Garden of Decaying Flowers|.

Haruka shifted uncomfortably in her new clothing, that of a Harem Furu. It was spring, so early in the morning the sun was just about bursting through the clouds. The thin pale blue robe did little to help her stay warm and the girl’s breath came out in little white clouds. The pinkette stood at the back, shivering slightly, but resisted the urge to hug herself, afraid of the blond woman speaking to them from the dais. The blonde was Tsunade, Empress Mother to an orphaned toddler which she held in her arms. Haruka recognized the little girl, Sarada Uchiha, the only child to late Emperor Madara. Her mother, Empress Kushina, had died during childbirth and soon the Emperor had departed from this world as well, too sick from grief and unable to live without his only love. The girl, an orphan and a submissive, would never rise to power. Her uncle Kakashi was Emperor now. Haru wondered what kind of person he was knowing that as a Furu, the lowest in the Harem, she was unlikely to even catch a glimpse of him. Her father was only a low ranking noble and had bribed the higher ups to have her accepted at all, but that only got her on the utmost lowest step of the ladder. A Furu had no chance to share an Emperor’s bed. Haruka smiled sadly and rubbed at the small red lotus tattoo on her forehead. They all had been given one the moment they arrived at the Flower Pavilion, a sign that the concubine was a virgin. It was said to disappear after the first act and the pinkette could see the sense of this practice. The first thing Tsunade said was that they must love only the Emperor and anyone caught cheating would be executed on the spot. The girl shivered from a sudden gust of wind, trying to pay attention to what was being said.

Kimiku stared straight ahead, her hands clasped demurely in front of her, hidden within the long sleeves of a Sayuri. As the youngest of seven sisters, born to a high-ranking noble, she already knew what was expected of her in this place. She resisted an urge to sigh, keeping her face impassive. Though she had never been sure of her place in the world, with so many siblings, this was not what she had hoped for. She had hoped to train with the soldiers, but with her mother’s recent death and her father’s remarriage to a younger widow with two children whom she openly favoured over her new husband’s existing children, she had had little choice in the matter when her stepmother had quietly suggested to her father that perhaps some of his children could be found places where they would be able to have a more productive lifestyle. Of course, as the youngest and prettiest, she had been put forth to be a concubine to the new Emperor. She hadn’t had the courage to try and fight the decision. She could only hope now that the Emperor was a kind man, and that with so many concubines he would not expect too much from her. A blush rose to her cheeks as she remembered the lotus tattoo on her forehead, and what it meant, and she forced her attention back to Empress-Mother Tsunade.

“That is what is expected of you in this place. Follow the rules, and you will find that this life is a safe, respected, and comfortable one.”

The tall blonde paused for effect, shifting the infant in her arms, and drew her gaze across every girl in the crowd.

“Break them, and you will not remain here for long.”

Haruka listened to their schedules with a heavy heart. The Harem had no concubines in it currently as according to tradition the old harem was disbanded after the Emperor’s death. There were no Higanbana appointed yet, as they were the first batch to arrive and it was both a curse and a blessing. It was a chance to prove yourself and climb higher up the ranks quickly, but only if you stood out from the rest and didn’t make any rookie mistakes. The pinkette looked at those around her, unsure if they were her new friends or enemies, before dragging her attention back to the dais. The Mother-Empress had finished speaking and a tall black haired lady in a revealing kimono was handing out unmarked scrolls containing a short play. They were expected to learn all the lines in three days, even Furu, to perform in front of the Royal Family during the Spring Banquet. Sayuri had a dance routine to master as well, and for once the girl was somewhat grateful for her lower rank. Her memory was unreliable on a good day and would surely fail her under so much stress.

“The lead for the Emperor’s Nightingale will be selected at random. Even I do not know who it will be,” the Palace Witch announced with a smirk, and gestured to a maid with a large vase. “Assemble in single file and draw a paper twist from the vase. Inside is a dab of ink. Learn the lines written in a matching color the best, but remember that things may change at the last minute. As you can guess, the lines for the lead role are in gold.”

Tsunade handed the sleeping toddler to a maid, instructing the woman to take the child back to Himawari Palace and let it be known that she will not be available till dinnertime. Making sure she was understood, the blonde stormed off towards the gardens to calm her nerves before seeking out that irresponsible son of a bitch Kakashi. Last night at the assembly he was told to be by the dais, six in the morning sharp, to greet his new submissives, as was his duty as the Emperor. A duty he had decided to ignore completely as the induction was over and the concubines were dismissed to have breakfast.

Taking a deep breath, Tsunade steadied herself, letting the anger flow out of her with the released air. Kakashi was probably at the training grounds or snoozing up a tree somewhere, but it would do little good if she was to lose her temper and punch that irresponsible idiot. Although, she would probably still get away with it. He might be Emperor now, but the blonde still saw him as a snotty-nosed kid. Oh, well, she would make a worthy ruler out of him yet. After all, Kakashi was the only hope left for the Royal Family. If something happened to him and his brother Kiun took the crown, Uchiha’s bloodmagic would be lost forever.

