![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
runicloreA Wolf Among the Roses
Author: Amber Michelle
Rating: T
Genre: detective fiction, of course!
Warnings:
AU/Canon: AU like whoa.
Pairing/Characters: a big chunk of the cast, and saying anything else would spoil it. :P
Words: 1542 (excerpt)
Prompt: crack!fic (July challenge, 1500 words min.)
Summary: Noir-ish AU. Someone has discovered the identity of the Black Wolf, and the Kou family must find a way to destroy the damning evidence. They call Rou Ensei, a PI with an extraordinary record, and the case is on.
Notes: UNFINISHED. I anticipate 10K words or so by the end, but there's not enough time for that before the 31st. The prose still needs to be cut down, refined, etc., at least in my opinion.
...............................................
Ensei's first exposure to the Kou family estate was during the closing movement of winter, when the snows had given way to a rain of white plum blossoms. The orchard of Hamelin oranges, which should have been laden with fruit, had given up the ghost after the first freeze - a serious blow even to a rich clan like the Reds. His appointment was at three in the afternoon, and he was ten minutes early. He tipped the rickshaw man three ryou and walked through the gates, up the driveway, and reached out to catch a few petals on his way up the steps. Even the flowers were nicer in a place like this.
He pulled the bell chain and waited. The door opened a good thirty seconds later.
"Good afternoon honored guest, how may I h--" The word was strangled to silence.
Ensei stared for a beat. "Whirl--?"
"The name is Seiran," the other snapped immediately, his eyebrows arching down in a familiar frown. His hair was a pale lavender, arranged in the same feathery cut about the shoulders Ensei remembered from their tournament days, and he was dressed in a ridiculous Western getup - skinny black pants, white shirt, black vest, and honest-to-god coattails. His shoes must have been spit-shined, too. "What do you want? Make it quick, we're expecting someone important."
"Heheh, would that be me?" Ensei asked, pulling a metal token out of his pocket. His rank and crest were inscribed clearly in good, polished brass: Rou Ensei, Private Investigator First Class.
Seiran's eyes narrowed. "The family really must be falling on hard times," he said, voice flat, and stepped aside. "Get in. And forget we know each other while you're at it."
"You're a cruel man, Seiran." Ensei heaved a sigh and crossed the threshold, noting how quickly his acquaintance closed and bolted the door. "What's with the costume? Is the Kou lord into some kind of weird fetish I haven't heard about?"
"Hardly." Seiran brushed past him. "Stay here," he said over his shoulder. "Don't touch anything. You--"
"--break it, you buy it," Ensei finished for him, tucking his hands into his sleeves. "I get it. Give the princess my regards if you see her."
That earned him a glare that could have frosted the orchard all over again, and he grinned. Touchy touchy. She was a nice girl, the Kou princess - a bit on the short side, and maybe her figure was boyish, but she had a fresh and pretty face, and plenty of fire.
We've run into some trouble, she'd said, looking him straight in the eye. Nothing much, really, but the normal methods just aren't working. My uncle is at his wit's end. Please help him.
It was hard to imagine anything the Kou Clan couldn't take care of on its own payroll, unless it was the Blues they were pitted against. Even he wouldn't rub shoulders with the Ran clan if he could help it. He liked to run a clean business after all, and the more assassins there were after you, the harder that became.
I've already made an appointment for you, and there was a card in her hand, of the nicest parchment and cleanest, brightest red ink he'd seen since his last job at the palace. Entire fortunes could be spent for an invitation like that, and Kou Shuurei's smile when he accepted it brightened the room. Priceless.
Ensei wandered the foyer, examining the scroll work on the lintels, the metalwork of the new electric lamps. It was a small square room with a low ceiling, the walls and floor of perfectly fitted, polished red wood. One wall adorned with a watercolor scroll wider than he was tall, depicting the Sacred Lotus Garden of the Red Immortal. Across from the front door was a more ornate set of doors propped open, the panels carved with stylized phoenixes in simple strokes. The elegant simplicity made him feel even plainer. He was in his holiday best, which meant a long gray robe of real silk, and the stupid ruffled sleeves, collar, and hem he'd always hated. His hair was even tied up. Not a stitch of embroidery or color tainted his person.
