Chapter 5 - Breaking In

Izumi pov:

"Are you sure you're going to be okay sleeping by yourself, Izumi?" Mira san asked worried as we stood outside my room doors.

"I'll be fine, Mira san. I've been through much worse – a couple of cuts won't bother me." I stressed, eager for her to her leave so I could check up on the boy in my room. Mira san worrying about everyone was really nice of her and even motherly but I preferred not to be bothered sometimes. And now was one of those times.

"Alright....if that's what you feel. But you can wake us up if you need anything during the night, okay? You didn't even tell us what happened clearly so we're worried." She said and took a hold of one of my hands in hers.

"Yeah, we were worried alright! What the heck do you think you were doing getting involved in something dangerous by yourself?!"

I looked to the side upon hearing an angry voice and heavy footsteps only to see Haruko walking towards us. He was glaring and I mentally groaned, preparing myself to receive a scolding session from him. And that meant I was going to be stalled even more from going into my room any time soon.

"I said I'm sorry! I would have called you but you'd already gone into the restaurant! If I was even a minute late, the boy could have really got hurt so I had to go by myself!" I stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, so now it's my fault, huh? You didn't call me because you thought that I was being a lazy ass who thought eating was more important than saving someone's life?!" He snapped back.

"I didn't say that! I just meant that I had to act quickly and I didn't get the chance to call you. Why is everyone making a big deal out of this anyway? I saved a boy, I did something good and just got a few scratches on my arms and legs – so what? The main thing is that I'm fine, right?" I hollered, now feeling a little annoyed.

That's right, I had told them that I had saved an 'innocent' boy's life earlier this evening and the assailants who were trying to kill the boy had rewarded me with the scratched on my arms and legs. I had told them that I had returned the boy to his home and his family thanked me and said they would take care of his injuries themselves. I'm sure things would get very tense if I told them that I had no idea who the boy was and that I had brought him home, treated his injuries and let him rest in my room.

Both Mira san and Haruko were silent for a moment as they watched me after my short outburst. Haruko was the first to break the silence with a deep sigh. He looked to the side while putting one hand on his hip and ruffling his hair with the other. He let out another short sigh and then looked back at me calmly – well calmer than before anyway.

"Look Izumi....I know that everyone who lives here aren't really related to each other and we have no right to tell them what to do and what not to do. But we all live here as a family. And you are one of us – you are an important member of our family and that's why we're worried. If it was a simple matter or a small scuffle where you ended up with a busted lip or something, we wouldn't have worried. But this...." He said while waving a hand over my body and the cuts visible on them. "This isn't small....these are wounds from a katana, not from a hand to hand fight. Going against people with weapons isn't a small matter – it's dangerous and who knows who the people you fought against are? What if they were the Blood Emperor's samurai assassins? Forget about Crimson Rose; what if they come back to hurt you?"

"Haruko is right, dear. We just don't want anything bad to happen to you." Mira san added gently.

I felt a sharp sting in my chest at their words. It was out of guilt. I knew that they worried for me but I didn't know that I, a stranger they had welcomed a mere month ago, was seen as someone so important. The last time I felt this kind of emotional attachment from someone was when I was with Grandma and honestly, I found it very gratifying. I saw the genuine concern in their eyes and I felt angry at myself for trying to sound like what happened to me wasn't any of their business. In some ways, these people sort of reminded me of Juri san, Obachan, Teddy and everyone else who I worked with. I shouldn't have yelled at them for worrying about my wellbeing.

"I...." I started but paused to find the right words to say. "I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean to sound rude in any way. I'm truly glad that you're worried for me but I never thought that I was seen as a part of your family. I've never really had any sort of attachment to anyone before and....I guess I just didn't see how much I was being cared for. I'm sorry and....thank you."

Haruko laughed at my words and ruffled my head harshly enough to make my hair stick up on the sides. I swatted his hand away with a playful glare and set my hair before giving him an apologetic and thankful smile.

"We can understand that this must be new to you – after all, this is the first time we've had someone as young as you move into the dormitory without a family. It must have been tough being alone all these years." Haruko said.