The downfall began when Emperor Obito traveled to Hagane in the Land of Metal to secure an alliance. He returned with a silver haired submissive, Kadaj, who he instantly made the Emperor Consort. It was sudden, but the sub preformed his duties well and gave birth to a healthy raven-haired boy, Madara, whose bloodmagic was strong. The child was a dominant and had a unique Sharingan so naturally Obito made him the heir. Kakashi was born next, silver haired like his mother, but with the Sharingan in only one eye. The next two, Kiun and Chidori, were also silver haired and had no trace of the bloodmagic in them at all. Not only their hair, but their eyes were silver too and it caused quite an uproar in the palace, since Kadaj had green eyes. But since he was a priest in training that Obito quite literally kidnapped and snatched away to Kibamachi, it was hard to tell if the Consort had cheated on the Emperor or not, since nothing was known of his family. Worse still, all of the children were dominant and each of them could succeed if something happened to their elder. Tsunade was not convinced that the younger two were Uchihas until they grew up and their personality began to show. Kiun she was skeptical about even now, but Chidori was an Uchiha to her core and it was a real shame about her eyes.

Madara became the second failure, having turned out too much like his father. Obito went mad and was declared unfit to rule after a fire destroyed half the palace. Kadaj disappeared that night and the Emperor was convinced that his beloved died in the fire even though the body was never found. The blonde was never quite sure what to think about that since the fire burned so hot the supporting pillars melted and the roof caved in. Nor was the cause of the fire ever discovered. Back then, Tsunade didn’t really have much time to think about it as the whole Sun Empire was suddenly passed on to her to rule over as Empress Regent until Madara was old enough to take over. Madara as an Emperor did great, until his wife died leaving only a submissive behind. Sarada had the eyes, but could not rule, and her father… Officially he died of a sickness, and that was Yuuko’s idea. A good one too, it made for a romantic and heartbreaking story. The truth was Madara hanged himself in the bedroom and it was poor Itachi who discovered him. The woman could see that he still hadn’t fully recovered from that day and probably never would. Anyone with a pea-sized brain knew how much in love Itachi was with his cousin.

Itachi had been doing better recently though… The blonde recalled that the Shinobi had approached her with a suggestion for the harem last week and a great one too. The girl was lovely, graceful and demure. Tsunade felt dumb for not having remembered about her sooner. She was an orphan Itachi brought back from a mission one day, one of two only survivors of Shiromori Village. Luckily, the child was uninjured, but the event must have scarred her deeply, as she has not spoken a single word for a whole year after. Now she was fifteen, blossoming into a beautiful young lady well-adjusted to the Court life and quite educated despite being a maid up to now. Someone must have helped her educate herself properly. With a bit more schooling she would be a nice fit for Kakashi, and Tsunade was set on pointing this little dark flower out to him. The other concubine she wanted the silver-haired Emperor to notice could hardly be missed really, as he did look rather unusual. Pale as white camellia, with short white hair and shocking crimson eyes. It was almost a frightening contrast, like blood on snow, but he had the cutest little dolly face ever. His brother had black hair on the contrary, which seemed odd to the woman as the two were twins, but there was certainly no doubt about it. Their faces were identical.

Originally, the two concubines were sent to Kibamachi as a peace offering from the Land of Wolves, a gift to Emperor Madara to curry his favor and bring the two nations closer despite being separated by an ocean. They never made it in time to become part of Madara’s harem, having spent almost half a year travelling here, so Tsunade decided to add them to Kakashi’s harem instead. No use wasting a possible ally and having such pretty boys wilt away scrubbing floors at some temple. They had such lovely wide hips and strong slender bodies too. The Emperor needed as many children as possible and it was about time to start getting him involved with the politics. Having pondered the issue some more, the Empress-Mother turned towards the training grounds, intent on having a calm conversation with the silver-haired man.

She didn’t have to go as far as she thought she would.

Kakashi lifted a hand to remove the book from his face and opened his eyes, squinting up at the position of the sun. He sighed, and flipped himself upright on the wide branch he had been napping on. By now, the ceremony would be over. He hadn’t meant to skip it as such. He hadn’t really wanted to go either, if he was being honest. He was sure that, by now, Tsunade would be hunting for him, intent on giving him a piece of her mind for ‘skipping out on his duties’. Duties he’d never wanted in the first place. He’d never wanted to be Emperor. He’d been perfectly happy just being a ninja. He grimaced. And yet, here he was, and now he had no choice.

He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye, and flipped up onto his feet, pressing against the trunk of the tree and peering down. He’d recognize that blonde ponytail anywhere. He grimaced again, and then stood. He might as well get it over with. She wouldn’t give up searching for him, and the longer he hid from her, the more likely she was to prove that he wasn’t too big for her to beat. In a graceful movement, he leaped from the branch and down onto the ground behind her, slouching as she turned, sensing him behind her.

“Mother.”

Her eye twitched at the sight of a book in the Emperor’s hand. Orange, with a fat red restricted sign on the back cover. There was no doubt about what exactly that book was. The blonde found it almost strange that such a pervert would skip an opportunity to gaze upon some real beauties.

“Listen, I understand that this is hard for you, I really do…” Tsunade sighed, groping for the right words. “No one wanted this to happen, but you need to be responsible and step up now. The Empire needs you to be an Emperor now. You can’t avoid it and hope the world will go back to normal. Right now, we are on a slippery slope and we need to be united, the strongest we can be. And we need to be smart, we need alliances. Surely you must understand that?”

Okay. Definitely not the bollocking he had been expecting. The calmness of her tone was more disconcerting than if she had shouted at him, or even aimed a punch. With a practiced movement, the book disappeared somewhere inside his clothing. Now, unfortunately, was a time to be serious. It was not a time to act as flippantly as he usually did.

