The obvious culprit lay sprawled near the center of the room. Two men were examining the body of the nekogami. A court functionary, his back to Fuhito, stood at the feet of the corpse, and Ninyu Kerai knelt near the body, examining the gray ash near the disfigured face of the assassin. The redheaded ISF man said something to his companion that Fuhito could not hear.
Theodore stood in conversation with his wife and his cousin Constance. As Fuhito approached, the Kanrei put down the decanter he was holding and turned to face him. He acknowledged Fuhito's bow with a nod.
"Sho-saTetsuhara, I've a different task for you than I expected. I want you to take temporary command of the Otomo. Chu-saIi has found the attack on the Coordinator beyond his honor."
"Hai!"Fuhito was surprised by the order. He was not surprised that the Otomo commander had committed seppuku for his failure to protect the Coordinator. That was expected. But to do so before the investigation was completed and all were certain that the Coordinator was safe? Chu-saIi had shown a shocking lack of sense for his duty, an unbalanced sense of honor.
"Have the corridors cleared," Theodore continued. "Assure everyone that the Coordinator is safe. I will have a public announcement at ..." He looked at Constance with a raised eyebrow.
"We should be finished here in an hour, Tono,"she replied to his unspoken question, turning from the Pillarine jukurenshato whom she had handed the decanter.
Theodore consulted his ringwatch before finishing the sentence he had left hanging. "Six."
A new presence intruded on the small group, the functionary Fuhito had seen near the body. Fuhito realized with a shock that the man was Subhash Indrahar, the dreaded Director of the ISF. Behind the Director and to one side stood Ninyu, showing no sign of his usual sarcastic half-smile. "Do you think that wise, Kanrei?" Subhash queried. "The Coordinator's injuries from the shattered glass and his subsequent fall are light, but he is dazed and disoriented. He will not be ready to speak so soon."
Fuhito watched their eyes lock, felt the play of kienergy between them. Absorbed with trying to interpret the energies, he started when Theodore spoke.
"I'm doing what I deem necessary."
"Very well," Subhash said quietly. He adjusted his gold-rimmed spectacles, seating them more firmly. "You seem to be well-supplied with advisors whose words you heed. I will attend to the Coordinator."
Theodore paused a moment, seeming to weigh the Director's words. "I understand," he said finally.
Subhash bowed, brief and shallow, then turned his back on them. The Director strode directly across to the group around the Coordinator, dismissing the Pillarines. Ninyu watched, shifting his attention between the Kanrei and the Director. His face was stiff, as though he fought to control his thoughts. Reaching a decision, he cleared his throat.
"Kanrei," he began, holding out a packet wrapped in plain white silk. "Here is something for Michi Noketsuna."
Theodore accepted the offering and looked questioningly at Ninyu.
"It's some information that might be of interest to him. Recordings made by one Jerry Akuma. It seems that Akuma felt it necessary to secretly record his meetings with certain persons. The recordings are quite revealing. There is, of course, a copy for you. It may tell you something about your father as well."
"Domo,Ninyu -kun.I hadn't thought you interested in helping Michi- kun."
"I'm not, but these recordings may encourage him to slither back under the rocks he crawled from. The Dragon will be better off without him and the bad company he keeps."
"These are not fabricated, are they?" Constance asked. Her voice contained only curiosity, but Fuhito suspected her words held more. Once again, he was out of his depth among the subsurface meanings that seemed to fill the court and ensnare the lords of the Dragon.
"The truth is damning enough," Ninyu snapped. He stepped back, and without bowing first, walked halfway across the room before stopping. He seemed unwilling to join those around the Coordinator, but in his covert glance back to Theodore, Fuhito saw his reluctance to return to the Kanrei's group. He stood in the middle of the room for a moment, indecisive. Then he settled his shoulders and strolled slowly out past the Otomo.
"There is trouble brewing," Constance warned. "He is both more and less than one of your companions. Trust him with little."
"I trust him as I must," Theodore stated. "He's completely loyal to the Dragon. As long as the Combine's survival is threatened, he will never betray it."
"He is a small spider, learning the ways of the master weaver at the heart of the web," Constance observed. "He and his teacher may not see your interests and those of the Dragon as one and the same."
Theodore shook his head. "I can't afford to worry about that now. Besides, he won't be a danger for some time to come."
"Any time is too soon," Tomoe asserted.
"That is true, To-chan.But we must deal with the present right now. The future must wait for tomorrow." Without looking at Fuhito, Theodore added, "Isn't that right, Fuhito- kun?”
"Hai, Tono!"
71
Unity Palace, Imperial City, Luthien
Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
18 June 3040
Piotr Hitsu, the man Theodore knew as a kuromakuof the yakuza, entered the audience chamber only after the guards had withdrawn from the room. Hitsu looked worn, aged more than the years since their last meeting could rightly claim. The kuromakuwalked slowly across the floor, his limp more pronounced than when the two had met on Corsica Nueva.
A young boy followed him into the chamber. The boy, impeccably attired in a brilliant white kataginu,was dark-complexioned and thin, clearly no relation of the stocky, pale Hitsu. Something about the boy's face reminded Theodore of one of the oyabunthat Hitsu had gathered into an alliance to serve the Combine. The lad, nervous and ill-at-ease in the formal garb, carried a half-meter cube whose shiny, lacquered surface reflected the surroundings as perfectly as a silvered mirror.
The kuromakuapproached the platform where Theodore knelt. From three meters away, he bowed. He came forward another two steps and bowed again before kneeling.
"I'm pleased to see you again, Hitsu -san,"Theodore began affably. "It's been too long since we have talked face to face as friends should."
"You friendship honors an undeserving old man, Kanrei."
"Nonsense. Have you brought word from the oyabun?They have been silent and invisible these last few months."
"Things will soon be as they were, Kanrei." Hitsu smiled weakly. "Assuming the satisfactory conclusion of today's business."
"If not word from the oyabun,what then is today's business, Hitsu -san? Your request for this meeting was not specific."
"The business is honor," Hitsu informed him. The kuromakusettled himself firmly, resting his palms on his legs just above his knees. He drew a deep breath, and letting some of it loose in a sigh, stared directly at Theodore. The old man's dark mahogany eyes glinted harshly. "Honor and apology."