The Rising Sun

[Mu]

She stood there, waiting for the boy to change when she realised why he looked so hesitant. Smiling to herself, she beckoned for her guard to come forward, the latter leaning in gracefully to her level, his head cocked slightly as the Empress whispered into his ear. Nodding at her command, he inclined his head at Akio, before leading him to a closed off storage room around the corner. Seiji and Daichi stayed behind, waiting for the silent guard to come back with the newly clothed Akio.

As they waited, the younger brother eagerly chattered on about how they had met him, how Akio had fallen from the waterfall and landed right in the pond with a huge splash, breaking the silence. Of the katana he had by his side and how they welcomed him into their home. The Empress listened with a proud look on her face, brushing back a lock of dark hair from Seiji's face, who was excitedly talking in a quick pace. "It sounds like he's a fan of my guard as well," she noted with a grin.

 

[Danger]

[fieldbox=Akio Fukui, #D4AF19, solid]
With a small, embarrassed, smile, Akio followed the guard around the corner to the storage room. Quickly stripping once out of sight, he managed to find a towel to dry himself off. With a glance to the clothes, the male sighed to himself. Bright, colourful clothing it was. Once he changed, Akio hesitantly stepped around the corner. He was now dressed in the clothes the handmaiden had given him, and he felt ridiculous. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to these kinds of clothes, but either way he was wearing them.

"Uh... How do I look?" The boy asked tentatively. His cheeks were burning, and he averted his eyes. Gosh, they must think he looked so stupid. The last thing Akio wanted was to be made fun of in front of the Empress and her sons. He was very insecure about himself, and was self conscious about how he looked. "Does it look alright?"
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[Mu]

The guard barely glanced at the newly clothed boy, immediately turning away from the storage room he had led the boy into and walking back out into the foyer where the Empress and her sons were waiting. While Daichi looked immensely bored, there was a smile on his lips in the presence of his dear mother. Seiji, on the other hand, was waiting eagerly for Akio's return, all the while chattering politely and excitedly with his mother. All three of them lifted their heads at the sight of the tall, tanned and imposing figure of the Empress' guard, a stony-faced man with an impressive body.

Seiji peered behind the tall statured man, his eyes taking into the brightly dressed Akio. From his more muddy-coloured clothes that blended well into the mountains, he was now wearing colours of scarlet red and jade greens, his sash also sprouting some peacock green. The younger brother clapped his hands happily, "It looks good on you!" The Empress silently agreed, nodding her head gently in the mountain clan boy's direction. "The festivities won't start until a while later, so please, do relax at our humble home."

 

[Danger]

[fieldbox=Akio Fukui, #D4AF19, solid]
So they liked it. That was good sign. Maybe he didn't look as ridiculous as he thought. He smiled at Seiji, glad that the prince was someone who liked him. That was somewhat rare, and Akio wondered if he would change his attitude if the male was required to use his katana. Would it change for the worse or better? It was unlikely that they'll ever know. But Akio did want some friends, the boys in his clan barely ever played with him. Seiji seemed to want to be his friend. Could they?

When the Empress spoke, Akio's eyes widened in shock. He was allowed to stay in the palace? Oh, his parents would be proud of him. He knew they were helping out somewhere. With a bow, the boy said, "T-thank you, your highness. It is very nice of you to let me stay here for a little while." Now he could play with Seiji! Maybe. He hoped he could. It was another boy his age, and although a prince, seemed to be friendly.
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[Mu]

"As long as you stay in the lower floors, you'll be fine." The Empress smiled brightly at the mountain clan boy. "Seiji, Daichi, would you like to play with Fukui?" she turned to look at her sons, her face beaming and glowing with happiness. She too, was happy that her sons cold finally have a chance to play with boys their age. Seiji nodded excitedly, his eyes sparkling in that child innocence and joy of having a playmate, while Daichi shook his head, looking grumpy. He stood his ground, standing beside his mother and not wanting to leave with the newly-clothed boy.

Seiji moved to stand beside Akio, his eyes looking down at the clothes he had been giving. They were bright and colourful and looked good on the mountain clan boy, despite most of them wearing more earthy colours. Blinking between Akio and the Empress' guard, he smiled curiously. "Do you know of him?" he asked Akio, pointing at the tall, stern man.

 

[Danger]

[fieldbox=Akio Fukui, #D4AF19, solid]
Akio stared at the floor, wondering who would want to play with him. Seiji seemed nice, and Akio would've liked to play with him. He didn't mind if Daichi didn't though, the other boy wasn't as friendly. That's exactly what happened. Seiji wanted to play, but Daichi didn't. Akio was still happy though.

When the younger prince came to stand next to him, Akio fidgeted nervously. He was in the presence of royalty though. When Seiji asked about the guard, the boy nodded quickly and enthusiastically. "Of course! He saved the Empress," Akio said.
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[Mu]

Seiji laughed. "He's famous here because of that as well. He looks scary, doesn't he?" The younger prince began to lead the mountain clan boy away from the others, with the Empress beginning to engage in a conversation with the man they were speaking of, the tall, tan man leaning down to her level to allow her to whisper into his ear. Daichi, on the other hand, stood side, staring intently at Seiji as if he couldn't believe he was actually going out to play with Akio.

"It's like a fairy tale, isn't it? How he managed to save her from that crazy mountain man. Wasn't he a defect from one of the old mountain clans? He wanted vengeance, so he went out and tried to kill my mother while she was pregnant with Daichi." He took a seat on one of the polished, lacquered chairs. "But he saved her, that's why he's so famous." Seiji lifted his head up high, closing his eyes. "Can you smell that?" He was talking about the aroma of food in the air. With so many smells mingling together, it was impossible to isolate them and tell what dishes they belonged to.

 

[Danger]

[fieldbox=Akio Fukui, #D4AF19, solid]
Akio nodded quickly at the scary comment. He trailed behind Seiji, but glanced back to see Daichi. He didn't look too happy, which probably wasn't good. However, this time he ignored the look Daichi was giving him as he now had a playmate! "He seems intimidating," Akio admitted, looking a little sheepish. And he had such a high position too! The boy could only look up in wonder.

Akio nodded to the story. It was one that he had heard many times before, as the story was told a lot in the mountain clans. "I wish I could do something like that..." he mumbled. He couldn't help the comment. Although he didn't believe he could ever have that high of a status. Taking a deep breathe, he grinned. "Food!"
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[Mu]

He nodded. "I used to be scared of him as well. He rarely speaks but he's really nice inside," as he remembered something, the young prince chuckled to himself, "Actually, I suspect his silent demeanor weakens around the women of the palace." Though the guard did look tough, Seiji himself had seen the man lose some of that stone-hard defence in the company of many, many ladies-in-waiting.

Seiji blinked at him curiously. "You can apply for a position here if you train hard enough. Clan members decide who can go, though." He sat back, pouring himself a cup of tea from the tea set on the table in between the lacquered chairs, sipping on the warm tea. "I want food already..." he mumbled, rubbing his belly.