“I know that,” he began, then hesitated, searching for the right words. “I know this is something I have to do. That the people are depending on me now. That they need guidance. But…” He ran a hand through his shock of silvery hair, messing up the locks even more. “But so do I. I never had any interest in this – I don’t know how to be an Emperor. And… As for this morning, I don’t really understand what the use is in… In that sort of public appearance. In having a group of submissives at my beck and call. If this is about heirs, then... I don’t need so many submissives for that. I never wanted to marry, but that is one of my duties now and I can find a wife on my own, without all this pomp and circumstance.”

“Your concubines aren’t just tea-house whores, Kakashi. You need them for many reasons, politics being one. And with that I will help you. Think about it this way… One of the new girls, Sari of Gold Lands, is a gift to you from a very powerful noble. If you indulge her and let her climb ranks, it will make them happy and help us with negotiating and such. If you neglect her, they can get offended and that will lead to trouble.”

Tsunade was not convinced that she could entirely get through to the Emperor on this issue today, but decided to carry on anyway.

“But more importantly, they are your companions and friends. They are there to support you and I want you to get to know them, to be comfortable with your submissives. They might be fragile-looking creatures, but they are your supporting pillars. I have a few in mind that I think you will appreciate more than others.”

The blonde frowned at Kakashi’s clothing, being both unimpressed and understanding. He looked like an ANBU officer not an Emperor, but perhaps that was a good thing. A funny little plot unfolded in her mind, beautifully devious. Yuuko would certainly enjoy a game like that.

“In fact, hand over your Emperor’s seal for the day.”

Tsunade smiled. It was the smile of a sly fox. If Kakashi gave her the seal, he would effectively be Emperor-in-training for the day, and she would be in charge with the power to make any decisions. For a Kakashi that was not a punishment, but a free pass for the day, a carrot. Next came the stick.

“I will take care of the Empire today, but you will go to the Flower Pavilion with me first, and pick someone to spend a night with. I don’t care if all you do is drink tea and play darts. I want you to fetch your ANBU mask to keep your identity secret from them. Consider it a game and just act like your usual self. ”

Under normal circumstances it would not be appropriate for an ANBU officer to hang out with the Emperor’s concubines like that, but Tsunade knew just how to play it. She also wanted to see how her new charges would act in front of someone who wasn’t the Emperor. Would there still be rivalry? Would they be tenser, or more relaxed, allowing their true character to shine through? The situation also placed Kakashi in a position where he could get to know the concubines as people first. The woman also had planned something he would very much enjoy, despite the whole idea being highly unorthodox.

The blonde held out her hand for the seal, hoping that Kakashi would take the sugar-coated bait. Having the seal, she could boss him around even more than usual, but then taking orders was something the man was good at. Her plan relied on that, as well as his ANBU abilities to adapt and play along even when he didn’t know the rules.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes for a moment, suspicious. That sounded almost too good to be true – conditions or not. He battled with indecision for a moment, certain he was about to be dragged into some scheme or other… Eventually, curiosity and the realization that after he’d been to the Flower Pavilion he was free for the day won out, and he dug a hand into his pocket, pulling out the small, but surprisingly heavy object, and placed it on her outstretched palm. From the other, he drew out his ANBU mask. He never went anywhere without it. He had spent so many years wearing it that it was almost like a child’s security blanket now.

He opened his mouth to ask what the catch was, then thought better of it. He’d know soon enough…

Tsunade admired the seal for a moment, running her fingers over the dragon that curved round a split disk: a crimson moon eclipsing a white weeping sun, then slipped it deftly into her cleavage.

The walk to the Flower Pavilion was short and she was surprised to find the Jade hall empty, expecting her charges to still be there, sharing breakfast. They were found in their living quarters instead, split into small groups and indulging in various exercises. Some were already learning lines from the play, while a pink haired Furu was attempting to create a flower arrangement under the guidance of another and the twins of the Wolves’ Land were happily chirping over some embroidery. Tsunade motioned with her hand to indicate that she did not wish to distract them. A few of the concubines gave Kakashi a funny look, then decided to ignore them. The woman called over a palace maid and, having whispered a set of instructions to her, sat down to observe. She patted a cushion next to her, indicating to the silver-haired man that he should join her for a bit.

The lack of any concubines above Sayuri rank was actually successful in somewhat bonding them as a unit, with the split between a Sayuri and a Furu much less visible than the blonde had ever seen before. Some of the more high born ladies still resented having to share their space with someone so far down the ladder, but they at least had enough sense to not show their feelings on the matter in front of Lady Mother. Tsunade listened on to their chatter until the pinkette’s companion raised her head to speak with the blonde woman in charge.

“Lady Tsunade… I know it is not my place to ask, but… What kind of person is the Emperor?”

Tsunade couldn’t help but chuckle. A question like that coming from a Furu… Well, the girl certainly had guts, no wonder Itachi was vouching for her. It was also a question that really did deserve an answer since it was something all of the concubines would like to know, having been deprived of the opportunity to meet him in the morning. The blonde decided that as a sort of a punishment she was going to answer it honestly, right in front of Kakashi, and what she had to say was probably the last thing the silver-haired man expected of her.

“ He is, hm… Lonely, willful, and right now probably more lost and scared than he has ever been before in his life.”

Kakashi twitched slightly, then forced himself to be still. Damn the woman for being so perceptive! She was right, but that wasn’t the point. Why on Earth did she feel the need to say things like that? It wasn’t her right to tell people how he was feeling, and he certainly didn’t need her to do it.

