To Dance By Moonlight

Chapter Twenty Seven

"HE WHAT??!!"
"Calm down, my lord."
"YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN AFTER THIS??!"

Nekomata was a patient man. He'd served the sheikh's family for years, as had his father, and his father before him. The Nekomata family had always served as royal advisors and spymasters to the sheikhs of the Kuroo line for as long as they've been ruling this part of the desert. He himself had served three generations of Kuroo sheikhs, so he knew everything about them. Especially their tempers. The current sheikh was a curious mix of slow burning rage, and, just like now, one like flash fire.

With his typical placid smile on his face, Nekomata waited for the moment Kuroo would bring himself down from the rafters. Once that happened, he could continue his report. It might have taken a little longer than he expected, but when he saw Kuroo take a deep breath and run his hands over his face, fingers brushing roughly through his hair, he knew the time had come.

"Kawanishi has infiltrated the Eagle Clan, my lord," he began again, giving a brief amount of time before continuing. "He wanted to do this, my lord, so I gave him an assignment."
"I get that," Kuroo finally replied. "But, as I understood it, he was only supposed to join one of the surveillance teams, nothing more."
"That was the original plan, yes," Nekomata confirmed. "And he excelled at bringing us the intel we needed on Tsukishima's location."
"Right. So why the change in plans? And without my knowledge?"
"His concern lied with making sure Tsukishima had a friendly face close by, if not with him to act as his guard. He's also going to try and figure out a way to get them both free again, like last time. But, if he couldn't, he was going to notify us about Tsukishima, and any further plans the Eagle Clan has. I didn't tell you, until now, because I knew you wouldn't take the news well."
Kuroo snorted. "You're not wrong. But I'll tell you now, any news about Kei, no matter what it is, must be given to me. Immediately."
"Done. My apologies."
"I know you meant well, and I thank you. But this is Kei..."
"Understood."

Again, Kuroo went silent, and again Nekomata kept his eyes on him. The day promised to be a hot one, and even the morning was heating up. Luckily, this part of the palace faced away from the sun, so the audience chamber was still cool. The breeze, though slightly arid, fluttered the silk curtains, and moved the coolness around. They'd move to the lower part of the palace when the heat became unbearable.

"All routes leading in and out of the palace town are covered," Bokuto said as he entered the chamber. "Word has been spread, and the people have taken the outgoing searches in stride."
"Good."
"Also, some have offered to help search for Kei, but we told them we have it under control. But if they notice anything suspicious, they can send word to us here."
"Do we have the people for that? I thought all our men were out working in some capacity to find Kei?"
No one spoke, clearly thinking of how they'd be able to handle this new aspect of Kei's rescue. That's how only Nekomata was aware of the two newcomers; Ji and Kiyoko.
"Sorry to intrude," Kiyoko said with a bow. "But I overheard that last part; you need help with the expected influx of leads, yes?"
"We can help," Ji said. "All of us. Crow clan reporting for duty!"
"That will certainly help us," Nekomata agreed jovially. "And maybe we can ask some of the palace staff to help, too?"
"Already thought of that," Ji replied. He turned back to the door, and three faces lit with surprise as none other than the head cook and her loyal sidekick entered the room.
"What? Why is this such a surprise to you?" Fatima asked sharply.
"Honestly, it's because you're always making sure everyone stays fed..." Kuroo tried to explain.
"You didn't think I went anywhere other than my kitchen? You didn't think I'd know what was going on?"
"It's not that..."
"No matter. I can spare a few of the kitchen staff, and a few household staff, as well." She gave a little shove to her companion, who caught herself before she stumbled. "Aya will be in charge, if that's alright?"
"Oh, but ma'am!" the younger woman squeaked in protest. Fatima leveled her with a look, stern but kind.
"We'll help her," Kiyoko said gently, and Ji nodded at the lady.
"Alright, now that we have that settled, what do we do now?"
Nekomata grinned. "Why not go down to the palace town?"
It took a heartbeat before Kuroo was grinning like a Cheshire cat and his eyes lit up with excitement.
"I love how you think, Nekomata," Kuroo said. "We can make a day of it, too."
"And if we just so happen to discover anything important..."
"Maybe we can save Kei and bring him home!"
"Don't get too excited, my lord. We'll just tour the town, and check in with our people. I'll keep any interesting things with me, and we can come back later and compile it with the rest."
"Sometimes I think you're way too careful, Nekomata," Bokuto said when Kuroo looked about ready to explode again.
"I'm careful because we don't want to risk anything happening to Tsukishima."
"I doubt they'll hurt him," Ji said ironically. "They can't have anything happening to their prize."
"That's why you're staying here," Bokuto ordered. Ji rounded on him.
"Like hell, I am! I want to find him too!"
"Ji..."
"I know you want to keep me safe, but Kou... this is Kei. I'm not going to stay here... I can't just stay here..."
"And I don't want to risk you being taken, too." Bokuto took Ji's hand gently and held it tight. He gazed at him for a few moments, gently smiling, and then looked over at Kuroo. "Mind if we take a moment?"
"Not at all."
"Thanks."

Once Bokuto and Ji were gone, the rest of them discussed what they needed to do for any and all information that came into the palace. Afterward, they went to their rooms and changed into something less noticeable, and met at the doors of the palace. There, and as yet another surprise, they found Eita waiting for them.

"May I join you?" he asked, even as he did just that when they passed through to the outside.
"I thought you were staying with Yachi?" Nekomata asked, grinning.
Eita returned the grin wryly. "Once she woke up, she couldn't stop asking about Tsukishima. She hates not being able to do more than lie in bed, so she begged me to help."
"Begged?" Kiyoko looked at him with a raised brow.
"Alright, she ordered me to find you guys and beg to help," he replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes. "Said I was hovering too much anyway and that she needed me out of her hair for a while."
"That sounds more like Hitoka."
"So, about that..."
Kuroo stopped, as did the rest of them, and he looked Eita over.
"Go change into something less noticeable. We'll wait."
"Thank you, my lord!" Eita was running off before anyone could reply.
"Think we'll be waiting too long?" Kuroo asked.
"No. If anything, he'll be here as fast as he can," Kiyoko replied.
"I gather he's been itching to help out as much as Taichi, but torn between that and young miss Yachi," Nekomata added. "If he asks, would you allow him to help more, my lord?"
"Depends on the task. We already have Taichi risking his life by going back to the clan they both escaped. I won't risk Semi, too, for something so..."
"Don't say stupid," Bokuto said as he caught up to them, without Ji. "He knows the risks, and his reasoning is sound."
Kuroo glared at him.
"I'm serious, Kuro. If getting Kei back means they have to go back, then shouldn't they be the ones to decide that?"
"Yeah, well... Kei is my priority, but now we also have Kawanishi to rescue, if needed. I'm not going to add another."
"It's alright," Semi's voice came to them as he returned. "We talked about it before he left. He's the only one unattached, so his risk isn't as great."
Kuroo barked a laugh. "You both are under my protection. Do you think I'd let you go off and get yourselves killed?"
"We made it out once, sir. Taichi knows how to do it again."