Footsteps alerted him to Seiran's return. "This way," the other man said from the far doorway.
They walked for five minutes down an orderly series of corridors and out across the garden to a pavilion set apart from the main compound by a long, covered walkway. The plums were the only thing in bloom, and snow lingered in the shaded corners of the outbuildings.
Seiran rapped smartly on a sliding paper door and pulled it open. They were greeted with a warm rush of air sweet as syrup. "Don't mention my lady when you're in there with him," he said quietly. "He won't like it."
Ensei entered and found himself in a study. The walls were lined with scroll alcoves and shelves packed with books bound in leather and silk covers. An iron brazier radiated heat in the corner to his left. The incense he'd noticed when he arrived was expensive; sandalwood, some kind of resin that was deep and tangy, and fruit, or maybe honey - whatever it was, the stuff was good enough even he couldn't pick out the exact ingredients. He considered it might be drugged, but dismissed the thought immediately. From what he knew of the Kou lord, patience - which was needed to deal with servants high on some kind of controlled substance - was not one of his strong points.
An oil lamp burned at the corner of a massive oak desk, and behind the desk was the head of the Kou clan, backlit by a large rice paper window. His back was turned, the window open to allow viewing of the plum trees. Tall, Ensei noted, upright posture like there's a stick up his ass, long hair, traditional robes. Yeah, the descriptions he'd heard were right. The man wore a long, trailing robe red as blood and trimmed in gold, and limned with light from the window, it made an impressive picture.
He bowed. "Rou Ensei, reporting as requested. I'm honored to meet you, Lord Reishin."
"Hm." His host turned around. The light lit his fine features like alabaster. "My niece told me she impressed the importance of this meaning upon you." He waited for Ensei's confirmation. "How much did she say?"
"Only that your people haven't been able to handle the situation. She didn't specify."
Reishin nodded and sat down behind his desk. "Seiran says you're trustworthy. Do I have your word you will not utter a anything of what I reveal outside of this office?"
"Absolutely." Ensei straightened, his shoulders squaring. "Rou Ensei takes his secrets to the grave, Lord Reishin."
"Indeed." The lord's pale smile was cooler than the snow outside. "I can promise you that."
He swallowed. His throat clicked audibly in the sudden silence. "I've kept several secrets on behalf of the former emperor," Ensei said when moisture returned to his throat. "I will not fail you."
"Good." Reishin pulled a fan from his belt and spread the blades with a flick of his wrist. "We have some connections with the assassin known as the Black Wolf," he said.
Ensei couldn't stop his eyes from bugging. "The-- You mean--"
"Yes, that one." The lord's lip curled. "Someone has discovered this, and is attempting to blackmail me. Your job is to find the evidence he claims to have in his posession and destroy it. If possible, learn who put him up to this, though there is little doubt of that to my mind."
"You know who? Or suspect." The other man nodded, and Ensei scratched his chin. "What does he want?"
"Shuurei's hand in marriage."
Ensei let out a low whistle. Yeah, that was a killer. The Kou princess was a high class woman, and whoever grabbed her would have the family in the palm of their hand.
"You see why we cannot let this go unpunished," Reishin said. "Our only choice is to seize the evidence or rush Shuurei's marriage to another. The first choice is clearly best. What say you?"
"I'll need a credit line for bribes," Ensei said, scratching the back of his neck. "And expenses, plus my daily rate. And also a list of your suspects, and any enemies you can think of that might profit from this fiasco."
"Tei Yuushun," Reishin said. "Sa Enjun, Kou Houju, and the Third Prince. Perhaps Shi Ryuuki, but he's too spineless to stand up to the power of the clans with his throne on the line." His mouth disappeared behind the corner of the fan. "I'll give you ten thousand silver ryou in addition to your expenses if you resolve this successfully."
Yes. "You've got yourself an investigator, Lord Reishin."
