WAP 17 A Noble Visit and Charm Reduction Services

“Girls, wait on the cushions. Fumiko, Hana, with me. Kakuzu-san, please watch their retainers.” Aiko turned to the last person waiting for instructions. “Pretend not to be here,” she said bluntly.

Izuna mimed receiving a wound. She ignored him and went out to meet the extremely nervous courtier who had come to pay his respects. She could feel Izuna move to obey her, a little sulky but not protesting. He slipped through the woods behind her shrine and circled around to approach a house. She stopped paying attention to him then, because she had reached her guest.

“Modachi-san,” she said, because she wanted to see how he’d react to the disrespect. She could feel Hana flinch at her shoulder.

The old man bowed low, lower than etiquette demanded for anyone but the Daimyo. “Priestess. This one has come to declare piety and ask for forgiveness.”

Fair enough, Aiko decided. If seeing Hell open up wasn’t enough to inspire religious sincerity, nothing would. She gestured for him to straighten. “The former lord lost the mandate of heaven, but you may have nothing to atone for.”

He winced. That might mean he was afraid of her finding out something he’d done. It might also just mean that he was very desirous of her good opinion. Aiko invited him into the shrine.

Modachi was one of the most important people in the country. She knew that, because Izuna had known his name off-hand and rattled off Ministerial titles the man had held over the decades. He should have been arrogant and annoying. The courtiers she’d met as a Konoha soldier always had been puffed up and confident.

He was humble. It might have been genuine.

Either way, she had Fumiko serve him tea, listened to his careful politeness, and accepted when he promised a gift of art for her shrine.

“A statue of Izanami-no-Mikoto,” Aiko said. “I am not concerned with the material. I am as pleased with wood as with gold. However, it must convey her majesty and mercy.”

Modachi accepted that without any pushback or surprise. It was a little funny, given that Modachi hadn’t yet seen much mercy from the church of Izanami.

The whole visit was done and Modachi sent on his way before the afternoon.

Izuna slipped into place at her side as if he hadn’t been tucked away in a villager’s house for safekeeping. Aiko glanced down to see dirt under his fingernails. Hana gave him a withering look.

…Maybe he’d kept busy by working in their garden.

“Grandmother Kasumi has a lot of radishes,” he said, when he saw the direction of her eyes. “Behind her lovely home.”

That explained it. Aiko hummed her acknowledgement. “I want to train.” She started walking to the forest. “Fight me?”

“I think that Kakuzu-san might do me bodily harm,” Izuna said silkily. But he fell in step behind her.

“You’ll endure his displeasure bravely.” Aiko stretched her hands in front of her as she walked. “I have faith in you.”

“I don’t think I’m needed for this,” Fumiko said. Her voice was a bit dry. “I will tend to the acolytes. Should they have lessons today?”

Aiko thought about it. “Yes, they should start a routine. Thank you, Hana, Fumiko.”

“Don’t thank me, priestess,” Hana begged. “I want to watch the fight.” Her eyes drifted over to Izuna in a mildly predatory anticipation.

Fumiko made a disapproving sound. But when Aiko didn’t protest, she left without more than a sigh for her cousin.

“We aren’t actually fighting,” Izuna said confidently.

Aiko didn’t answer.

He stopped walking. “Priestess?”

“I’m better than you,” Aiko said calmly.

It took him a few moments to recognize that as pre-fight taunting. He let out a surprised laugh and then caught up to her. “Is it disrespectful if I disagree?” He darted in front of her and swiveled so that he was walking backwards, facing her. He tilted his head. “God and my brother should help me if this is wrong, but I’ll kick a holy ass if I need to.”

Hana made a gasp that probably meant genuine disapproval.

“You won’t have a chance,” Aiko taunted sweetly. “For your safety, we’ll do taijutsu only.”

She felt the confusion as he looked down at her, cataloging the obvious difference in their size and wondering if she was making some kind of joke. She stifled her smile and met his eyes.

‘There really weren’t many kunoichi in this time,’ she remembered. There were a few famous names- Senju Toka, Uzumaki Mito, Hyuuga Karin– but they were outliers. The Uchiha certainly didn’t train their women for more than self defense at this time period. ‘He’s probably never fought a woman who isn’t using a naginata. He doesn’t know that size isn’t everything.’

“As you say,” Izuna decided. She respected him a little more for not trying to convince her against it. “You know yourself better than I do.”

“The Priestess is strong,” Hana said loyally.

Aiko cut her a sideways glance and wondered if Mayumi had talked to her. “Thank you, Hana.”

They reached a spot that was isolated enough to work. Aiko shooed Hana off to a viewing distance that should be safe enough to stay out of their play fight. “Izuna-san, give me a moment, if you don’t mind.”

He made an obliging sound. She took the time to tie her sleeves back and to bind down the ends of her pants so that the excess fabric didn’t impede her movement. She could fight as she was, of course, but there was a reason that her preferred gear was minimal and tight-fitting. “Are you ready?” she asked, checking her range of motion.

“Yes,” Izuna said, and then he sputtered when she darted forward to smack him on the face.

Hana let out a peal of delighted laughter.

It had been a playful tap, not painful, so he recovered quickly and caught her wrist. She darted to his side, forcing the hand holding her to cross his body and pull his balance, and then did a sweeping kick backwards at his ankle.

He managed to stay upright, but he had to let go of her hand to do it. He huffed  in surprise. There was some real force in the punch he aimed at her ribs. Aiko dropped low to avoid it and came up in a roll, but she appreciated that he was taking her seriously.

He’d already turned around, eyes on her.

Red eyes, she noted.

He was fast. Aiko respected that.

She stayed low and did a sweeping kick, ready to swivel onto her left hand and kick upwards if he went up instead of to the side.

The speed made sense. He’d grown up fighting Tobirama, one of the fastest men in history. He’d have been dead long before adulthood if he hadn’t been keeping up.

Izuna jumped over and into her next kick. He went with the force, using it as a boost to his jump. He let out a surprised laugh at how high he went.

“Hit him in the face!” Hana heckled.

Aiko shot her unrepentant acolyte a disturbed look. Were civilians always that violent, deep down? She hit Izuna in the nose just to see how Hana reacted.

There was a cracking sound. Izuna let out a muffled shriek and fled into the trees.

Hana whooped joyously.

“Huh,” Aiko said, and went after her opponent, who was suddenly having a lot less fun.

They didn’t spar for much longer before Izuna begged off, piteously clutching at his bleeding nose. “I’m going to bruise,” he moaned.

“Yes, that was the point,” Aiko said, smug. She checked her nails for breaks. “Not going to be so cute, are you?” She hadn’t actually planned to do that, but it would probably take off the pressure from his flirtations. Even Izuna couldn’t schmooze her through a black eye.

He gave her such a delighted look that she knew she’d made a misstep.