Nora looked almost startled, clearly not expecting a response like that, then quickly composed herself, smiling gently.

“That is sad, really, but… I think it’s ok. Just because he’s an Emperor doesn’t mean he can’t have feelings like the rest of us. It’s not fair to put such a burden on someone.”

He froze, staring down at his hands. It seemed like such an odd belief for someone to have. Most people never questioned the Emperor’s existence, but saw him as a protective and flawless figure, the same way a child sees their parents as the holders of some power they were unable to understand. The Emperor didn’t have feelings, wasn’t allowed to have flaws, or doubts – and yet here, this strange little waif of a thing spoke of him and his position as if he was nothing more than an ordinary person.

Tsunade could feel the turmoil in the man beside her and decided that this was the perfect moment to speak up and start Yuuko’s plan in motion.

“Well, Nora, this is precisely why I have an ANBU officer with me today. My dear friend Yuuko has decided that the Emperor needs his own special guard squad he can take with him anywhere. One the enemy would not see.”

The blonde woman gave Kakashi a glare that meant if he dared to give himself away now, she would not stop to think for a split second and punch him there and then, humiliating the man in front of all these beauties. Kakashi was not told about Yuuko’s idea before and both women had good reason, but there was a need for it to happen, so she was not going to let the Uchiha stubbornness take over on a matter like this.

Kakashi’s eyes widened. ANBU? She was going to train his harem as ANBU operatives? It was a crazy idea… but maybe it was crazy enough to work.





“As you all know, the submissives are not allowed to be trained in any sort of combat in our Land, but there is an exception to that rule. ANBU are a secret group in service to the Royal family that overlooks such matters if a submissive has talents they desire.”

Lady Mother smiled at Hinata, a girl originally in training at ANBU that got transferred to the harem with no warning or choice in the matter.

“This being the case, I would like you to be as honest with me as you possibly can… Rest assured that you will not be reprimanded in any way by telling me truth.”
The blonde paused for a second, wondering how to word the next part to make her charges realize that this was not a trick to find out who was breaking the rules, but a chance to pursue something forbidden, something they would otherwise be executed for.

“Those of you who can spar, please raise your right hand, and those of you who wish to have a chance to learn to do so, please raise your left.”

There was a sudden buildup of tension in the room, so thick it was hard to breathe for a moment, which then suddenly burst like a bubble when a dark skinned concubine by the name of Scheherazade raised her right hand bravely. Looking at her, fifteen more raised their hands, with seven of them indicating they already had some sort of training. It was many more than Tsunade actually expected, especially more of those who knew. She was not surprised by Sheza being the first to react, however. The dark skinned lady was in fact a dominant, and therefore could not be in trouble. More so, the blonde knew of her skills. The concubine was a gift from Oasis, good allies of Sun, and had a wide range of skills at her disposals. So much so that Yuuko suggested that perhaps this beauty should be in charge of their little group of dangerous flowers. A right hand response from the Wolf twins wasn’t a big surprise either since their Land was so far away there was little known about their customs and the blonde assumed that, perhaps, having a submissive out on the battlefield wasn’t taboo for them.

“Akatsuki, raise your left hand. I am volunteering you to make the numbers even. This is just the beginning and as you can guess, not all of you will have what it takes and even if you do, it will be up to the Emperor whether he will trust you with his life or not. I’m sure it doesn’t need to be said that if a single one of you were to use your positions to harm him, I will have you killed in the most brutal way possible by those of you who are loyal to him.”

Empress Mother smiled as sweetly as she possibly could at her charges, looking for any signs that there could be an enemy spy among them, because despite all background checks performed on the submissives, one could never be completely sure. Luckily, no one had a mixture of fear and guilt in their eyes as far as she could see. The blond was still not certain there wasn’t any spies or assassins in the group, but she knew that if that was the case, they couldn’t keep it hidden for long and she would have them exposed at the first opportunity.

Kimiko felt a flash of excitement in her stomach at the Empress-Mother’s words. This was more than she had ever hoped for, to have the chance to learn to fight - especially after being placed in the royal harem like this. She had always loved fighting – not the brutality of it, but the power, the rhythm. It was like a dance, and as a child, she had used to sneak out to watch the guards. Her uncle had been a royal guard, until he had been killed a few years ago, and despite the forbidden nature of it, he had taught her a few tricks in secret, declaring that she needed to know how to defend herself. She missed him dearly, but was more excited than ever now to know that what he had taught her would not go to waste.

As soon as a maid appeared at the door, Tsunade stood up, patting the masked man on the shoulder.

“Right, girls and boys, the sixteen of you will go with maid Eboshi and change, after which you will follow her to meet with me and my friend here at the training grounds where we will see what you are truly made of. The rest of you are to resume your duties without interruption. That is all.”

Having finished speaking Lady Mother turned to head out of The Flower Pavilion and towards the barracks.

Sensing his place in this, Kakashi stood and followed Tsunade out of the Flower Pavilion, a step behind her. Once they were outside, he spoke. “How long have you been planning this, Mother?”

“Since the death of your brother. I know you are not an Emperor at heart, truly. A soldier, a ninja, an assassin, yes… But not an Emperor. And I’m not as heartless as what you might think of me. I don’t think you could stand to lose the ability to go on missions completely, so I’m bending rules for you. Which reminds me, there have been some rogue ninjas terrorizing the locals and I can’t believe they have the nerve to steal and murder so close to the capital. The local guards can’t handle it so… after this sparring with your submissives you can take Itachi with you and go deal with them if you like, but…”

“But?” Kakashi asked, cautiously. He was beginning to hope that being the Emperor might not be as bad as he had expected it to be, and he knew firsthand that hope could be a dangerous thing.

