A knock was heard at the door to Kaguya's room. Aino walked forward and opened. Her eyes widened in surprise at seeing who it was.
"Lord Tenji?!"
"Hello, Aino. Is Kaguya in?"
"Yes, Lord Tenji," Aino said, turning to Kaguya. "Lady Kaguya, it's Lord Tenji."
"Please let him in," Kaguya said.
Aino stepped aside as Tenji entered, but she could not hide the way her hands trembled. For the past week, the servants had whispered endlessly: the emperor had continued his life as usual, visiting every corner of the palace except this one. And yet now, here he stood. Kaguya remained seated on her mat, her posture straight but strangely relaxed, as if she had expected him.
Tenji closed the door behind him. After a moment, he smiled and looked at Aino.
"Aino," he said gently, "may we have the room?"
Aino bowed deeply.
"O-Of course, Lord Tenji."
She left in a hurry, though not before giving Kaguya a nervous glance. She had started to like Kaguya. No, 'like' wasn't the correct word. She had become utterly devoted to her. That wasn't that surprising to Toji, since Aino had been chosen exactly due to her nature.
When the door slid shut, the room became quiet.
"Have you adapted alright?" Tenji asked and sat down opposite Kaguya.
For a moment, Kaguya seemed surprised at Tenji's words, but answered nevertheless.
"Yes."
Tenji smiled, hearing that.
"That's good. Has Aino been helping you in any way you needed? She is a very diligent young girl, so I thought it most appropriate to have her attend you."
"She has."
Tenji tilted his head a bit and looked at her.
"Do you know the history of the Land of Sou?" Toji asked. "I understand that it's not as interesting as the history of your home, but if you don't, I would be happy to tell it to you."
"Why?"
"Well, I'm interested to get to know you. But to break the ice between us, I think telling you about my home is the most appropriate."
"What do you seek?" she asked.
"Seek? Well, it's as I just said. I am very interested in you."
"Why?"
"I can't say for sure. I suppose I will find that out eventually. It might have something to do with the fact that I don't remember the first time we met clearly."
After a moment of silence, Kaguya spoke.
"Tell me about the stars."
"Huh? Shouldn't you be the one telling me about the stars?"
She shook her head.
"I would like to hear about your observations," she said.
"Very well. So the stars… they fascinate me. However, I believe there is a stronger connection than we know. They aren't as far away as we think. They shine the way our sun does, only weaker and smaller. But brightness can be deceiving. A firefly can shine brighter than a torch if you place the torch far enough away."
Kaguya shifted slightly. After weeks of seeing one another, Tenji had come to know her enough to understand that she was listening. And it interested her greatly. Although he didn't know whether it was the topic or him.
"I believe the stars are like suns," Tenji said. "Distant suns, if you will. And perhaps, if they are suns, they may warm lands of their own. Worlds of their own. Someone might live there. Haha, I suppose that theory can now be taken as a fact."
"Hmm."
"Everything is drawn downward - stones, leaves, the rain and even we humans. Sure, we can jump, but we always come back down. Something pulls us all inward, to the centre of this world. Yet the sun escapes that pull somehow. I suppose that sounds strange spoken aloud, especially since it is wholly possible that the sun doesn't move, but we do. But nothing in nature is random. Everything obeys some unspoken rule, or rather a law. The laws of nature and the sky."
A comfortable silence spread through the room. Then, unexpectedly, Kaguya spoke softly.
"…How did you learn this?"
"I have a lot of time on my hands where I, much like you, simply observe and make conclusions and theories," he said. "And I refuse to restrict my mind by anything and don't appreciate it when someone else does so."
Kaguya lowered her gaze. Something flashed across her eyes - an emotion Tenji could not yet name. But he made the remark knowing that she would understand.
"Say, Kaguya. Will you tell me something about your home? I am very interested to know more about you."
She didn't answer, once again, but Tenji didn't mind.
"You don't need to answer," he said. "But when you are ready to tell me… I will gladly listen."
He uncovered the tray, revealing a carefully prepared meal. Tenji had cooked himself, since it was one of the things he enjoyed doing. Eating and cooking, coming up with new recipes and seeing people smile and enjoy his food were things he wouldn't get enough of seeing.
"And until then," he added with a small smile, "I hope my cooking is enough to convince you that the people of this world can offer you more than boring talk of war and crops."
Kaguya looked at the food and smelled the fragrance which rose from the tray. It was something Tenji came up with, and so far, there hadn't been anyone who didn't like it. And even the taciturn, elegant Kaguya was no exception.
"This is Kamado-Gohan and Hōba-Yaki. I caught the fish myself. I hope you enjoy it," he said and stood up to give her privacy.
Before he left the room, though, he looked back once again.
"Say, Kaguya. Is there anything you desire?"
"What I wish for... is peace with no more fighting," she revealed.
"Peace, huh? Then we are not so different."
.
After Tenji's initial talks with Kaguya, life changed for both of them. Tenji allowed Kaguya to live on his land and even in his compound. Unlike other humans, Tenji had built a strong mind and developed methods to memorise as much as he could. It was for that reason that the memories Kaguya wanted to remove from his mind didn't entirely disappear. He lived with the feeling that something had happened, even though he had no shred of chakra. That's why he wanted to keep her close, to keep an eye on her and find out the reason for her arrival in his lands.
