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Into The Sun	By : scarecrowslady Category: J-Rock/J-Pop & K-Pop > D Views: 812 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: This is a piece of fiction. Ergo: not real or factual. I do not know D (or any other jrock band) and I am not gaining profit from this!

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Into the Sun
Chapter 2: Day 2: Truth Recovered
"... I know." -- Confucius

Slowly, fading with the stars and the setting moon, the night gave way to the cheerful pink of morning, as the sun shone gold rays through the valley. Lighting the small town, reviving it - watching over the farmers trekking out to their rice paddies and to the women finding their way down to the river, the sun woke humanity up and brought another day to that side of the world. The brothel was no different -
Cracking his eyes open, Hide-zou winced as the cheery light stabbed into his aching skull yet again - but the curse stuck on tongue and lips - both dry as paper and sticky. Rolling over with a groan, he mumbled unintelligable protest as he sleepily registered Hoshi and two girls next to him.

Ahh... what a night...
But any ruminations on the importance of women and alchohol were cut short by a sharp, long, high-pitched scream somewhere...

Somewhere...
Bam! Bam! Bam!

Somewhere down the hall... he guessed.
People were stirring in earnest now, a few were running up and down the hallways. Servants muttered outside the door - and Hide-zou could hear paneled doors being thrown back in a rush. Hoshi groaned and hoisted himself up on his elbows...
"Damn girls," he muttered. "What in -"

"They say someone died!" A servant said to another outside their door. "Did you hear? Died in the night... and it doesn't look right at all..."

"I heard... that it was a high payin' customer, too," whispered another maid. "A Lord, perhaps?"

"And they have already alerted the constables on duty..."
Bit by bit, Hoshi and Hide-zou raised themselves up, finding some sort of balance against each other - with enough strength to drag themselves to the door and poke their heads out. They weren't the only curious onlookers, Hide-zou noticed with amusement. Several patrons were trying to lounge casually outside their bedrooms, a few of the prostitutes were chattering in bunches...
Hide-zou's eyebrow rose a few inches at the sight of the pretty blonde lounging against his door talking to someone behind him.
"That is..." murmured the samurai to his master's brother.

Hoshi cocked his head and mumbled, "Lord Ruiza... from the west, I think... or was it the east? He was a suprise this year... came into money and his father's position suddenly, or so I hear..."

"Ahh... lucky bastard," Hide-zou drawled with a short laugh.

"Yes... indeed... and Older Brother had an eye out for him last evening, I know..."

"Wonder if he had any luck with him..."

"Apparently not," Hoshi laughed, nodding at the short blonde who had shifted to reveal a scantily clad dark-haired beauty in a thin kimono.
Hide-zou blinked, coughed and turned red as he recognized the familiar sensitive lips and the mildly furrowed eyebrows delicately plucked... The tall wiry frame and the graceful posture seemed alien and strange in the morning light - to Hide-zou's fancy, the prostitute prostrated on the floor, fingers digging in straw matting seemed more appropriate. Something exotic... something almost ethereal about the man...
"Who's that then?" Hide-zou laughed. "Another lucky bastard?"

"I guess," smirked Hoshi. "I know that there's a famous prostitute here... who caught the eye of Older Brother many years ago... perhaps that is the one... He certainly... stands out above the rest... but for some reason, he didn't approach my brother last night... I wonder why..."

"Well... Lord Ruiza is..."

"More attractive than the old man? Sure... but," Hoshi grinned. "I'd rather lay something with breasts any day..." The young lord winked at Hide-zou, who felt compelled to nod.
But his mind was far away, and he could almost feel the smooth flesh under his hands...
-
The servants weren't saying anything - and nobody was allowed into the room of the deceased. Led away sobbing, the maid disappeared into the owner's sanctum and was never seen again for the rest of the day. However, at that point in time, the fervent tension drew away people's attention from the young girl. Instead, all eyes were trained on the closed panel, waiting...
Waiting...
"So what do we have here?" a grave voice asked from behind them. All heads turned to look down the hallway, blinking at the sight of two constables standing at the doorway, looking imposing with their clean cut uniforms and swords.
-
It was then, Hide-zou realized, that this was not a dream. This was not one of those fairy tale scandals in the kabuki, where the actors are all beautiful and make you cry.

