Path of the Tiger - Will of the Nightingale [General Yu]

A pair of porcelain feet ghosted across polished wooden floors and pivoted, digging their heels into the ground floor. Green fabric rustled against purple in a flurry of twirls and parries; there was a grunt, and the sound of metal against metal bounced through the walls of the training area. Sunlight filtered through the opened sliding panels and cast shadows over the duo, giving off the distorted image of a traditional dance. There was a break in a parry and one of the swords clattered to the ground. Purple fabric crumpled against the floor as the sword was retrieved by its owner, who was panting heavily.

"You are improving Hotaru, your thrusts and parries are becoming stronger and sharper now."

Hotaru sheathed the sword and knelt down on one knee, "Your praises are greatly appreciated father....but you still cheated."

Her father blinked at her openly before tilting his head back in laughter, "It might seem that way Hotaru, but what choice do I have? It wouldn't be right if the Master was surpassed by his Turtleduck so soon!"

Hotaru flinched in embarrassment and looked to where her father was standing, "Daaaaad..." She felt his hand grip her shoulder gently while the other took the sword away from her. Taking that as her cue to rise, Hotaru stood and stretched, a few bones creaking in protest.

"I did it again, didn't I? My apologies Hotaru you know how your father forgets sometimes."

The girl frowned slightly,"Dad you're a genius, geniuses aren't allowed to forget. That excuse died when I was seven." She cocked her head to the side and gave him what Sanosuke knew to be her questioning smirk. He chuckled, how many times had he seen that face before?

"Yes, but you are forgetting an important thing my turtleduck. Your father is also imperfect, and like you, he makes mistakes. Now come, we've been training without let-up since dawn, and I could go for some delicious gyoza right about now, today's Gyoza day!"

Her father returned the weapons to their stations and waited for his daughter to follow him to the doorway. Hotaru dipped her head and smiled softly, her curtain of indigo-ink hair covering her content in shadows. With her head still bowed she scuttled after her father and joined him as he exited the training room. The pair walked briskly down the halls of the defense arts academy and stepped into the jam-packed streets of the city.


"Hotaru! Do not forget to buy the ingredients before you return home in the evening!"

Hotaru secured the quiver of her Hwal onto her back and felt around to smooth out her pants, as well as the kimono she wore. She hadn't bothered to do anything with her hair, opting for it to flow freely with a single lotus comb tucked into the back of her head. Her hwal was firmly in her grasp as she turned and waved with her free hand, the tiny scroll sticking out of her lavender sleeve.

"I won't dad!" She passed by one of the family's three ostrich horses and ran her fingers through it's bristly fur before mounting it. She tapped her feet into the ostrich-horse's sides and encouraged it to head out of the gate.

"And do not stay out past sun down!"

"Yes father!"

"Don't talk to any strangers, I'll miss you my Turtleduck!"

Hotaru rammed head-first into the back of the ostrich-horse's thick neck and dropped the reins. The beast, affectionately named Kuan-Yin, skidded to a halt and waited patiently as his master felt around for the leathery ropes against. Cheeks a cherry red and extremely warm, she have her father an incredulous look as if to say,

"Dad! Really?!"
Sanosuke only raised an amused eyebrow as he watched Kuan-Yin lead his daughter out of the gate before sprinting off towards the outer part of the city.

Hotaru bounced as Kuan-Yin galloped along the road, noting how the masses of reds and oranges practically threw themselves out of her way as they barreled through. She only smiled sheepishly and continued on, grateful that Kuan-Yin also knew the way to the Breach as she did. 'Because really, I may be able to ride these but I'm not exactly the best driver around.'

Kuan-Yin took her through the entire ring system of the city until they burst through the clear fields past the inner wall. With the sun blasting heat onto her skin, she knew now that they were heading towards the wall and speeding towards the breach. Suddenly Hotaru found herself wanting to turn back, a small part of her at least. There was that unnerving feeling worming its way through her intestines, nestling into her stomach again; she swallowed instantaneously. "I've done this over a thousand times!" Hotaru barked, out of frustration,"This isn't any different!"