"Actually, it wasn't all that tough. I had a lot of friends I could depend on and who sort of looked out for me. It wasn't as lonely as it seems." I said with a shrug.

"If you were traveling with friends, how come you didn't come to Sei'an with them?" Haruko asked and I mentally cursed at my slip-up.

If I had said the same thing to anyone in my world, they wouldn't have asked this question. After all, everyone in the modern world was independent and had their families to take care of. But in this world, in the Edo Period Japan which most people here called Nihon, people always traveled in groups to stay safe from bandits or other possible life threatening situations during their journey. No one would believe me if I said I traveled alone, especially since I just said that I was in the company of close friends.

"We split up some way through our journey." I lied smoothly, quite used to handling conversations and situations as they came. "I wanted to come to Sei'an so I split from the group and joined the caravan that was headed here. Those of the caravan weren't as friendly as those of my previous travel group though."

"Hmmm....it must have been a tough decision for you to leave your wandering group and settle down in the Capital." Haruko said with a slow nod of his head.

"Uh, sort of, I guess." I said halfheartedly.

I suppose I could say I did miss hanging out with my PDST gang but I wasn't exactly the attach-y kind of girl. I didn't feel attached to anyone enough to think it's the end of the world if we happened to lose contact with each other. I just accepted that I wouldn't see them again and walked forward with my head held high. But perhaps I did feel a little upset that I had lost contact with Juri san....she was one person I considered closest to me, being my guardian and a sort of aunt figure.

"I'm sure they're missing you too but don't get too sad about it, okay? Because you have me." Haruko teased with a wink making me deadpan at him.

"Right....I feel so honored to have you as my friend, oh great Crimson Rose brat." I said and dramatically bowed with a hand on my chest.

"Brat?!" Haruko yelled, also being dramatically insulted. "You're the brat! Don't you know that I'm older than you? Show some respect to your seniors!"

"As you say, My Liege." I bowed again and we all broke out into chuckles.

"It's good to see that your mood is better now, Izumi dear." Mira san said with a smile. "We should all get to bed now; it's quite late. So you'll be okay by yourself, right?"

"Yes. I'll be fine. I'll call you guys if there's something I need." I answered with an amused smile.

"Okay then, goodnight. Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Haruko teased and I rewarded him with a punch on his arm.

"Hope they bite you!" I teased back earning a laugh.

After another word of goodnight wishes, Haruko and Mira san headed to their respective rooms. I stayed in the corridor for a few moments to make sure there was no one else around to peep into my room and see the boy sleeping in my futon as I opened the door to go inside. When I was sure that the coast was clear, I headed into my room, shut the door and locked it. I leaned back against the door for a moment with a sigh and closed my eyes, exhausted both mentally and physically from everything that had happened today. A good night's sleep was sure to do wonders on my aching body and mind....but where do I sleep? With the boy using the futon, I could only sleep on the hard floor with nothing more than a straw mat as a cushion.

I groaned and let my head fall sideways in slight frustration. Nothing was going my way today....

"I'm sorry."

I snapped my eyes open and my head up upon hearing the unexpected apology. I blinked dumbly for a moment as I met the boy's chocolate brown gaze. He was still lying on the futon and under the blanket but he had turned his head slightly so he could look at me. I straightened up and rubbed the back of my neck suddenly awkward.

"Uh....good to see that you're awake. But what are you sorry for?" I asked stupidly.

"You git hurt while saving me, I intruding on your home, received free hopitality and caused you to argue with your family." He answered weakly.

"Oh....um, you don't have to worry about any of that. I was the one who took it upon myself to help you and as for the argument I had just now....it's complicated." I said shrugging.

"I see...." The boy said and lowered his gaze.

"By the way, how do you feel? And how long were you awake?" I asked and walked closer to him. I took a seat on the floor next to him and met his gaze again.

"I'm afraid I cannot say that I feel alright. I am in pain – it is as if I have been beaten with a thousand clubs and crushed under a boulder. But I am alive....it is thanks to you that I am alive and I am truly grateful and indebted to you."

I raised a brow at his way of talking. What's with the extra formal language and weird descriptions?? I wonder if he was a kid from a really rich aristocratic family. Maybe the polished way of speaking was a result of aristocratic etiquette.