It's for real... This death is for real. Someone died...
And... since Lord Ruiza is still here... It must be...
And then, he felt as if a stone were at his belly - and his head seemed to lift off into the clouds with relief. Dizzy, he swayed against the lintel, ignoring Hoshi's glance.

If it was Lord Yasume... what then?
-

TSUNEHITO'S NOTES:
9:30 A.M.

Scene: The Five Roses

Situation:

Situation... Tsunehito sighed dramatically as he stared in boredom around the room. He looked down at his notepad which was already mostly used up with dress designs that he had thought up during his night duty, the week before. Along the sides of the hem, were slanted jottings.
"Old man drunk again on the forest lane."

"Tell Hisashi-san to remove cart from Main Street after 6:00"

"Lace from Yokohama?"
"The Lord was found at 8:45 in the morning by a maid... Where is she?" Hiroki turned on the brothel's owner.

"In my parlour, Hiroki-sensei," nodded the short, pudgy man, his palms and balding head slick with sweat.
Tsunehito winced at the annoyingly syncophantic tone of the man. It made him want to vomit -

So unlovely... so... Tsunehito looked around the gaudy room of the Lord's suite and the prostate body of the man still half on, half off his bed. So... tacky...
"Tsunehito!" barked Hiroki, now all buisness as he stood over the corpse. "Lift the man for identification and futher analysis!"

"Yes, yes," grumbled Tsunehito, scrawling "hellish" beside the situation section of his notes, before following his senior partner's commands. "It's not like we can't see who he is... It's Lord Yasume..." he added in a louder tone for the benefit of the crowd outside the door.
Whispers ran down the hall as the word spread throughout the brothel.
"Hmmm..." Hiroki nodded leaning closer at the man now spread in naked glory on his bed. "And very dead too..."

"Yes..." Tsunehito dead-panned. "And very violent, too." He added in a louder tone. "Looks like murder, right, Hiroki-san?"

"Can't say," Hiroki answered cagily. "But my initial observation is that... something... fishy is going on here..."
"Br-br-brother!!!!!!!" A young man burst into the room, eyes wide and horror painted all over his face as he took several steps into the room. Shaking his head in disbelief from side to side, Hoshi took a few more paces - just enough to see his brother's slack face before collapsing to the ground.
Hiroki stared non-plussed at the bereaved noble before turning to Tsunehito with a suspicious glint in his eye. Tsunehito didn't move, smoothing his already crumpled hakama, and watched indifferently from the bedside as Hide-zou rushed in to slap his new employer conscious.
-

HIROKI'S NOTES:
Situation: We entered the notorious brothel The Five Roses to find the glorious Lord Yasume dead. The body was lying half on, half off the bed - his face twisted in a snarl of pain and anger. There was nobody in the room, when the maid entered, but by the time of our arrival, most had left their rooms, making initial assessment much more difficult in the way of customer and suspect movements. Further investigation of the body will be needed before a declaration of malintent is made.
Annotation: Brother collapsed in shock at murder scene. An act? Or is it unholy brotherly love?
Annotation: Seedy samurai on the premises. Check out his background.
-
"What happened?" The blonde Lord murmured to one of the servants slipping by with a frightened face. "Someone died, I hear?"

"Yes, my Lord," the girl whispered, bright eyes large with fear. They shifted to Asagi, who nodded calmly. She relaxed. "It is the Lord Yasume, who died."

"You interested in it?" a deep voice asked softly behind the maid.