*
Author: Amber Michelle
Rating: T
Genre: detective fiction, of course!
Warnings:
AU/Canon: AU like whoa.
Pairing/Characters: a big chunk of the cast, and saying anything else would spoil it. :P
Words: 1542 (excerpt)
Prompt: crack!fic (July challenge, 1500 words min.)
Summary: Noir-ish AU. Someone has discovered the identity of the Black Wolf, and the Kou family must find a way to destroy the damning evidence. They call Rou Ensei, a PI with an extraordinary record, and the case is on.
Notes: UNFINISHED. I anticipate 10K words or so by the end, but there's not enough time for that before the 31st. The prose still needs to be cut down, refined, etc., at least in my opinion.
...............................................
Ensei's first exposure to the Kou family estate was during the closing movement of winter, when the snows had given way to a rain of white plum blossoms. The orchard of Hamelin oranges, which should have been laden with fruit, had given up the ghost after the first freeze - a serious blow even to a rich clan like the Reds. His appointment was at three in the afternoon, and he was ten minutes early. He tipped the rickshaw man three ryou and walked through the gates, up the driveway, and reached out to catch a few petals on his way up the steps. Even the flowers were nicer in a place like this.
He pulled the bell chain and waited. The door opened a good thirty seconds later.
"Good afternoon honored guest, how may I h--" The word was strangled to silence.
Ensei stared for a beat. "Whirl--?"
"The name is Seiran," the other snapped immediately, his eyebrows arching down in a familiar frown. His hair was a pale lavender, arranged in the same feathery cut about the shoulders Ensei remembered from their tournament days, and he was dressed in a ridiculous Western getup - skinny black pants, white shirt, black vest, and honest-to-god coattails. His shoes must have been spit-shined, too. "What do you want? Make it quick, we're expecting someone important."
"Heheh, would that be me?" Ensei asked, pulling a metal token out of his pocket. His rank and crest were inscribed clearly in good, polished brass: Rou Ensei, Private Investigator First Class.
Seiran's eyes narrowed. "The family really must be falling on hard times," he said, voice flat, and stepped aside. "Get in. And forget we know each other while you're at it."
"You're a cruel man, Seiran." Ensei heaved a sigh and crossed the threshold, noting how quickly his acquaintance closed and bolted the door. "What's with the costume? Is the Kou lord into some kind of weird fetish I haven't heard about?"
"Hardly." Seiran brushed past him. "Stay here," he said over his shoulder. "Don't touch anything. You--"
"--break it, you buy it," Ensei finished for him, tucking his hands into his sleeves. "I get it. Give the princess my regards if you see her."
That earned him a glare that could have frosted the orchard all over again, and he grinned. Touchy touchy. She was a nice girl, the Kou princess - a bit on the short side, and maybe her figure was boyish, but she had a fresh and pretty face, and plenty of fire.
We've run into some trouble, she'd said, looking him straight in the eye. Nothing much, really, but the normal methods just aren't working. My uncle is at his wit's end. Please help him.
It was hard to imagine anything the Kou Clan couldn't take care of on its own payroll, unless it was the Blues they were pitted against. Even he wouldn't rub shoulders with the Ran clan if he could help it. He liked to run a clean business after all, and the more assassins there were after you, the harder that became.
I've already made an appointment for you, and there was a card in her hand, of the nicest parchment and cleanest, brightest red ink he'd seen since his last job at the palace. Entire fortunes could be spent for an invitation like that, and Kou Shuurei's smile when he accepted it brightened the room. Priceless.
Ensei wandered the foyer, examining the scroll work on the lintels, the metalwork of the new electric lamps. It was a small square room with a low ceiling, the walls and floor of perfectly fitted, polished red wood. One wall adorned with a watercolor scroll wider than he was tall, depicting the Sacred Lotus Garden of the Red Immortal. Across from the front door was a more ornate set of doors propped open, the panels carved with stylized phoenixes in simple strokes. The elegant simplicity made him feel even plainer. He was in his holiday best, which meant a long gray robe of real silk, and the stupid ruffled sleeves, collar, and hem he'd always hated. His hair was even tied up. Not a stitch of embroidery or color tainted his person.