“Remember I said you have to pick one to spend a night with? Well, at the training grounds they will be in full ANBU gear, to the point where neither of us will be able to tell them apart, not knowing who is hiding under the different masks. You will pick your flower after sparring with them all by removing your chosen one’s mask at the end. Those are the rules for you.”

The blonde suppressed a chuckle, immensely enjoying yet another opportunity to tease Kakashi and toy with him a little, but not in any harmful way. A smart man would see more depth and meaning to this little game.

“Ah, and one more thing… What did you think of my little Nora?”

“Tch… always a catch with you, isn’t there, Mother?” sighed Kakashi. He got it. Sort of. She was letting him pick the person he would spend time with using a method he would enjoy, and ensuring that they would have something in common. She knew him well, but he still rankled at being so easily manipulated into her schemes.

“Nora? The little one who spoke?” He thought for a moment. “She surprised me. Not many people recognize so easily that an Emperor is merely a human too… Though I suppose that is a failing of our system, to paint the Emperor as a God far removed from his subjects.”

“She is one of the two orphan survivors of the Shinomori Massacre that Itachi brought back years ago. You were the ANBU Captain then, remember? It traumatized her a great deal, but she worked as a maid in the Palace nonetheless. She can understand you better than you can imagine. Nora knows how life can kick you in the teeth and put you in a position you do not wish to be in, and leave you with no choice but to stick it out. And yet despite all this she’s smiling. I think she’d do you a lot of good, but it’s up to you really.”

Kakashi grimaced at the reminder that he would have to find a consort. The girl seemed sweet enough, but it was hardly something he wanted to rush into. “I will consider her,” he offered after a moment.

“That’s all I wanted to hear. It is not an easy decision, especially for someone like you. Which is why I want you to make the most thought through, well-informed decision you can. Just having you do it to get it out of the way and over with, then regretting is later isn’t something I want for you. Anyways, enough of that, Officer. We have things to be getting on with.”

The blonde picked up the pace, entering the training grounds first and taking her place by the wall to observe the sparring in peace. Eboshi arrived only a couple of minutes later with sixteen masked submissives. The clothing was baggy, but their skin was completely hidden so nothing but height could give a vague indication as to who was who. Out of the three shorter concubines, one was Nora, but until Kakashi sparred with all three there was no way of knowing which of the masks hid that little dolly. Tsunade didn’t really think that the girl would be any good at this sort of thing. You couldn’t expect strength or combat ability from someone her size and build, someone so innocent looking, like a delicate kokeshi doll. She understood that that was also precisely why they needed people like her in their ANBU squad – because they would not even be considered a threat by anyone else.

Kakashi stared blankly at the array of masked faces in front of him. He had no idea who to pick, or how. After a moment, he straightened himself slightly, and settled himself into the role of an ANBU officer again.

“You,” he said, pointing to one of the girls. “Step forward. You will go first.”

The girl stiffened, then stepped forwards. Her movements were graceful. Kakashi slid into a fighting stance, and after a moment the girl hesitantly raised her fists, then, seemingly as an afterthought, spread her feet a little in an awkward imitation of his stance.

He raised an eyebrow. Alright. So this one was probably entirely untrained. He stepped forwards, testing her reaction, and saw her flinch back slightly. Definitely untrained.

“Try and hit me,” he said.

The girl stepped forwards and aimed a clumsy punch at his body. He dodged it easily, and reached out with his own hand to tap her shoulder. Hard enough for her to feel it, not enough to hurt. She twisted slightly, as if to dodge, but too slowly, and he heard her squeak slightly as he caught her. She hesitated for a moment, and he reached out to tap her again. This time, she pulled back, almost dodging the blow in time.

“Hesitation in battle will get you killed,” he warned, stepping forwards again. This time, the girl surprised him by lashing out – an un-aimed, flailing blow that was easily blocked. There was little power behind the attack. He circled slightly, keeping slow, but aiming a flurry of gentle taps at her – to the hips, ribs, her stomach, the side of her neck – all the dangerous openings in her nearly-nonexistent defense. Each time, the girl reacted to his movement – too slowly, or with not enough power, but a response that suggested that she was reacting almost before he had made the movement. As he continued, her movements became more graceful, and he realized after a moment that her feet had slipped into a dance position. Perhaps that was something she had been trained in with her family?

On the final blow, she managed to block him with her wrist as she turned, and then, a moment too slow, flailed out again with her other hand, her arm bent as if dancing, towards his neck with the flat side of her hand. He gently caught her hand in his own, and nodded thoughtfully. Interesting. Though entirely untrained in fighting, and unable to respond accordingly, the girl seemed to be able to read his moves. Was it a natural aptitude, or an ability that she was likewise untrained in? Without knowing her identity and parentage, he had no way to tell. Either way, it was perhaps something they could use, if she could be trained to respond to it properly. Her natural poise might have a use too. The girl was possibly high-born. She was weak, but her final attempt at an attack, assuming it was deliberate, had shown at least a realization of a point on his body that would do serious damage, unlike the first clumsy blow that had been aimed at his chest.

He released her and stepped back, dropping his hands. “Thank you. You may return to the line.”