She squeaked, jumped, curtsied to the Lord and the courtesan before disappearing back down the hall.

Tsunehito watched the slim girl's back disappear disinterestedly.

"Was she the one who found him, I wonder?"

"I think not," Asagi replied softly and delicately, surveying Tsunehito coolly from head to toe. "The other would be in the master's parlour right now. Such sensitive creatures take so long to recover..."
Tsunehito blinked at the sheathed malice.
"It's been awhile, Asagi," the constable shot the courtesan a catty smile. "Been keeping busy, eh? Not being laying around, have we?"

"Not more than you," Asagi tipped his head, his finger reached out to flick Tsunehito's notepad. "But then, considering your position -"

"- And yours," returned the constable haughtily.

"It's not a suprise..." continued the courtesan without missing a beat.

"Funny, I should have thought the same as well."
There was a moment, then, Tsunehito flicked his small sheaf of papers and found a blank one (more or less), and under a fancy design of lace, scrawled, "Accounts".
"Hmmm... tablecloths is it?"

Tsunehito turned sharply, his shoulder would have broken Asagi's nose had the courtesan been shorter. As it was, the taller man could easily see the designs around Tsunehito's page...
The pretty constable ground his teeth.
"Lace."

"Ah... What's this then?"

"I'll need your accounting of the night."
Ruiza's bright eyes slid back and forth between the two men.
"An interrogation is it?" Asagi murmured, his eyes suddenly sharp.

Ruiza tensed.

"Why?"

Tsunehito blinked at the two men.

"Why?"

"Yes, why?" repeated Ruiza. "I thought... he died..."

"Oh yes... but the how is puzzling... perhaps it was an ailment of the body - or perhaps it was a crime... a murder... something full of malicious intent. At any rate, my fellow constable Hiroki is looking into that with a well-trained professional. My job right now is to interrogate, as you so nicely put it, Asagi-san. So where will it be? Here in the hallway... or..."

"The bedroom is fine," Asagi replied smoothily after getting a small nod from Ruiza. "We have nothing to hide, as you can see."

"No..." Tsunehito's glare intensified as Asagi gracefully sat on the rumpled bedcovers, his light blue and pink kimono falling away temptingly to bare smooth legs and delectable thighs. "Obviously not."
The young Lord had a grace to blush before he sat down beside the courtesan and looked expectantly at Tsunehito who was busy smelling the scents on the nightstand. He posed for a moment before the mirror before turning to his bewildered suspects.
"Now... Let's get started."
-

TSUNEHITO'S NOTES:
Asagi's Alibi:
The day before Lord Yasume arrived - that would be two mornings ago now... Lord Akita arrived and ordered me for a day and then some. I spent most of the time in his company. In fact, we were sitting together on the balcony when Lord Yasume arrived. Lord Yasume and I... (hesitation)... have a long standing relationship now... going on for several years... I was of course expecting to spend some of the night with him. But I was also aware of Lord Ruiza's presence earlier that morning... A maid had told me... I could not pass up the opportunity... Straightaway after Lord Akita, I passed by Lord Yasume's room - but he was clearly (more hesitation) not up for any entertainment. His brother was yelling at him with extreme rage (double check with Lord Hoshi)... perhaps their relationship was not so idyllic? (ask servants) At any rate, I noticed that he was indisposed and passed him up for an opportunity with Lord Ruiza. We were together for the night.
Q: You say "extreme rage"... what do you mean by that?

A: He was swearing at him and threatening him mildly. Saying that "he would be sorry".
Q: You passed by Lord Yasume's room even though he was a long-standing customer?

A: (doesn't seem to care. must talk to owner.) He was my customer. Not a friend. Ruiza-sama... however... (smiles here) was a whole different thing altogether, if you take my meaning.
Q: You were alone with Lord Ruiza until this morning? Can anybody else verify this?

A: A maid? I was too busy... to worry about something like an alibi...
Q: By the way, off topic, I know... but... where did you get that silk from? Inland?