"You don't have to feel all that indebted, you know? I just did...."

"But I'm afraid...." He cut me off. "I'm afraid that I have caused problems not only to you but to your family as well. Those men who attacked me must be looking for you. It will only be a matter of time before they find you, your home, your family and kill you all just because you saved my life. And then....they will come after me once again. They will not give up until I have been killed."

"They won't find me or the people I live with. You don't have to worry about them finding you either – you're well hidden." I said smiling.

"No....we must leave this place immediately! If they find us, they will bring all of their men and will not spare even a single life! Everyone will be killed without even the slightest clue of what truly happened!" He said fearfully, going as pale as a ghost.

"You shouldn't underestimate us, you know? We're good at fighting too. Besides...."

"No!" He cried. "You shouldn't underestimate them! They are dangerous! They are powerful assassins that even the Blood Emperor's men haven't been able to confront equally till now! They will kill all of us! We must leave from here!"

He pushed up on his elbows in an attempt to get up but gasped and fell back onto the mattress with his eyes shut tightly in pain. He placed a hand on the wound on his torso and took heavy, uneven breaths, even coughing a few times causing a think trickle of blood down his chin.

"Hey kid, relax. They won't find us. I had my face covered when I fought the men so they won't be able to recognize me even if they see me again." I said and placed a hand on his shoulder to make sure that he didn't try to get up again. He tensed under my touch for a moment but then relaxed into the mattress tiredly.

"You had your face covered?" He asked and let out a deep relieved sigh. "Thank the heavens...."

"Okay, since we have that worry out of the way, can you tell me who you are and where you're from? I can contact your family and have them take you back. I can't keep you here for long – Hanzaki san won't be happy having an uninvited guest, especially if he's someone who could cause trouble for us." I said, not really bothered that I sounded rude.

He flinched slightly at my sharp request and then turned his head to look away from me uneasily. I noticed him clench his fist and hold the blanket tightly in his hands. He didn't answer my question and I narrowed my eyes just a bit understanding from his silence that there was something big going on here. Something big and complicated.

"I....I'm sorry." He mumbled before looking back at me hesitantly. "I know that it may be a burden to you to help me any more than what you already have but....can I ask for just one more help from you?"

I nodded slowly, unsure of what to expect to hear from him. He made a move to try and sit up again and I helped him by supporting him with a hand on his back. I gave him a few moments to settle in a comfortable sitting position, leaning back against the wall with the pillow supporting his back.

"I'm afraid it will be impossible for me to go back on my own and even if you went to my home and requested someone to escort me back, they will only see you as suspicious and may even harm you. It may also gain too much attention to your family...."

"So you're saying that I have to personally escort you home?" I asked, not hiding the hint of displeasure I felt.

I mean, why should I bother helping this boy get home anyway? It's nice enough of me to save him while risking my safety and treating his wounds without any other person here knowing about it and honestly, I don't think I had any obligation to do so in the first place. I did it on a whim and now he was exploiting my generosity, expecting me to take him back to his home myself? I knew I shouldn't have brought a random stranger home....what was I thinking??

"A-ah, I-I apologize for sounding so demanding....but t-there really isn't any other way I think is plausible." He stuttered and looked at the space in front of him uncomfortably.

"There isn't any other way, huh? What makes you say that? Ah wait....it must be because you're some really rich kid. Aristocrats always treat those lower than them unfairly and you're worried that your family will assume that I was the one who hurt you and punish me even though I brought you back to them in one piece. And what's the deal with you and the Blood Emperor? The men who were attacking you mentioned something about getting rid of whatever was useful to the Blood Emperor." I said now getting impatient.

"Actually....I, um...." He hesitated again before giving a defeated sigh. "I am the Blood Emperor's younger brother....I am a prince of Nihon and fifth in line to the throne."

It took a moment for the information to sink in. I stared at him blankly before widening my eyes in sheer surprise. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing besides incoherent syllables escaped from my lips. I pursed my lips and closed my eyes while rubbing them with my fingers. After I felt like I was composed enough to speak properly, I looked at the boy who was watching me tentatively.