Footsteps alerted him to Seiran's return. "This way," the other man said from the far doorway.
They walked for five minutes down an orderly series of corridors and out across the garden to a pavilion set apart from the main compound by a long, covered walkway. The plums were the only thing in bloom, and snow lingered in the shaded corners of the outbuildings.
Seiran rapped smartly on a sliding paper door and pulled it open. They were greeted with a warm rush of air sweet as syrup. "Don't mention my lady when you're in there with him," he said quietly. "He won't like it."
Ensei entered and found himself in a study. The walls were lined with scroll alcoves and shelves packed with books bound in leather and silk covers. An iron brazier radiated heat in the corner to his left. The incense he'd noticed when he arrived was expensive; sandalwood, some kind of resin that was deep and tangy, and fruit, or maybe honey - whatever it was, the stuff was good enough even he couldn't pick out the exact ingredients. He considered it might be drugged, but dismissed the thought immediately. From what he knew of the Kou lord, patience - which was needed to deal with servants high on some kind of controlled substance - was not one of his strong points.
An oil lamp burned at the corner of a massive oak desk, and behind the desk was the head of the Kou clan, backlit by a large rice paper window. His back was turned, the window open to allow viewing of the plum trees. Tall, Ensei noted, upright posture like there's a stick up his ass, long hair, traditional robes. Yeah, the descriptions he'd heard were right. The man wore a long, trailing robe red as blood and trimmed in gold, and limned with light from the window, it made an impressive picture.
He bowed. "Rou Ensei, reporting as requested. I'm honored to meet you, Lord Reishin."
"Hm." His host turned around. The light lit his fine features like alabaster. "My niece told me she impressed the importance of this meaning upon you." He waited for Ensei's confirmation. "How much did she say?"
"Only that your people haven't been able to handle the situation. She didn't specify."
Reishin nodded and sat down behind his desk. "Seiran says you're trustworthy. Do I have your word you will not utter a anything of what I reveal outside of this office?"
"Absolutely." Ensei straightened, his shoulders squaring. "Rou Ensei takes his secrets to the grave, Lord Reishin."
"Indeed." The lord's pale smile was cooler than the snow outside. "I can promise you that."
He swallowed. His throat clicked audibly in the sudden silence. "I've kept several secrets on behalf of the former emperor," Ensei said when moisture returned to his throat. "I will not fail you."
"Good." Reishin pulled a fan from his belt and spread the blades with a flick of his wrist. "We have some connections with the assassin known as the Black Wolf," he said.
Ensei couldn't stop his eyes from bugging. "The-- You mean--"
"Yes, that one." The lord's lip curled. "Someone has discovered this, and is attempting to blackmail me. Your job is to find the evidence he claims to have in his posession and destroy it. If possible, learn who put him up to this, though there is little doubt of that to my mind."
"You know who? Or suspect." The other man nodded, and Ensei scratched his chin. "What does he want?"
"Shuurei's hand in marriage."
Ensei let out a low whistle. Yeah, that was a killer. The Kou princess was a high class woman, and whoever grabbed her would have the family in the palm of their hand.
"You see why we cannot let this go unpunished," Reishin said. "Our only choice is to seize the evidence or rush Shuurei's marriage to another. The first choice is clearly best. What say you?"
"I'll need a credit line for bribes," Ensei said, scratching the back of his neck. "And expenses, plus my daily rate. And also a list of your suspects, and any enemies you can think of that might profit from this fiasco."
"Tei Yuushun," Reishin said. "Sa Enjun, Kou Houju, and the Third Prince. Perhaps Shi Ryuuki, but he's too spineless to stand up to the power of the clans with his throne on the line." His mouth disappeared behind the corner of the fan. "I'll give you ten thousand silver ryou in addition to your expenses if you resolve this successfully."
Yes. "You've got yourself an investigator, Lord Reishin."
*