However, life seldom happens as one planned it. After the initial evening, Tenji visited Kaguya daily to spend time with her and talk to her. Altough, it was more of him speaking at her, than a dialogue. But that didn't bother Tenji, since he finally had someone who knew more than he did, and if not, she could at least comprehend his thought processes.
Both of them bonded over their desire for peace, even though their reasoning was different. The daily visits grew longer each week. Eventually, Tenji visited Kaguya multiple times a day, just because he wanted to. Kaguya enjoyed hearing Tenji tell her stories or share his theories, and the plans to improve the lands were particularly delightful to her. Tenji taught her about the history and geography of the Land of Ancestors. What they created in terms of agriculture, how he improved them and what he thought about the merchant routes and trade prices.
But what Kaguya enjoyed most was whenever Tenji cooked for her. The initial meal didn't leave her mind and was the strongest force for pulling down her defences. Two days later, she asked him for food again, and afterwards, Tenji cooked for her every day. He allowed her to watch, which she took secret pleasure in, and even started teaching her how to cook for herself. But his cooking talent was second to none, so it became his job to cook for her. Both of them enjoyed spending time together, despite neither admitting it out loud. But the ice princess started to melt more and more. And then, it happened.
No one could say when it happened precisely, but it all started with a kiss. Harmless enough, but it developed into something more. The relationship, which began as a means for Tenji to keep an eye on Kaguya and uncover the truth about her, blossomed into love.
One evening, Aino realised that Lord Toji hadn't returned from Kaguya's room, only emerging the next morning to cook for them. That's when she understood and smiled happily that it had come to this. She wasn't the only one to know about it for long, though. Toji's talent, which encompassed all fields, also affected his 'skill' in bed. And the more he practised a skill, the better he grew in it exponentially. So, the other servants and guards heard Kaguya during the night. Many a woman turned envious through this.
The time the two lovers spent together grew to almost the entire day. Thankfully, Tenji was talented enough not to need more than a few hours a day to handle everything that happened in the Land of Ancestors. He had more than enough time to spare with Kaguya. This development wasn't well-received by everyone, though.
.
"Lord Tenji!" the commander called out one day.
"What is it, Dageho?"
"The mischief caused by the Land of Ka at our border is growing steadily worse! Unless we take action, the farmers' ire will reach a breaking point!" Dageho reported.
"I understand. But I forbid you to confront the Land of Ka," Tenji ordered.
"But--"
"If fighting ensues, many will die. When the time comes, we will do this properly and not cause unnecessary deaths. My patience has run out. This means that no one is to act on their own accord and follow my command perfectly. Anyone who makes a move on the Land of Ka without my command will feel my wrath. Is that understood?" Tenji asked.
"Understood, Lord Tenji."
Tenji had had enough of the farce the Land of Ka was putting up. He hadn't spent much time bothering with their shenanigans, since he was 'otherwise busy' right now. But he understood that he had to set an example and that he would. But he wouldn't have unnecessary deaths, and needed everyone to do exactly as he commanded and follow his strategies. As long as that happened, he could control all parameters and bring a swift but decisive end to the three times larger military of the Land of Ka.
Once again, reality proved to be unpredictable. That night, the Ministers Suzaku and Genbu brought a large part of the Land of Ka's army with them. Their intimidation tactics hadn't worked so far, and even their lies about the ancient text proved useless when confronted with Tenji's logic. So they resorted to less veiled tactics and tried to provoke a reaction from the people of the Land of Ancestors. Fear was a powerful factor after all, and they would use it like they always did. And it worked.
Commander Dageho rushed to the small compound where Kaguya lived.
"Is Lord Tenji here?" he asked Aino.
"Yes. He comes every day and night. It seems Lady Kaguya and Lord Tenji have come to care for one another truly. They have been spending more and more time together," Aino told them excitedly.
"I didn't ask for details! Lord Tenji! Lord Tenji!" the commander started to yell.
A moment later, Tenji appeared, with Kaguya following him a second later.
"What do you want at this hour, Dageho?" he asked.
"The Land of Ka is at the border with a large army!"
"What?! They moved sooner than I predicted."
Tenji started to think about this development. He had planned to deal with the problem of the Land of Ka on his terms and would have been ready in a few days at most. But now the Land of Ka was already here, ready to invade for no reason at all. The arrival of Kaguya had thrown things off their usual way and accelerated the troops' movements. Ministers Suzaku and Genbu were greedy. Confronted with this fact, Tenji had but one option. He turned to Kaguya, who held his arm supportively.
"Kaguya, I must depart to the front immediately."
"To war?" she asked.
"It won't come to that. If things reach that point, I will remove the Ministers and throw Ka's army into disarray for a few days. That would give us enough time to prepare and strike back. Still, things might not go as planned, and if that happens, I want you as far away from the bloodshed as possible. So, you and Aino shall go into hiding until this matter is settled."
"Yes!" Aino said and ran off to prepare.
"I shall return as soon as possible."
Tenji had his theories about Kaguya's capabilities, but no one said that a man in love was a being of pure logic. And even if he knew, he didn't want her anywhere close to the fighting if he could help it. So Kaguya and Aino were moved to a hiding place, while he set off to meet with Ministers Suzaku and Genbu. He was certain that he would settle the dispute no matter what.