"So you're a prince....you're the Blood Emperor's younger brother." I more so stated and received a slow nod from the boy.

I exhaled deeply and covered my face with my hands, rubbing my eyes and temples while feeling stress build up between my brows. "So I just saved a prince who was about to be killed, probably for some complicated political reasons and now he's asking me to take him back to the palace. I sure got myself tangled in a crappy situation, didn't I?"

"U-um....I-I deeply apologize. I did not mean to cause y-you any trouble."

I removed my hands from my face to look at him and cringed upon seeing the expression he had on his face. He was looking down, his brows furrowed, his jaw clenched and tears running down his cheeks. His shoulders trembled and he sniffled every now and then.

I rubbed the back of my head with a groan. I had not only got myself involved in something unnecessary but now I was feeling responsible for taking care of this boy until the very end. I never gave up on missions halfway no matter how dangerous they got or no matter what obstacle I had to overcome and I felt the same even now. I had poked my nose into this first so I had no right to blame the boy for anything, let alone him asking me to help him back to the palace. I just had to assume that I had done a good thing by saving his life and find some way to get him back to the palace without being caught. As he had said, seeing the injured prince with me could stir up serious trouble that I definitely wanted to avoid getting into.

"Alright alright....stop your waterworks. I'll take you back to the palace somehow. Are you happy now?" I muttered.

"R-really? S-so I can trust you?" He asked with a small hopeful smile through his tears.

I cringed again and mentally scolded myself for being such a wuss when it came to kids and their crying. Ugh, I was so sure that Juri san and Obachan calling this as my weakness was a hundred percent right.

"Yeah yeah, you can trust me. I'll take you back to the palace but I'm going to need you to cooperate with me. I'm not risking my life over anything and I'm not going to listen to any of you tantrums that could possibly ruin my chances of a safe escape after dropping you off."

"Y-yes! I understand!" He accepted seeming a little surprised at my sharp instructions.

I doubt he was used to anyone speaking even the slightest bit harshly towards him since he is a prince. But to me, he was just like any other kid I had dealt with in modern Tokyo. He seemed timid and I had a feeling that he wouldn't cause much of a fuss about listening to my instructions. He was desperate to get back to the palace where he would be safe – I could tell from the look in his eyes – and I'm sure he was willing to do anything to make sure it happened soon.

"Can you walk or do your injuries hurt too much?" I asked and stood up while heading to the cupboard. I rummaged through my clothes before pulling out a dark blue haori and a pair of black leggings and a matching black obi.

"I don't think I can walk, let alone get up by myself...." The prince said and winced when he tried to get up.

"That's fine. I'll just carry you. You're pretty thin so I don't think that you weigh too much. I'm going to change into this to make sure I'm not clearly visible to anyone when we get close to the palace and you should change into the clothes I've give you too. The ones you're wearing now are too thick, heavy and bloodstained."

I walked out of my room and to one of the store rooms close by. I changed quickly before returning to my room to find the prince trying to put on Haruko's haori with great difficulty. He had put on the pants on his own – which I was glad for – and I helped him with the haori and obi. I made sure that the obi wasn't too tight and wouldn't worsen the injury on his torso. I also helped him into a cloak that covered his whole body and his head. I then strapped my dagger onto my waist and crouched in front of the prince.

"Get on my back. This is the easiest way to carry you." I said. He nodded and wrapped his arms around my neck hesitantly before letting me take a hold of his legs and stand up.

"Are you comfortable?" I asked while glancing back at him.

He hummed out in a positive response following which I proceeded to walk out of my room, out of the dormitory and onto the dark deserted streets of Sei'an. It was well past midnight and everyone was asleep; well, everyone except for a few soldiers who were patrolling the main streets. I looked around and at the rooftops once to make sure that no one was hiding there to spy on us. I then sprinted into the alley on the side and made my way through the small streets towards the palace, unseen by the soldiers.

"By the way, I didn't get your name." I said after a few moments of walking, finding the silence between us tense and awkward.

"O-oh, my name is Shichiro."