Her body language suggesting relief, the girl dropped her hands too, and scurried gracefully back to the line of masked concubines, standing a little to the side where Eboshi had instructed those who had already sparred to go. He nodded at the next. “You, step forward.”

She stepped forward confidently and slid into a fighting style a mirror of his own. He recognized her in that instant. He couldn’t not – after all, he had chosen the slim, elegant sub, strong in her family’s bloodmagic, to be a part of ANBU and had trained her himself. It was Hinata, and she was as competent as ever. They exchanged a few hits each, familiar with each other’s fighting style, and at his nod she slid back into her place in the line. He gestured to the next, and she stalked forwards, displaying a surprising level of confidence and power. He raised an eyebrow, uncertain of what to expect from this one, and slid back into the sparring stance.

She reacted instantly, lashing out with a flat, pointed hand with surprising speed towards his neck. Caught off-guard, he barely dodged it in time, and responded with his own blow that she twisted elegantly out of the way of. So began a dance – both fighters circling each other, exchanging blows of equal ferocity. He grew more and more frustrated as he failed to land a single hit on the tall, slim woman, yet still catching the odd blow from her. Whoever she was, she was good, and he was impressed. She used an unusual fighting style, twisting and moving like a dance, and it was difficult to read her movements. One moment she seemed to be in one place - the next, she was gone. He scowled, redoubling his efforts, trying to read her. They moved faster and faster until, finally, they both froze, each with a hand at the other’s neck. He found himself breathing hard, though his opponent showed no sign of tiring. Together, they dropped their hands and stepped back. He nodded. “You show impressive talents. Return to the line.”

She bowed, and walked away. He watched her go, thoughtfully. He’d known one or two aggressive subs in his time, but this was something else. Whoever that girl was, she definitely wasn’t from here. She was far too well-trained.

After a moment, he dragged his mind back to the task at hand, and gestured to the next figure in line. Familiar with the drill now, they stepped forwards.

The next concubine to fight looked tiny even in the loose uniform. Barely out of childhood, this little thing was even smaller than Nora and looking at him stand in front of Kakashi, Tsunade regretted giving everyone a chance to exchange blows. This one didn't look like it could take a punch from a toddler without those slender bird-bones snapping.
It was Ilse, a one of many gifts from Oasis, the woman recalled. There wasn't anyone else in the harem that young. Ilse had no training and didn't really see any point in assuming any kind of battle stance, for him it wasn't that kind of fight. He was glad that the masks had wide enough slits for the eyes as he took a bold step forward and looked right into Kakashi's eyes, noticing that they don't match but not even giving it half a thought. So far, so good. The youth wasn't sure who the man in front of him was, only that he was a dominant and this next trick made them respond in a certain way.
Staying completely still and as calm as possible Ilse let his gaze wander for a second, almost giving an opening, letting the older man relax, then with the cutest flick of eyelashes pinned him down like a butterfly to a wall. There was no magic in anything he was doing.

Kakashi froze for an instant. He knew what this was. He'd seen subs use it before. Never against him - how could they, he'd never had anything close enough with one for them to need to. It was a dirty trick, and one that shouldn't be used on the battlefield. And, damn the child, it was working. They stood frozen, eyes locked.
It was a combination of two things that saved him - first, that, pervert or not, he'd had years of experience in shutting down feeling for the sake of battle - and two, that the full effect of the stare was dampened by the mask.
With an application of will, his muscles shaking from the effort, he took a step, then vanished for a moment, before reappearing behind the child, pressing the flat of his hand down against the sub's neck.
"A good trick," he murmured into the child's ear, "and you almost had me - but a trick like that is useless if you don't know what to do once you've incapacitated your enemy"

Ilse did not like the man being that close to him and least of all touching him. Only the Emperor was allowed that - the blonde was a gift to him. The boy spun around, surprising himself as he landed a straight punch on the mask. He wasn't really aiming in particular, nor expecting it to actually hit, having just seen the speeds the man could move at, but his fist surprisingly connected with the mask and, damaged by many battles, it shattered from sudden impact hitting a weak point. Shards cut through the bandages and it hurt a fair amount but the blonde straightened himself defiantly. There would always be people who would try to touch something that doesn't belong to them, like the guards after a few drinks. The blonde wasn't going to let someone else ruin him before then.

"Enough for today. Stand back in line."
It was Lady Mother who spoke and Ilse obeyed the scary blonde slipping back next to Sheza, a woman Kakashi has fought with previously. Tsunade turned to Kakashi and gestured at the line with a nod, hoping that the man still remembered their little arrangement. It was less fair, since he only got to fight a few, but then this was taking a while and the rouges roaming the capital weren't going to take care of themselves. Although, she wasn't really sure Kakashi would take that mission now.

Kakashi froze in place as his mask shattered. The pieces seemed to fall in slow motion, and he reached up a stiff hand to catch one of them, cradling it between his long fingers. His face contorted as his mind whirled, barely registering Tsunade's words, and his free hand lifted reflexively to cover his red eye, his head bent, his shoulders curled in on himself. A hush fell for a moment as he stood there, like a statue but for the slight tremble in his hands, and then his face twisted again as he straightened, his hand clenching around the mask shard, uncaring of the way it dug into his skin. Blood began to well up, dripping between his fingers as he Flashed again, appearing before the last figure he had fought. His face a mask of unreadable, conflicting emotions, he snatched the child's mask from his face and tossed it aside, before turning, and disappearing again. His figure appeared one last time above the wall of the courtyard before he vanished completely.