Even still, the slight tremble of her fingers holding a fire-lily printed package betrayed her stirring turmoil. As the imperial warriors led Kuan-Yin away into familiar pastures and ushered her inside, her fingers still trembled. Hotaru followed after the warriors with her posture straight and her face firm. She would not let the general see her in such a "weak" state, not now and not ever.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was coming with an intent to give the general a gift? After all, the Tiger never was one for nonsensical trinkets and petty bribes.

"Kondo-san," A warrior,whom she recognized as Lan-Chi, said, "We will go and inform the General of your request. Private Akira will remain with you until further notice."

The only reply was a dip of the shy firebender's head and the clasping of her hands behind her back. Lan-Chi's eyes lingered on Hotaru for a moment before turning down another hall and heading for the General's quarters.

Yu stood at the open terrace door, staring out across the city at the dominating figure of the Breach. It was visible from almost everywhere in the city. She'd left her lieutenants in charge of the daily affairs of the Legion while she retreated to deal with more diplomatic matters at her villa. It had belonged to many generals in the past. She was just its most recent master. As she stood there, the door slid open behind her.

"General," said a voice.

"Yes, Captain?" Yu said, not turning.

"Hotaru is here. Would you like us to let her through?"

Yu sighed. Sano didn't miss a trick, the sly bastard. What favors he had to call in to figure out where she had her office that day, she would never know. But it didn't really matter. Her daughter was her daughter. She couldn't just turn her away because the paperwork was piling up...

"Send her in." she said finally, turning and taking a seat at her desk.

"Hao." Captain Lan-Chi nodded, turning and leaving the room again. Yu started scribbling signatures on the papers collected there for her approval. She wasn't one for the use of seals. What couldn't be stolen couldn't be forged... at least not so easily.

Hotaru perked up when she heard a low rumbling come from the left end of the hallway. The rumbling ceased and light foot-steps paced over the stony floors. Her skin prickled when the soldier drew near. Without hesitation Hotaru looked over to where Lan-Chi was standing expectantly. Lan-Chi whispered something in Akira's ear while glancing at Hotaru, still unnerved with the little girl's glassy eyes staring right through her.

Lan-Chi placed a hand on her shoulder,"Unfortunately the General is not in her Office Kondo-san...."

Hotaru stared off-handedly at the ground and said nothing, her fingers twitching around the package she held behind her back. 'Of course, she's almost never here. I should've checked the schedule first before coming here randomly.' She kicked herself mentally and resisted the serious urge to roll her eyes. Hotaru had almost forgotten that she was in the presence of members of the Legion, and promptly turned her attention back to Lan-Chi.

-will take you there."

Hotaru's eyebrow rose and she "looked" at Lan-Chi questioningly, suddenly realizing that she hadn't even been paying attention! Burying her face behind her sleeve, she nodded and followed the moment she felt Lan-Chi's intense body heat waver. She could sense herself being closely flanked by Akira as they led her down a set of metal stairs and out into the fresh air.

Where were they going again?


"Just through this door Kondo-san, right here."

Smile."Thank you." She bowed in thanks and followed Akira's instruction, refraining from telling her that she could infact sense the door. It was a little wobbly in her line of "vision" but she could see it nonetheless. 'When is everyone going to get that I'm not helpless?' Hotaru pressed forward when the warmth of both Lan-Chi and Akira retracted from her. Pacing over to the sliding door, she gripped it firmly and shoved it open.

It was now or never.

Hotaru had to clench her fists to readjust her kindling flame, was anyone even in here? There was the sound of faint scribbling that made her jerk her head in the supposed direction. There. She clenched her fists once more and saw the familiar beacon of heat as well as the blurry outline of the desk and chair.

Go on Hotaru, you know how she doesn't take well to people wasting her time.
Clutching the tiny package firmly, Hotaru strode into the room and stopped before General Yu. Each step weighed like a ton of elephant Koi and her heart was racing a mile a minute;raging like a stormy river underneath a cover of ice. As usual her gaze looked toward the General's neck instead of her face, at least that's where she thought her face was.