A: Do I look like a seamstress to you? I have no idea? It was a gift a month ago from some backwater daimyo as an appreciation gift. (bastard!!!). But... I think he said it was imported at a great price from inland...
(double BASTARD!!!)

Q: Do you think that kind of fashion will stay in?

A: I don't know... I hope so... It's very easy to walk in... and allows for alot of breathing... for the skin... Your cloth doesn't seem to breathe well... do you sweat a lot...
(our conversation degenerated until Ruiza's loud cough brought us back on topic)

Lord Ruiza's Alibi:
Early yesterday morning, I arrived at The Five Roses. It's part of a small pilgrimage to a wedding shrine that I have to take for the family good. (Which family? Is he a real Lord?) At any rate, this seemed like an amazing place to stay at, hearing from my older half-brother that it was the best pleasure palace this side of Edo. He was right, as usual. My friends and I settled in easily enough. (Talk to friends.) We had drinks and I retired to the garden to cool off. I saw the Lord Yasume arrive - who could not? He raised such a fuss and took his time on the walk to make a grand entrance. I don't remember much about it, to be honest - I have had alot on my mind lately... but... There was this samurai who was glaring at him alot (which samurai?) but... who wouldn't hate a fat beast like that anyway... sorry, Asagi, love... (why does he hate Lord Yasume?) Anyway... I went to my bedroom to contemplate a few more things on my mind - and I was there until Asagi came around and the we spent the rest of the evening together since the Lord never showed for Asagi.
Q: You mention a wedding and that you've had alot on your mind... do they coincide?

A: Of course - wouldn't you be really concerned if you found yourself being married off against your will?
(we were thoughtfully silent for a while)
Q: Well... yes... So.... You mentioned a samurai - what did he look like?

A: Like shit? Really... He looked hung over, unhappy and run down. If he didn't have a Lord, I'd say he was a ronin. His clothing is rather threadbare for a samurai... but perhaps that is because Lord Yasume is miserly? Perhaps? I don't know...
Q: Did you tell anybody about what your plans for the night were?

A: No. Because I didn't know them. He just slipped in... and... er... well... One can't say no to someone like that, can one?
-
Tsunehito sighed and cricked his neck, flipping his papers thoughtfully before setting them away in his vest. Much food for thought - but... not half as exciting as the clothing the constable noticed in Lord Ruiza's closet during his short perusal of the room. But as much as his fingers itched for cloth, he knew that Hiroki would be shouting the brothel down for him if he did not make haste, so with a short warning to stay within the premises of the brothel, in case futher questioning was needed, Tsunehito slipped out the room, too afraid to look behind at the two men and the heated glances between them.
"Something is going on here..." Hiroki murmured to Tsunehito, as the young man entered the room.

"Besides the sex and the drinking and the general disappation that pervades this place?" Tsunehito sniffed. "What else is new?"

"At least it keeps us busy," grunted Hiroki. "What else do we have to do? This is our chance of a lifetime!"

"Indeed," Tsunehito sighed, fingering the bedcloth and evaluating the gaudy silk curtains. "Already I smell some secrets... and I've found some people to talk to..."

"Hmmm..." Hiroki extracted a small bottle which had rolled under the short futon beside the small closet. He peered at the green droplets which remained inside and grinned, holding it up under Tsunehito's nose. "I think we found it! The clue to this mystery!"

"So... not natural causes?" Tsunehito pulled out his carryable inkpot (painted with bright yellow and red flowers) and got ready for what he knew would come: furious note taking.

"We'll see... it just might turn out to be rat poison... or even some sort of medicine..." Hiroki passed it to the professional doctor who scurried over from the bed tut-tutting.

"Indeeeed, indeeed... Master Hiroki..." The near-sighted physician popped open the bottle and sniffed it experimentally. "This is indeeed interesting..."

