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Yasuhira waited until the ninja was out in the street before venturing to the other rooms he had been given. They were poor apartments it had to be said, with hardly any room to move let alone contain their baggage. The trunks and boxes had to be staked in the hallways, which made navigating them even more difficult. Yasuhira had spent enough time in worse places so the inferior surroundings did not effect him. He needed to take care of something that had been nagging at him since that morning. He leaned against a door and tapped it with a finger.
"Ladies. Are you present?"
"One moment, my lord."
He heard some rummaging and the sounds of clothes rustling, which made him smile. The door opened from the inside. Riku was on her knees, and once the door was open fully, she bowed deeply.
"What is your pleasure, my lord?"
He stepped inside, "I came to say I am settling for the evening."
"Then I shall attend you, my lord."
"What of Akako?"
"I'm afraid she is indisposed."
"Is she ill?" Which he found hard to believe.
Riku smiled, "No my lord, her female time has come and she is in seclusion. This is her first occurrence and believe me it takes time for a woman to adjust to her latest burden."
He returned the gestured, "Of course."
Yasuhira took a deep breath, rubbed his face and then slid down the far wall to the floor. Riku returned to her duties, which was dealing with the luggage. Many things had become dislodged during the rapid pace of the journey and she had to fix them. She did take a moment to peak at her lord. He sat cross-legged and rubbed his eyes. He also seemed intent on sucking all the air that was in the room. She stopped refolding a kimono and turned on her knees to her lord.
"Shall I make you some tea, Tono, or get you some other refreshment?"
"Oh some tea would be lovely," She shuffled to one of the boxes, "Use the blend from Hokkaido."
She only nodded. His spirits seemed embolden just by the thought of something as simple as a good cup of tea. Just as Riku knew it would. Men were so easy to read sometimes. They act all fierce and profound, but in truth they are not so complicated. And Yasu was the least complicated man she ever met. He only needed two things: the love his father and the love of a woman. She wasn't certain he had the first, though you didn't have to be in the Hikiji household for years to know the Shadow Lord loved no one and nothing except power. As for loving a woman, well she smiled at that. Not that she considered herself the finest candidate. She was a simple dancing girl. But she could make him happy. That she was certain. Happiness was what Yasuhira craved more than anything. And nothing brought happiness more to a man than a woman's devotion. The tea was ready in short order.
