Followed by a great cloud of dust, Soi and her troops triumphantly returned to camp after a week of successful skirmishes against the military forces of Konan. Nakago had sent Soi and Tomo to the North and the South, respectively, in an effort to divide their enemy's stronghold. Soi had confidently returned to camp hoping to arrive before Tomo's militia with the excellent news of her victories. Instead she found herself swearing as she dismounted her horse. She saw that Tomo had already returned, perhaps only moments before, and was talking to Nakago. As attendants took the reins of her steed, she strained to listen to the other Seishi's conversation with her Lord. Soi could never understand why Nakago treated them equally since she couldn't even stand to breathe the same air as that made-up trollop. There was nothing Tomo could offer the shogun that she couldn't offer. Now, the fact that he had returned before her simply added more fuel to her jealous fire.

Brushing the journey's dirt from her uniform, she dismissed her men and strode over to Nakago. As she neared, she overheard him say to Tomo "I didn't order this...". Tomo nodded, looking down at his feet. Soi thought this was very odd. Nakago usually insisted that one looked directly at him when talking, whether he looked at you or not. ::Another privilege that 'bitch' was allowed,:: Soi thought. Tomo said something inaudible, Nakago nodded once, then the painted Seishi quickly turned and headed towards his tent. Soi smirked. ::Good,:: she thought. ::Now I have you all to myself.::

"Nakago-sama!" Soi said loudly, catching Nakago's attention. He motioned for her to follow him into his tent and she happily obliged. But once inside the tent Nakago was all business; asking only for the military details of her expedition, what losses there were, and how much territory Kutou had now gained. Hiding her disappointment, she related her victories proudly and waited for further instructions.

"I would like you to share these victories with the rest of the troops, Soi," Nakago said, matter-of-factly. "I'll let them know of Tomo's successes."

Soi frowned. "Tomo won't be at dinner, then?" she asked, trying to sound sincere, secretly enjoying his absence.

"No, I'm allowing Tomo the evening off. He's not feeling well." Nakago began to shuffle through some maps that were on his desk. "It seems, in our Emperor's infinite wisdom, that one of the villages Tomo was to seek men and munitions from was destroyed by the Emperor's own troops."

"I don't...I don't understand what that's got to do..." Soi began to ask. Nakago looked up from the maps.

"The village the Emperor destroyed was Tomo's home village," Nakago replied. "There was miscommunication from the Emperor's spies. They thought the build-up of weapons was because of an uprising against Kutou. The spies never bothered to check further. They saw the weapons but made the wrong assumption. When Tomo arrived three days ago, there wasn't anything he could do. The village had been...'cleansed'."

Soi closed her eyes and shuddered. She knew full well what 'cleansed' meant. Not one person, not a single farm animal, not even a blade of grass would be left standing after the Emperor's troops 'cleansed' an area. It was as if that spot on the Earth had never existed; it was as if no one had ever lived there. Each member of that community would have been exterminated in the most inhumane way, and disposed of, leaving no trace of their previous existence. That was the Emperor's way, for he played by his own rules. Soi knew Nakago hated the Emperor's military style: there was no honor in it. She managed a deep breath and tried to clear her mind of the pictures that flashed before her. As much as she despised Tomo, no one deserved to die in that manner.

"Well, what's done is done," Nakago said softly. "We must focus our energies on the victories you and Tomo have accomplished for our cause, ne? Report to the dining tent in half an hour, dozo." Nakago rose, and walked swiftly past Soi. After a moment, Soi headed toward her own tent to bathe and prepare for dinner.

Throughout dinner, mugs of victory were hoisted along with the occasional drunken bravado soldiers were wont to make to each other. Shouts of "Soi-sama!" brought a victorious smile to the auburn-tressed Seishi. Shouts of "Tomo-sama!" brought a cringe, though Soi bravely smiled through her clenched teeth, acknowledging her rival's victories as well. Nakago remained characteristically silent throughout the revelry, preferring to study Soi and her reactions to the cheers. During one of the countless retellings of how Tomo's troops defeated and captured this town or that, Nakago leaned close to Soi and whispered in her ear.