"Shichiro, huh? What's your brother's name? The Blood Emperor, I mean?" I asked as I stopped at the end of an alley and looked out at the three soldiers hurrying though the street.

"Search this area thoroughly! Do not let even one house be left uninspected!" Of the soldiers commanded and the others voiced out words of agreement. I narrowed my eyes, picking up on their motive – they were probably looking for Prince Shichiro.

"I-I don't think I should tell you that....the names of royalty are usually kept secret from the common folk for reasons I am not yet aware of. I told you my name but I don't know if it's alright for me to tell you Onii sama's name...." Prince Shichiro said uneasily.

"Consider it as payment for saving your life." I said with an amused chuckle. "I'm not asking you for any money or special services for what I'm doing even though I have every right to. Telling me the Blood Emperor's name isn't asking much, is it? Besides, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone about meeting you or getting to know the Blood Emperor's name."

Prince Shichiro was silent for a moment. I assumed that my persuasion hadn't worked and he wasn't going to tell me the Blood Emperor's name. I suppose it wasn't a big deal anyway – I had asked the question just out of curiosity. I wondered whether members of royalty all had flashy and powerful names just like the great emperors I had read about in history. Shichiro sounded like royalty so I was just mildly curious about the Blood Emperor's name too.

"Onii sama's name is R-Ryuusei." He finally answered and I glanced back at him curiously. Why did he stutter and sound nervous when saying his brother's name?

The name did sound kind of powerful. I wondered how old he was and how he looked. Was he a young and good looking emperor or an old, tubby and balding kind of guy? I mean, Prince Shichiro was about twelve years old and he mentioned that he is fifth in line to the throne so the Blood Emperor had to be much older, right? Ah, what does it matter to me anyway? I doubt I was ever going to see him, let alone meet him. It was a miracle I even got a chance to save someone of the royal family.

"That's a nice name too, I suppose. Are you afraid of your brother? I noticed you stuttered when you said his name." I casually continued our conversation.

"W-well....Onii sama is...." He spoke meekly while tightening his hold on my shoulders. "Onii sama is a little scary."

"Scary?" I pressed, mildly intrigued.

"N-not very scary! But a little scary....he's kind, much too kind to me in particular, and always strives for Nihon to be prosperous but when he's angry or unhappy about something, he can be very violent. I do not wish to make him angry or misuse the kindness he shows to me....perhaps telling his name just now wasn't right. I feel like I did something terribly wrong." Prince Shichiro said and buried his face in my back.

I rolled my eyes, quite certain that our friendly conversation had come to an end, and looked ahead. It's just a name....what was this kid getting so worked up about anyway?

We were very close to the palace now and the ten feet high compound wall was just beyond the house behind which we were hiding. Fire torches, having been fixed at equal intervals on the compound wall, lit up the pathway surrounding the palace's periphery. There were soldiers standing guard with a spacing of about twenty feet from each other making no place for us to sneak in. I wasn't ready to let any of the guards see me with this prince and end up being taken into custody and yet I had to find some way to get into the palace grounds and leave him somewhere safe from any more harm.

"Hey Prince, is there any blind spot around the palace? Some place where soldiers won't be guarding?" I asked in a hushed whisper without taking my eyes off of the soldiers.

"I don't think so....Onii sama always has soldiers standing guard around the whole palace. I haven't seen the whole palace though to be aware of that."

"You haven't seen the whole palace? Why not? I mean, it is your house so you should know where everything is, right?" I asked mildly surprised.

"I-it's very big and I haven't had enough time to see the whole place." He answered though I had a feeling that there was something he wasn't telling me. Palace secrets I guess.

"Whatever....looks like we're going to have to find our way in ourselves." I said and headed to my right into the adjacent alley.

I walked around the palace compound walls for a good ten minutes before finding a blind spot. It wasn't exactly a blind spot but a niche that was probably caused by someone trying to break in. The blocks used to construct the compound wall were jutting out here and there making it the perfect place to climb to the top. I looked out of the alley on either side to make sure that the guards standing some distance away weren't looking in this direction. Taking a deep breath and desperately hoping that they wouldn't glance this way for the next couple of seconds, I sprinted out of the alley and towards the niche.

