forced to call a temporary halt to the hostilities, slapping him enthusiastically between the shoulders until he could breathe normally again. "Nagaina," he managed to croak after a moment of silent recovery time, "perhaps you should meet-what was the young lord's name again?" "Duryea," Lakshimi supplied helpfully. "Perhaps you should meet him, if only to set the minds of your concerned people to rest?" Ashura's tone was sweetness itself, the look that Ryuu gave him could have stripped ten inches of barnacles from a ship's hull. "It will not kill you, Nagaina." Lakshimi's tone was considerably less sweet, though not hard enough to be considered an actual command. Caught between the two, Ryuu could do nothing but cross her arms and mutter into her chest, "All right. Bring him. But if he brings me any gifts and begins speaking as though the betrothal agreement is all but signed, I am throwing him in the lagoon and using him for spear-fishing practice." Lakshimi smiled a demure but triumphant smile and leaned across the low table to place a motherly kiss on Ryuu's cheek. "Thank you, Naga-chan. You will not regret this. My Lord." She bowed from the shoulders to Ashura-ou and rose in a fall of emerald silk, striding away in a graceful yet determined manner down the path toward the main hall of Naga-jou. "I regret it already. And some help you are!" Had it not been beneath her dignity, she would have thrown one of the cushions they were lounging on at him, he was certain of it. "It would serve them all right if I ran off and had a flaming affair with some fisherman's son, begot an heir, and never married!" Ashura, a sip of tea half-way down his throat, had a sudden flash of exactly whom Nagaina would marry and made a sound half-way between a strangled gasp and burst of helpless laughter, and ended up choking again. Nagaina's hard little hand came down between his shoulderblades with force sufficient to dislodge a lung. "One day, Ashura, we will managed to sit down to table and nothing anyone says will cause you to choke on your meal." "_And the world will end later that same day," Ashura completely wryly, dabbing his lips dry with a napkin. "You have no idea how much I have missed the simple joys of a meal with your family, Nagaina." "Having been forced to sit through the same number of state dinners as you, my brother, I know exactly how much you have missed it." She patted his hand fondly, and smiled. "Now, are you not glad you came with me?" "Exceedingly," Ashura admitted. "I thought as much-my wedding-happy relatives notwithstanding." A pair of young voices rang up from the expanse of laboriously cultivated garden below, attracting their attention to Nagaina's two (youngest) nephews, Seiryuu and Hyakuryuu, where they played some game that appeared to principally involve them trying to bludgeon one another senseless. For just an instant, Nagaina's face softened, an almost wistful look coming into her eyes. "One day_it will be nice to have a son or daughter to call my own. But not now." Ashura closed his eyes quickly, his nails digging into his palm until the pain banished the half-formed vision dancing before his eyes. I do not want to know! Nagaina's hand rested over his own, and he started slightly, eyes flying to her face, etched with open concern. "You saw something." A crooked half-smile curled his mouth. "I did. It was nothing. Truly, Nagaina." "'Nothing' does not normally make that look come to your face," Her tone was low and gentle, "but I will choose to believe you for now-since we have had more than enough harassment for one morning. What are your plans for today?" "Actually, I was thinking of doing-absolutely nothing! Again! Well, perhaps I will distract your father from the expectant husband search with a game of wasp and lotus_I have not, after all, had a chance to sit and play quietly with him since we came." The word that Ryuu-ou was returning home to Naga-jou in the company of Ashura-ou had made the rounds of rumor in Zenmi-jou at close to the speed of thought, and from thence it had traveled to every town, village, farmstead, and freeholding between Zenmi-jou and the Western Realm. Their journey had thusly been slowed by at least several days, since everyone that had ever harbored the slightest trace of curiosity about either of them had turned out to give their greetings, offer their hospitality, and generally display as much gratitude as could be given while they pounded by on horseback. Nagaina, after several days of the "run from them and they will get the point" tactics, had finally signaled surrender and begun accepting the adulation that was her due as one of the greatest warriors of the Heavenly Realm. Their delays on the road, unfortunately, had also given the Ryuu Clan itself an opportunity to prepare for their sovereign lady's return-preparations which had included an enormous feast, a rather lusty party afterwards, and upwards of a thousand guests-only half of which were actual relatives. The other half, it seemed, were all suitors and Nagaina, true to her word, had hidden behind him until a substantial portion of them had gotten the hint and gone home, to await future attempts at storming