Even though she was freaking out like a wild buzzard-wasp on fire, a part of it was the adrenaline, charging through her veins like a komodo-rhino. Hotaru could never understand why visiting her mother always gave her such a frightening thrill. Was it because she was finally able to come alone? (After all Sanosuke insisted he escort her there until she was at least 14, and that was only a year ago.) Or was it because now she was chasing after Yu's shadow without her father even knowing? The little firebender smiled absentmindedly,'I love breaking the rules.'

Or perhaps it was because now she could actually catch her mother on her own? 'It took some pain-staking observation; the woman was always good with keeping her schedule tight and covering all of her tracks. Fortunately, I have a little birdie on the inside to be my eyes. Hotaru you are quite the genius.'

Remembering that she still was standing in front of Yu (not to mention the woman was probably staring at her now, Hotaru gave her mother a proper bow and set the package on the table.

"Hi mommy." All formalities were abandoned. "I came by to um, see you today and I brought you these." Hotaru kicked herself mentally when she choked, she was not supposed to choke!

Did she just say 'mommy'? Yu found herself thinking as she sat there. She continued scribbling when Hotaru spoke, her eyes scanning each scroll in detail. She never signed anything she didn't fully understand. When the small box was placed in front of her, her gaze raised and fell on it, her quill poised over the next sheet of paper in the stack.

"What's this?" she asked, looking up at Hotaru. This was highly irregular. She didn't wait for Hotaru to respond. She placed her quill back in the ink well and picked up the box, opening it. Inside were a number of ginger cookies.

GINGER COOK--! she began mentally before casting a quick glance at Hotaru as though thinking it with such excitement might somehow reveal how much she liked this little present. She actually mentally coughed as though to clear the air. Ginger cookies. she thought more calmly.

"Ginger cookies..." she said finally, voicing her thoughts. There weren't many people in the world who knew how much she liked them. And last time she checked, her daughter wasn't one of them... but Sanosuke was...

That traitorous rat! she thought toward him, closing the box and placing it down on the table slowly. I'll have his hide for revealing this secret...

Hotaru wanted to raise an eyebrow at her mother's response, badly. So apparently her observations were wrong? Her mother didn't care for ginger cookies at all? The archer shrugged absent-mindedly and folded her arms across her chest. "Hm. Apparently I was wrong." She mused under her breath. Hotaru squared her shoulders and pressed her lips into a thin line, she came here with a purpose and she'd be damned if a small setback deterred her from it.

"Mother, I came by to visit you like I always do...but this time I have....a different agenda in mind." Hotaru sensed a chair nearby and strolled over. Taking a hold of it, she set it before her mother's desk and seated herself in it, crossing her legs and clasping each armrest lazily.

The fourteen year old's eyes lingered on the floor before blinking and staring at where she figured the general would be. Breathing deeply, Hotaru tapped her fingers against one of the armrests before pressing on with the subject caustically.

"Normally we'd have our rounds of Pai Sho while we pretend to get along with each other, floundering around in an uncomfortable awkward silence. However this time....I was thinking we could try something different." The telltale smirk of schemes that her father knew all too well snaked its way over the archer lips and her eyebrows dipped forward. Hotaru twiddled her foot idly and her smirk became more severe.

"I realize mother that you're a great warrior in your own right, what with your prowess and all. And I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind teaching me the way of the spear? I know you also handle the sword, but that's not what I desire from you." The twiddling ceased and Hotaru's smirk lessened to that of a genuine smile; her thirst for mastering every type of weaponry had been underway ever since she was ten years old. Sure, it was a last ditch effort to reconcile her already tattered relationship with a stranger she'd been saddled with as a mother, but who better to teach her how to spear than the General? If there was one thing not many people knew about Hotaru was that she was a schemer, and playing on her mother's thirst for all things war and bloodshed was nothing short of a win itself.

She'd either get a yes or a no.

"I am aware,"Hotaru continued after a pause, "That you're extremely busy. But I figured we could use our awkward Pai Sho time for something more advantageous. I've already mastered the bow and arroe mother, and the sword is proving ill-challenge for me now. I'd like for you to teach me the way of the Spear...that is...if you'd like."

'Now mother is a smart woman.....hardly knows me, but she's not stupid. Might she see through my ploy? Probably. But really, I doubt she'd deny me. Oh man, please don't say no!'