I had to say we were very lucky to get this close to the compound wall without being seen. The soldiers were very close by and I was a hundred percent sure they would catch us trying to sneak into the palace grounds if we didn't get in there in the next five minutes.

"Ahh this is frustrating...." I muttered to myself as I looked at the soldiers on either side. They were showing no signs of looking away and with one of them walking towards us, I was almost sure that our mission to sneak in unnoticed was going to be a failure.

But luck seemed to be on our side today. The soldier who was walking towards us stopped just about five feet away and looked to the other side. The soldier on our other side closed his eyes and yawned, giving us just the chance we needed to climb up the compound wall. Well, I was the one who climbed with the prince latched onto me like a baby monkey and I have to say, carrying a twelve year old kid and climbing up a ten feet wall with bare hands and shoes not really meant for climbing was tough. Nonetheless, we made it to the top and I made sure that no one spotted us on the compound wall before we jumped down into the palace premises.

The prince grunted as I landed, most likely feeling pain from his injuries because I wasn't able to have a soft, hundred percent impact free landing like I usually would have if I was by myself. I checked up on him by glancing back and making sure that none of his wounds had reopened and then hurried to hide behind some trees and bushes. I crouched and sat the prince down gently with his back against a tree trunk before removing his hood so I could see his face.

"Are you alright?" I asked and he met my gaze. He was sweating and looked quite exhausted – he needed to get his wounds looked at soon and get some rest.

"I'm okay...." He answered weakly.

"You're not in good shape at all....we have to get someone to find you soon. Do you think you can yell loud enough to gain someone's attention?" I asked.

"I..." He wheezed and shut his eyes. "I don't...think so...."

I clicked my tongue and straightened up to look over the foliage a bit. There were some guards at a distance where they could hear a moderately high noise and I decided to take the risk to make some noise myself to gain their attention. I looked back at the prince hoping that he could hold out for just a little longer and then scratched the back of my neck feeling mildly burdened.

I took my cloak from the prince and put it on. I pulled the hood over my head to cover up my face and then picked up a stone lying close by. I stood up and threw the stone at one of the soldiers' head before violently rustling the leaves of the bushes in front of me. That was enough to make him spot me, the intruder, and call several of the other soldiers to confront me along with him. Silently wishing the prince good luck, I ran to the same part of the compound wall we had got in from and I fluidly climbed it before jumping onto the other side. Of course, the soldiers who were guarding the periphery spotted me and were alerted of my trespassing by those yelling from inside and they gave chase the minute I landed on the ground.

I ran into the alleys and out of their sight before climbing up onto the roofs and hiding in one of the shadows. I could hear the soldiers yelling to each other and trying to find me while running through the alleys and I had a feeling that they were going to keep at it for quite a while, especially since I was sure they had found the injured prince by now.

"What am I doing being so righteous all of a sudden? It's not like me at all." I said with a scoff. "Ah, whatever. I'm satisfied that the whiny prince is okay but it looks like I'm going to have to sleep on this roof tonight."

I lay back on the tiles with an arm below my head and one of my legs folded upright. I watched the moon and the stars while listening to the noisy chatter of the soldiers below before slowly drifting off into a light slumber.

~~~~~~~~~

Woah woah WOAH!!! The boy is the Blood Emperor's little brother??? Izumi just saved a member of the royal family and possibly got herself into something troublesome, huh? The soldiers didn't see her face so they won't be able to find her but....is that truly possible?

Okay! So Shichiro means 'seventh son' in Japanese. I know he's the fifth prince but I still named him the seventh prince! Bwahahahaha!!! *stops laughing to look at silent and not-so-amused readers*

Ahem, well, let's talk more about Shichiro later on, shall we? ^^' BTW, the boy in the picture is Prince Shichiro. He's a cute twelve year old kid, isn't he? ^^

The Blood Emperor's name is Ryuusei which means 'Dragon Star' in Japanese. For some reason, I find names having the word Ryu/Ryuu meaning dragon powerful and just totally awesome! Ryuusei is a nice name too, isn't it? A little mysterious too, perhaps? ;)

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