Tsunade sighed letting her shoulders drop for a moment then straightened up, gathering herself, and nodding to Eboshi to take the concubines back. Everything else could wait until... until she did what? The blonde didn't really have any idea as to what would be an appropriate response right now. A lot of what happened was truly her fault but at this point that didn't even matter. Suddenly composed, the Empress Mother chased after the one she considered her son, to be a mother to him.
The blonde found Kakashi on the roof of Amaterasu Temple, right behind Himawari Palace. Not far and one of the first "sulk spots" she usually checked when looking for him.

"I'm sorry..."

Something had to be said even if it wasn't quite the right thing, but words somehow seemed to fail Tsunade. So instead of trying to find more complicated things to say she just turned to the silver-haired man, silently embracing him.

Kakashi stiffened as the blonde's arms wrapped around him, knocking them back and moving as if to strike Tsunade, then froze, face-to-face, his hand an inch away from her. He dropped it, fingers twitching at his side as if his hand would ball into a fist, then dropped his head forwards to rest on her shoulder. After a moment, his other hand opened too, and the mask shard dropped out onto the roof with a clatter, stained slightly red. It wasn't the mask that was important. It was just a mask. He'd had several in his time as an ANBU operative. It was what it represented - and what he'd already lost.

The woman decided to postpone sudden hugs at least until Kakashi somehow indicated to her that it was ok to do so. Instead she gently stroked the silver strands humming a song. Not even a lullaby, it was simply the only song she knew from her childhood. Supposedly about Amaterasu acceding from human to Goddess, a lost legend no one believed nowadays but the sacredness and joy of it stuck with Tsunade over the years even though she could no longer recall the actual words.

Kakashi slowly relaxed, soothed by the gentle touch and the strains of the song. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around Tsunade, and buried his face in the crook of her neck like a child.
"I shouldn't have reacted like that," he mumbled. "It's not a good start for me as... As Emperor. I know it's bigger than me and what I want. That the people need a strong leader. But I'm a Captain, not an Emperor. I don't know how to be one.. You're the only one left who can guide me."
Left unsaid, but hovering in the air nonetheless, was the loss he had experienced. His brother - though they hadn't been close. They were different people, with different lives. Madara had left Kakashi to do what he wanted, and though he had never said it, the silver-haired man was grateful for that freedom. Itachi, whom Kakashi had been closer with, worked with, was even more lost and broken than himself now. And even further back than that, his parents, who might have given him guidance... His friends in ANBU. It was a dangerous profession. He had lost many important comrades along the way, but he had thought it was alright as long as he could keep their memory alive. And now he'd lost the way he did that, and even the keepsake he'd been allowed from those days. And he was lost, and confused. The shattering of his mask had released a lot of feelings he'd been repressing, and it was a sign that, whatever he wished, he couldn't go back to those easy days in ANBU.

But he wouldn't cry.

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as she heard a noise. Somebody was coming up the path to the Temple. The woman pulled Kakashi back to hide behind the raise of the roof. She wouldn’t have stayed to listen on normally, but the two talking below were Itachi and the blond boy who was the last to spar earlier on. The kid was wearing something quite inappropriate too. It looked like an Oasis toga, but in fact it was a linen sheet cleverly tied round the tiny body. The youth’s hair was wet so he had probably escaped Eboshi’s watch when the concubines were sent to the bathhouse after training.

“Listen kid, I don’t want to be mean, but you are not made for fighting. You react well, but your punches…” Itachi sighed, stopping in front of the blonde. “Give me your best hit.”

Ilse looked at the masked man in front of him, uncertain of what to do, then obeyed, punching him squarely in the chest. The Uchiha laughed in response.

“I sad punch me, not tickle me.”

The boy shrugged guiltily. That punch was really the best he could do, but he wasn’t ready to give up.

“Isn’t there something you can teach me? A way to fight that doesn’t need strength? Isn’t there something?”

Hearing the desperation in the kid’s voice, Itachi lowered himself on the bench opposite the temple.

“Why is this so important to you? It’s not just about being an ANBU, is it?”

Ilse blushed crimson and let his gaze wander over the spring flowers. Lying was something he had always been bad at, something he hated, but if he told the truth, the ninja would misunderstand and laugh.

“The ones who make it will be closest to the Emperor. “

Itachi tensed a little, unsure where the kid was going with this. Was he a danger to Kakashi?

“So, what’s the big deal with that? You are concubine too, you will get his attention sooner or later.”

“Ugh, it’s not about that. It’s not about me. I could have married a noble in Oasis and had a happy life there too. I don’t need power and money, I just…” Ilse trailed off again, struggling to voice the truth. “I just want his heart.” The blonde finally looked at the masked man who was completely silent, unsure what to make of a statement like that.

On the rooftop above, Kakashi stiffened, tensing against Tsunade’s hold.

“I want it so no one can break it. The other concubines… Not all of them are bad, but some are in it only for political reasons or their own desires. They will only act lovely because it benefits them. People like that don’t care how the Emperor really feels.”

Kakashi relaxed slightly, his brows knitted in confusion. What a strange child this boy was. Why should he care about the feelings and heart of a man he knew nothing of?

Still blushing, Ilse settled down on the bench too, folding his hands on his lap. Itachi watched him quietly, thinking about what the blonde just said.