"Crime? Murder?"

"Natural death," put in Tsunehito, hoping that they could get this chore over and done with, sooner than later.

"Murder," Hiroki paused. "This... substance which might be poison... money gone missing..."

"Eh?" Tsunehito raised his head, then paused to pat his hair arights. "Money?"

"Yes... money..."

"I found a coin astray outside the Lord's closet," the doctor shook his head. "How easily man kills for gold... that a soul costs less than a house..."

"A house worth?"

"Gone," Hiroki nodded. "I double-checked with Lord Hoshi. And it is true. The poor man... one blow after another," he added sardonically. "I don't know which had worse effect, the death or the loss of money..."
"Indeed, such tragedy to befall a noble, upright family..."

Tsunehito rolled his eyes at the physician's drama.

"Nonsense. A normal family like most others. The brothers were at odds."

Hiroki nodded, his eyes far away.

"Yes. I gather from the servants that the man was a heinous beast. It makes for more confusion, don't you think?"
When the other two didn't answer - the doctor had returned to his examination of the corpse. Tsunehito was edging towards the chest of clothes.
"Tsunehito," Hiroki murmured, his head flat on the floor looked along the rug sideways. "Get back to the interrogations. I want to know their true faces."
-
Unlike Asagi's smooth voice and sharp eyes, or Ruiza's air of harmless quality, Hide-zou reeked of earth, sex and booze. If the man had rolled in a pigsty and then fell in a barrel of sake, he could not have smelled stronger. Perhaps it was the odor of despair that hung about that man that put the sleek constable off. There was something in the dark eyes that spoke desperate - the thin foxy face was meant for happier lines but had long been browned and hardened by the sun and hard work more befitting a farmer.

A drunk samurai then...
Tsunehito sighed and hoped the interview would end quickly.

It did not.
"So... you were drunk?"

"Yeah."

"Very drunk."

A pause.

"For the most part...."

"Were you moving at any point? Do you have any witnesses?"
There was a long pause. For a moment, Tsunehito thought the wiry swordsman would say something... His jaw worked for a moment, then he rolled his eyes, rubbed his forehead, swore quietly and shook his head.
"Not really. No."

"No?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite sure."
The samurai shrugged.

"I am sure that people saw me... but..." He grimaced. "I wouldn't really know... I lost my eyesight half way through the night."

"Lovely," Tsunehito murmured sarcastically.
He scribbled away at his sheaf of papers.
"So you were drunk. Then... did you meet anyone? Go anywhere?"

"I wandered around and bumped into... Lord Hoshi... and we talked over more drinks..."
Tsunehito jotted that down and sighed, trying to imagine what two drunks could talk about - and failed.
"Lord Hoshi then..."

"Yeah... then... we went to his room and got more drunk..."

"Is that possible?"

"Wha-?"

"Never mind. You guys drank more..."

"And laid some girls..."

"Hmmm..." Tsunehito glared at his paper. "I see..."

"And... yeah... that's how my night went."

"Very enlightening," the constable cleared his throat. "You drank, drank some more, wandered around, drank some more, found Lord Hoshi, talked and drank some more, got laid and drank some more..."
A pause then Hide-zou nodded.
"Yeah... that's about it..."
Tsunehito stared at the samurai with amazement.
"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Drink so much?"

"Oh that..." Hide-zou shrugged his skinny shoulders. "I've got high tolerance. One of these days, I'll die of poisoning... but what else can I do... having a shitty employer like mine - oops... I'm not supposed to say something like that, am I?"

"Well... at least you're honest," Tsunehito scrabbled away in his book. "Did anything stand out for you yesterday?"

"Hmmm... nothing... really.... Although..." Here, Hide-zou hesitated. "Lord Yasume had an eye out for Lord Ruiza... for sure... you know..." He raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Lord Yasume bent that way - the pricier - the better... so... I'd ask Lord Ruiza if they met that night..."