"I need you to tell Tomo that I expect to see him just before dawn, to go over our next battle strategy."

"Hai, I'd be happy to," Soi lied. "I'll make sure to stop by his tent when I retire."

"I'd like you to tell him now..." Nakago said, leaning back into his seat. "...personally, and face to face." He looked around the large tent of soldiers slapping each other on the back, or clinking mugs, spilling alcohol all over the room.

Soi blushed. "H-hai, Nakago-sama. Right away." She rose, then bowed. As she looked back up at the room full of happy soldiers, she dared to glance at Nakago. He seemed to be lost in thought, unaware of the noise going on around him. Trying not to look too angry at being pulled away from the festivities, she grabbed her cloak and left the dining tent.

Soi grumbled to herself as she made her way through the campgrounds towards the tent of the last person on Earth she cared to see or talk to at this moment. ::I'd like you to tell him now:: she mimicked with a whine. Muttering about the lack of fairness, and how things could be so different if only certain persons weren't here, made the trip seem a little shorter. Perhaps the rock - that now found itself hurtling through space - should have been grateful for the change of scenery it was experiencing at the benefit of coming into contact with Soi's boot. It landed just outside the darkened tent of Nakago's other warrior. There was no guard on duty as was usually the case. Maybe Tomo dismissed him; Soi didn't really care. She would do anything for her lover and master, even brave her 'enemy's' tent, no matter how distasteful it seemed. She stood with her hands on her hips and exhaled angrily.

Soi silently pulled back the tent flap and squinted her eyes in an effort to adjust to the dim light. She could see a lone candle off in the corner on a small table. She had never been inside Tomo's tent before, not that she ever wanted to in the first place. She assumed it would be decorated as garishly as Tomo.

As her eyes slowly adjusted, she was somewhat surprised by what she found. In addition to the tent being incredibly neat and organized, it was decorated with some wonderful cloths and materials Soi had never seen before. Fragrant incense was burning in a beautiful glass dish surrounded by bottles of perfume of varying sizes, shapes, and aromas. Exotic feathers were hanging in bunches in the corners, accompanied by silks and satins that seemed to shimmer in the candle's glow. Tomo's clothing was laid out carefully over a trunk off to the side and his unusual headdress was on a special stand all its own. Soi looked around the tent in amazement, actually impressed with the tastefulness with which the space was decorated. She never thought someone who dressed so outlandishly would actually harbor good taste. A delightfully plush carpet covered most of the floor, and as Soi bent down to touch it, she heard a soft sniffle.

Soi hadn't realized that Tomo was sitting at his makeup table on the far end of the tent. In the darkness, she saw the silhouette of his hunched body dressed in a ruby-colored kimono that blended in with the surroundings. Unaware of her presence, he remained motionless, his head resting on his hands. His fingers were woven through the charcoal strands of waist-length hair that was hiding his face. Soi could just make out the brilliantly painted long nails that peeked through Tomo's hair. She stood up and noisily cleared her throat, startling Tomo. He looked back through the darkness at who had dared to enter his sanctuary unannounced. When he saw that the intruder was Soi, he closed his eyes, and resumed his position. Soi straightened herself and moved closer to Tomo.

"To what do I owe this audience, your Highness," Tomo hissed.

"I've been sent to tell you that Nakago-sama expects to see you before dawn to go over battle strategies," Soi announced in her coldest professional voice. She realized Tomo was not wearing his usual makeup. Curiosity got the better of her, and she moved a little closer to try and get a look at the Seishi's unadorned face. Tomo roughly wiped a silk sleeve across his face and stared up at her. It was only then that she realized Tomo had been crying.

"And you've delivered your message admirably," Tomo sarcastically replied. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone. I have a terrible headache." Soi could see dark circles under Tomo's hazel eyes, and there was definitely redness to his nose and upper lip. He leaned on his hand, massaging a sore temple.

Soi moved a little closer, noting how delicate Tomo's features actually were. The sharp angular nose, the sweet looking mouth. How smooth his skin could look after wearing so much makeup all the time. Even his hair looked like fine black silk in the darkness of his tent. Tomo looked away, realizing he was being stared at.