the battlements of her considerable resolve. Quiet time for relaxation had, for the first few days of the visit, been at an all-time premium in Naga-jou. "Father will love you if you do-he has half the servants and a third of the relatives convinced that that old wound of his will kill him before I give him a grandchild, and the other half and two-thirds convinced his mind is finally going. I am relying on you to convince them all otherwise." Ryuu rose, straightening the hem of her sea blue tunic. "And where are you going?" "I am going to find a fisherman's son." Ashura's helpless laughter accompanied her down the path. Taishakuten smiled as the first hint of salty air reached him-the air of the Western Realm had a distinctive scent to it, one that he had appreciated during the brief time he had spent there several years before, one which he could easily grow accustomed to. Far more easily, he realized, than he ever could to Zenmi-jou, no matter how pleasant the Heavenly City might otherwise be. His heart would always long for open spaces rather than the confinement of protective walls, and the Western Realm certainly did not lack in that area, with its unfathomed sea, and islands jutting from the foam like teeth from the jaw of some enormous leviathan. "I could learn to like it here." His elderly servant, clinging tenaciously to the saddle of his somewhat smaller horse, nobly refrained from observing that Taishakuten could feel comfortable with all four limbs amputated and a mazuko witch-priestess gnawing on his innards if it meant he could see Ashura-ou on a regular basis. Instead, he murmured quietly, "Ryuu-ou rules over a kingdom of rare beauty. Listen to the birds_." Seabirds singing were not usually Taishakuten's favorite sounds, but for some reason the raucous calls of the cliff-dwelling creatures didn't grate today. He picked up the lead of his servant's horse and guided it carefully after his own down the trail lining the bluff, smiling as the wind whipped his hair, the lowering sun glinting off the waves. The last few weeks, he was forced to admit, glancing over his shoulder at the old man, hunched over the neck of his horse, cloak wrapped tightly around his thin body, had not exactly been easy on him, accustomed to camp life though he was. The old man had not been forced to make time in the way they had for decades, and the winter had been hard on him as well, though he would never admit it. Taishakuten harbored a quiet hope that the sea air would help him recover from the illness that still lingered, for the healers had assured him before he had left the north that sea air was the best cure for ailments of the lungs. Neatly dovetailing all of his objectives was the fact that Ryuu-ou was a sitting member of the Emperor's council of advisors, and Ashura-ou was in Naga-jou; for all intents and purposes, he could not have made all of this fall together better if he had planned it himself and, he strongly suspected, someone, somewhere, had planned it. They had stayed at a traveler's hostel the night before, the first real beds they had slept in in literally months, and Taishakuten had spoken with the innkeeper, consulted the milestones, and plotted over his own maps to make absolutely certain of the distance to their destination. One more day, perhaps less, and they would also be in Naga-jou, where, at the very least, he would request a place of honor for his old servant to retire, and would, in all likelihood, ask for far more before he was done. It was, Ryuu-ou thought, an exceedingly pretty day, even for the West. The sky was perfectly clear without a trace of cloud to disturb the pristine arch of crystal blue above her, and the sun shone down with a warmth that made summer's nearness quite completely known. The wind was off the land, playing in her short auburn hair like the fingers of her mother's lady-maids had when she was much younger, and someone was laboring under the delusion that she might yet become a Proper Young Lady. Laughter echoed up from the terraced gardens and pavilions below her rooms, the children of nobles and servants alike playing among the flowering plants and lush grass and tide-pools and sandy strands. She wished, with a sudden intensity, to be down among them with her does off and sand between her toes, with her best friend catching fingerfish from the pools and running across the wet sand in an effort to out-pace the waves. A sudden, intense desire seized her to invade Ashura's chambers, drag him from whatever he was doing, and haul him somewhere far away from Naga-jou, at least for the day-a desire nearly as intense as the one that had seized her to bring him here in the first place. Her breath hissed through her teeth as, thoroughly annoyed with herself and her wordless premonitions, she turned away from the screened window and roared for her secretary. The deeply harassed young man materialized immediately, catching sight of his sovereign's incomparable form through the filmy blue-green material of her night robe, and hastily averted his eyes before his thoughts became visible on his cheeks. "What must I do today?" She demanded, dropping her robe to the floor and spinning to her