[D4, MA, Expecting] A Troublesome Question

[Kitsuki Hajime]

Kitsuki Hajime's room had the spartan look favored by many Dragon, his precious things having been tucked away. At the moment, he was sitting at his desk, writing. Such was his wont, when, out of the blue...

[Matsu Ishioka]

The knock at Hajime's door started relatively quiet, gentle enough to not disturb those in adjacent rooms. Then it picked up in intensity, until it was approaching a pounding that the door frame probably couldn't withstand for long. "Kitsuki Hajime-san?" a somewhat familiar voice says with noticeable urgency.

[Kitsuki Hajime]

There is a moment's pause before Hajime opens the door, his expression carefully composed. "Ye-es? Oh! Matsu-sama! Please, come in. How can I be of help?"

[Matsu Ishioka]

The Lion doesn't seem disheveled, or even particularly emotional thanks to his typically stoic demeanor, but in his eyes Hajime will notice a chaotic twirl of emotions.

"Thank you, Kitsuki Hajime-san," Ishioka says formally as he enters. "I, ah, apologize for disturbing you unannounced..." The Matsu looks around awkwardly, as though he wants to sit but is unsure of doing so. "I..." Ishioka pauses and closes his eyes. "I have a very awkward matter to discuss that requires your singular expertise," he says matter-of-factly, exaggerating slightly as he's clearly bothered by something.

[Kitsuki Hajime]

Hajime's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. My singular expertise? I wonder what he thinks I'm an expert in?

He snapped out of it quickly though. "Please, have a seat, Matsu-sama," he said, gesturing toward the small receiving area he had constructed out of a low table and some pillows. "Now, what is it that is the matter?"

[Matsu Ishioka]

The Lion opens his eyes, observes the seating, and takes the suggested place with a polite nod. "Thank you Kitsuki-san," he says tiredly.

After a moment at the table to compose himself, Ishioka looks up at the Dragon. "I apologize, Kitsuki-san. It is not fair to ask you to resolve my... well." Ishioka sighs. "Unfair as it is, Kitsuki-san, I need your help. Can I... Can I share something with you that I..." he sighs again, "will need to share with Agasha-san myself at some time?"

[Kitsuki Hajime]

Hajime settled into his seat. "Of course, Matsu-sama. And, as the matter seems to be of some concern to you, I promise that I shall be the soul of discretion."

[Matsu Ishioka]

Ishioka nods in appreciation and then takes a steadying breath. "I wish that I could skip this part, or significantly abridge it, but it's critical, so," he says with a sigh, "here goes."

"Back in the fall, my younger sister, Matsu Hachiko, came to visit me at Kyuden Hida -- where I work in embassy security," he reminds the Dragon. "She he was not long past a very strong performance at her gempukku and was the talk of our family. A prodigy like her should have gone to the Topaz Championship, but, well, Matsu family politics. We had a complicated relationship," he says with a strain in his voice, "but I loved her like my whole family did." There's a heavy exhale.

"One night during her visit, I was supposed to meet her after my work day ended at a popular restaurant. When I..." The Lion has to pause as his face starts to look different. "When I got there, I found her in the street, katana in hand, with a Dragon samurai-ko on one knee before her. The Dragon was bleeding horribly, most..." He pauses, stepping past a detail or two. "Whatever the matter had been, clearly Hachiko had won the duel. She said it was over and lowered her sword."

Ishioka draws in a long, slow breath. "I was concerned, of course -- fighting in the streets is hardly honorable behavior -- but, then..." The Lion's breath catches, and he has to pause for several moments. "Then," he says, forcing himself to continue, "I saw the Dragon raise her katana and cut Hachiko down. Right--" he gestures vaguely, probably to indicate how close he'd been standing. "So close," he says softly, voice straining. "And that was my favorite sister. My parents' pride and joy. And she was gone, just like that. Right. In front. Of..." He doesn't say the last word, but Hajime knows what it is. Meanwhile, Ishioka is sitting with lips pursed, staring at the small table almost intensely enough to bore a hole into it.

"It's been months ago now," he says emotionlessly, not looking up. "But, every time I see Dragon green, there's this sliver of my mind that's standing in that street again, heart stopping as I realize how angry that Dragon is, and that Hachiko shouldn't have let her guard down, and that I can't..." There's the sound of Ishioka swallowing hard, biting back an emotion. He takes a ragged breath, then a little bit deeper one, and starts to calm again. Finally he looks up at Hajime.

"I know Agasha-san isn't like that," he says, rational now but still stained. "And you're not, and probably no one is, but..." He looks at the courtier, obviously unsure how to reconcile his logical brain and his frayed emotions.

[Kitsuki Hajime]

Hajime was at a loss, overwhelmed by Ishioka's distress.

"What happened to this Dragon samurai?" he found himself asking.

[Matsu Ishioka]

Ishioka takes a heavy breath, then starts talking as though he's just picking back up in a story he has memorized. "I caught Hachiko, I'd been behind her. As I was..." His voice catches, and he fixes his eyes on the table before continuing. "The Crab magistrates came. Took her to a Kuni before she bled to death, I guess. Hiruma Sanaharu thanked me for my restraint. I think there were political considerations, and I imagine she's back in Dragon lands somewhere. Minus one arm," he says with a bitter pride, and then colors in embarrassment. "Ah, Kitsuki-san, I apologize. That was..." In the swirl of bitter and apologetic, he just stops talking and keeps looking at the table.