"I'll be sure to ask him," Tsunehito replied smoothly. "Did they talk?"

"No... but... I know the look in my Lord's eye when he gets... you know..." Hide-zou trailed off.
Tsunehito sighed and nodded. He knew the manner of Lords - those who took without asking...

A recipe for disaster, he thought. The old man was perhaps better gone.
With that thought he turned away, troubled.

Hiroki... he sighed, as he made his way through the brightly panelled hallways - back to the Lord's bedroom. What kind of intent will we find here, under the many smiling faces - under the still pond of the brothel - what stirs, I wonder...
"Have you talked to the brother yet?" Hiroki asked, emerging from Lord Hoshi's room.

"No." Tsunehito poked his head in the room. "But then... he's with his dead brother, right? Should we not allow for a period of mourning?"

"Tsunehito," Hiroki's partner gripped his shoulder. "This is a murder!!! This is..." He sighed. "I'll be discussing some substance I've found with the physician. We'll be doing some tests in one of the empty suites. On the fifth floor. After interviewing Lord Hoshi... I want the transcripts... You hear?"

"Yes, yes," sighed Tsunehito. "I'm going, I'm going..."
His worries subdued, Tsunehito found his way to the deathbed of Lord Yasume.
-

TSUNEHITO'S NOTES:
Lord Hoshi's Alibi
We arrived yesterday just after noon. My brother was in fine form - and was really looking forward to what he called "the delectable delights" of the brothel. He had always bragged about his "find" here - so I thought he was refering to the blonde. But it turns out the blonde is Lord Ruiza - you know? Awkward. So I guess... My brother was into another courtesan... Who knows? This is my first time here... Anyway... we settled in and I started a drink with my brother. We had a few matters to discuss (really? ask further about this), and we parted for the night. I went downstairs and bumped into Hide-zou who was muttering about some dark-haired beauty he'd seen (he saw someone?) and then... we talked at the bar. And the man there, serving drinks, told me that Lord Yasume was famous at the brothel (talk to the server) - for his admiration and his domination of this courtesan called Asagi. He's apparently quite pretty. I saw him this morning in Lord Ruiza's bedroom - which is odd - because - wasn't he supposed to be with my brother? (good question)
Q: You had a "discussion"? What kind?

A: About money and the allocation of land, mostly. And funding for some projects... that's about it...

(he lied... why?)
Q: So you and Hide-zou met? What time?

A: Ninth hour? Tenth? Around there... you know... there's not many clocks in this place... It feels timeless here, you know.

(good point...)
Q: Can you tell my anything more about Asagi's relationship with Lord Yasume?

A: Apparently for the past several years, every time Older Brother visited, Asagi serviced him. That is all I know...
-
"Very interesting," Hiroki murmured, looking up from the notes.

Tsunehito rubbed his forehead, tiredly.

"I'm bored - can I go now?"

"Sure, sure... I'll just be finishing up here. It'll be done in no time... but... if my suspicions are correct - we might already have our suspect."

The fashionable constable gathered up his papers, hiding his designs artfully from his less than understanding partner. He paused at the word suspect.
"Already?"

"I found..." Hiroki pulled away to let the physician continue his work. "A... bottle with some more of that green substance in the brother's room."

"Lord Hoshi's?"

"Yes..."

"So... an arrest will happen soon?"
Hiroki sighed.
"We'll see... Tsunehito... We'll see... What you have to do... is go mix with the others and find out more facts about our primary suspect - Lord Hoshi!"
Tsunehito smiled for the first time that day, as he visualized the relaxed, cultured atmosphere below. Perhaps he would be able to talk fabrics with the costumers in the kitchen, and then there was the gossiping cooks who had all the juicy news of who laid whom.
And if he was lucky...
If he was lucky...
He would find the true faces of the smooth Lords and courtesans who found shelter in the ethereal floating world of night.
-

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Into The Sun