wardrobe, to the horror of her waiting maidservants. Fortunately for him, the secretary's eyes were still glued to the floor. "Your Highness' is scheduled to attend a meeting of the Clan elders this morning and to rule on several matters of their concern, including the Twin Islands' petition concerning their fishing rights, which has been waiting several months with no resolution in sight." Ryuu-ou twitched; there went the morning. The Lords of the Twin Islands were, as the name implied, twin brothers who had, according to their mother, fought through every moment of their stay in her womb and had not stopped fighting in all the days since. She was inclined to agree, since she had never seen the two of them exchange a more than half-cordial word in all the years that she'd known them, and each of them could find fault and argue over the smallest things. "You are taking the midday meal with your father and Ashura-ou." That was slightly better. Father, whom had been claiming his death was near ever since she had rejected her first suitor, had made a miraculous recovery in the presence of Ashura and was once again thudding about Naga-jou as thought he could easily live another thousand years with no trouble at all. "And this evening you are taking the late dinner hour with Lord Duryea." "Gods help me," Ryuu-ou mourned aloud, as her maidservants rapidly went about assembling her morning costume and then placing it on her. "What possessed me-" "Your Highness!" Ryuu-ou, the secretary, and the maidservants all turned to the door, Ryuu-ou, for modesty's sake, finishing lacing her tunic closed before the young soldier hovering their could die of shock. "A guest has arrived-he is waiting at the gates and craves an audience with you." "Have all the morning petitioners already arrived?" Ryuu-ou asked her secretary in a low tone, to which she received a nod of affirmation. "Who is this guest, subaltern?" The guard seemed to be having some difficulty getting the words out around whatever obstruction was sitting in his throat. Ryuu-ou waited, patiently for her, and he finally managed, "He gives his name as Raijin Taishakuten, Your Highness." "Raijin Taishakuten?" Ryuu-ou's first maid gasped, dropping the article of clothing she held unnoticed. "The God of Lightning?" The second maid amplified, too well trained to leave her place at Ryuu-ou's side-though it was a very close race between passionate curiosity and duty. "Taishakuten is here?" Ryuu-ou's tone was strained and silenced all secondary comments. "He is at the gates, Your Highness." "And he craves an audience with me?" "He has said it, Your Highness." "The gods." Ryuu-ou waved her maids and secretary from the room, the gate-guard hovering at the door as she paced rapidly from one side of the room to the other, kicking obstacles out of her way as she went. "Has Ashura-ou been informed?" "Not by myself, Your Highness. I came directly to you." The guard looked as though he would dearly love to be anywhere else. Ryuu-ou stopped in her tracks, her mind racing something less than coolly. "Subaltern, find Ashura-ou and ask him to meet me in the eastern antechamber of the audience hall. Then go to the gates and escort Raijin Taishakuten to the western antechamber. Make certain that he is treated with all courtesy and suitably refreshed from his journey. I will receive his petition directly." The guard saluted sharply and disappeared at a semi-dignified trot in the direction of Ashura's quarters. I somehow knew, Ryuu-ou thought as she stripped off her presentational clothing and reached for her armor, that today was not going to be my day. "Taishakuten is here?" It somehow soothed Ryuu-ou's temper to hear those self-same words from Ashura-ou himself A part of her had suspected that he might not react in such a way to that news, might simply smile his most inscrutable smile at her, and make her want to throttle him for failing to mention it days before. "My words." "Do you know why he has come?" Ashura's tone was low and taut, his golden eyes nearly over-bright, and Ryuu-ou wondered, not for the first time, what he was thinking. "He has requested an audience with me," Ryuu-ou informed him as soothingly as she could. "I will find out then. He did not come with half his army to dance attendance, however. One servant, I am given to understand, and a few pack animals, but otherwise alone and unattended." "I think he only has one servant," Ashura-ou observed wryly. "Knowing the Raijin that is probably the truth. I can send him away, if you wish it." She gripped his hands tightly and looked earnestly into his eyes. "I do not want you to be uncomfortable here, and if his presence would make you so-" "It would be a great injustice, Nagaina, if you sent him away unheard." He raised her hands to his lips. "The Raijin does not make me uncomfortable, my sister." "I will hear his petition, then." She opened the door, peered both ways down the corridor outside, and drew him out after her. "If you wish to watch, hide yourself behind the screens near my throne. It may be interesting for both of us to know what the Raijin seeks, from his own words." </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>