"Nakago-sama told me of what happened to your village," Soi said softly. Then Soi said something she never thought she'd ever say to Tomo.

"Gomen nasai, Tomo."

Tomo closed his eyes and shook his head. He took a deep ragged breath, opened them slowly, and just stared at his reflection in the mirror.

"It must have been terrible for your family and friends..." Soi whispered.

"I have no family or friends," Tomo whispered back, his voice cracking.

"But it was your home..." Soi continued, surprised at her own concern.

Tomo sighed heavily, biting on his lip.

"It's just...it's just that...I didn't leave home under the best of circumstances." He looked up to the ceiling, shaking his head, as tears filled his eyes. "I always thought that after this...nonsense...was finished, I could go home and fix...that I could explain..." Tomo's voice cracked. "But I guess I can't now, ne? Now I can never go home." He lifted his slender hand to cover his mouth as he spoke, trying to hide the emotion that was invading his heart again. A large crystalline tear slowly rolled down the porcelain skin, slipping behind Tomo's hand. "Would you just...would you just leave me alone?" Tomo whispered. "I really don't feel like talking." Tomo's eyebrows knitted in pain, and he began to whimper softly, trying with all his strength not to break down in front of his rival. Soi moved a little closer to the suffering Seishi but he refused to look at her. "Dozo..." his voice choked, "...leave." The images of what he found a few days ago flooded his senses, and he buried his head in his hands with a sob.

His bitter words stung Soi's heart. Who would know better than she about the loss of family, the loss of home, never being able to return? Is that why Nakago had sent her to Tomo's tent? Nakago surely must have sensed something, otherwise why would he have sent her? As much as she despised Tomo, she had come to accept that he was a valuable tool to Nakago. And Nakago needed all of his soldiers in top form at all times. This...setback...might destroy Nakago's plans. Soi began to understand the purpose of her mission.

Soi stared down at the Seishi, watching his shoulders shake as he wept, heartbroken at the course fate had delivered him. She watched, as if apart from herself, as her hand reached out and gently stroked Tomo's hair. Tomo suddenly startled at her touch, comfort being so foreign to both of them. He leaned away from her and quickly wiped his damp cheeks with his sleeve. Soi smiled wryly at him, folded her arms across her chest, and shook her head.

"Nani?" Tomo asked dejectedly, wiping his eyes again, feeling quite humiliated at this show of weakness in front of Soi.

"Who'd have thought that Tomo would have a soul?" she answered softly, studying his face, noting how handsome he looked in the candlelight.

"Yeah, well, don't spread that around," the Seishi replied with a sniffle, his usual sarcasm returning. "I do my best to convince everyone that I don't." Tomo looked back at his reflection with a frown. The delicate skin under his eyes was red and puffy from crying. He gently pressed his fingertips under his eyes in an effort to flatten the irritated skin, to no avail.

"Don't worry, Tomo," Soi chuckled. "Your secret is safe with me." She made her way back towards the tent's entrance, stopping to touch a beautiful kimono hanging on a stand. She shook her head as she lifted the elegant sleeve.

"I'll never understand why you need to hide behind all this...stuff," Soi commented, letting the sleeve drop, then smoothing it with her hand.

"All of us hide ourselves behind something, Soi. I choose to hide behind this," Tomo answered, motioning at the trappings of his tent with his hand. He returned to the mirror with a frustrated sigh and a sniffle.

Soi hesitated at the tent's entrance, playing with a thread on the flap. She looked back over her shoulder at Tomo.

"If you take the leaves of some freshly brewed tea, and place them in a soft cloth after they've cooled, press them gently under your eyes," Soi explained. Then she whispered, "I always find...that is...uhm...the swelling will go down quicker that way." Soi's eyes met Tomo's in his mirror. He nodded silently. She then left to rejoin her compatriots in the dining tent.

Tomo stared at his reflection for a long time. Tears filled his eyes once more, as he lit the heating candle under the small tea pot he kept on his nightstand. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he pulled one of his finest silk handkerchiefs from the makeup table drawer.

The End
copyright 1998 Julie Farel

Fushigi Yuugi is the creation and property of Watase Yuu.