“So, why do you care?” The ANBU officer was still unsure if he could trust this tiny little desert flower, if his intentions were really pure.

“Our lands have had a long relationship over the centuries. Oasis is my home and Sun is like their older brother. So Sun is my home too. My eyes are blue because whoever fathered me was from Sun. Someone with Namikaze blood.”

“How do you know that?”

Ilse giggled in response. “How can you not? Although I guess I have lived at court my entire life, it’s easier for me to make connections like that. Did you know that sometimes children of the Uzumaki clan have gold eyes because someone from Oasis married into their family centuries ago? It shows up sporadically, but it must be the same thing with me.”

“Do you not know who your father is?” Itachi felt bad for asking, as it seemed like something that would be a sensitive topic.

“No, mother never told me. But I’m close to figuring it out. I’m thirteen so it would have to be whoever travelled to Oasis about fourteen years ago. Around that time, Sun royals were invited to Oasis to celebrate Emperor Madara’s ascension to the throne. All I need to do is find records of that time to see who with the Namikaze blood travelled with him to Oasis and I shall have my answer. Or, at least have a clue who to ask.”

Ilse smiled sadly and Tsunade tensed at his words. Oh kami, all these years she had a child and she never knew. That drunk night with Fai… The blonde thought there was no consequences of any sort and as years passed, the gentle sub who captivated her that night never spoke of it. Why did he hide their child like that? If only he said something, Tsunade would have been there, by his side. She had no doubts Ilse was hers, the dates fit together too well and most importantly, she was the only one with Namikaze blood who had accompanied Madara.



“Perhaps I belong here more than I ever belonged in Oasis.” Ilse stood up and walked over to a spider web woven between the trees. A butterfly was trapped and in it and feeling the ANBU’s gaze on his back the youth killed it, then smiled sadly. “You thought I’d let it go, didn’t you? But the butterfly’s wings are already damaged by the web. It would die free, but also meaninglessly. However, if it dies here, it will feed the spider and fuel life further. So I put it out of its misery. If it dies with purpose at least it wouldn’t suffer.”

“That’s… a very unique way of thinking about it, actually.” Itachi nodded in agreement, deciding that he liked the little blonde after all. His logic was unusual but the kid understood hard decisions.

“Everyone who is born is destined for something. Destined for someone even if they never met. I have to believe I’m destined to be with the Emperor, or my life will have no meaning. Although it’s kind of hard to love someone I never met.”

The blonde brushed the pollen from his palms and returned to his spot on the bench by Itachi’s side.

“Does that logic make you the butterfly, the sacrifice?”

“Mm, I don’t know. Does it?”

Kakashi pushed back against Tsunade, releasing himself from her grasp and moving to lean back against the part of the roof obscuring them from the view of those below, arms folded. He was still frowning, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. He avoided the Empress-Mother’s gaze. His cousin seemed oddly relaxed about the strange conversation he was having with the odd little concubine. The boy was smart, that seemed obvious. He understood politics, albeit a little strangely. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the blonde’s apparent willingness to sacrifice himself, though. It was something he understood on some levels, but not on others. He was an interesting one.

“I guess that isn’t up to you as such.” Itachi responded after a moment, then remembered that he still didn’t know the kid’s name. “What are you called, butterfly boy?”

“Ilse of Oasis.” The little blonde giggled at the strange pet name. “I’m not allowed to know your name though, am I?”

“Well, no… but… I, well…” ANBU paused for a moment unsure of his own words. “I used to be friends with the Emperor, although we have grown distant lately. But I don’t think I’ll get in trouble for it.” Smiling, Itachi removed his mask. “I’m Itachi Uchiha of the Sun.”

“You are quite handsome.” The blonde blushed, looking up at the taller man. “Is that an Uchiha thing?”

Itachi laughed, also blushing a little. They weren’t exactly flirting as such, but it was something quite close to it. Just two subs being able to acknowledge that they are attractive without rivalry. It was nice, and the ANBU couldn’t remember last time someone complimented him like that.

“Thank you. To be honest, I’m somewhat jealous of you.”

“Why?” Ilse blinked in confusion, failing to understand the dark haired man. From his point of view there was nothing to be jealous of in his life.

“I’ll tell you if we meet again. Now, run along, before you get in trouble with the harem ladies.” Itachi hid his face under a mask again and disappeared without another word. Ilse didn’t even see him move from the bench, the man just seemed to vanish into thin air. The Uchiha was right though, the blond was probably in big trouble for running off earlier and he would probably catch a cold walking around with wet hair like this. It wasn’t dripping and, having braided it loosely, Ilse headed back to the harem, remembering suddenly that the ANBU Officer still hadn’t actually agreed to train him. Still, that might not be deliberate. They did trail off the subject, after all.

As soon as the kid was out of range, Tsunade collapsed onto the tiles, suddenly realizing how tense she was all this time.

“I think you and me need a couple of drinks after all this. Perhaps more than a couple, even.”

The blonde sighed, letting herself relax for a moment. Judging by the bell toll it was about twelve, far too early to indulge in alcohol with so many things still to do, but for once she was ready to be as irresponsible as Kakashi for a day. They both needed it right now.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. “Is the infallible Mother-Empress really going to be so irresponsible so early in the day?’ he joked weakly, then sighed, running a hand through his hair and making the silver strands stick up all the more wildly. That had been a whole bomb of information, and he had a funny feeling it hadn’t been the case just for him. He’d caught the way Tsunade had tensed at learning that Ilse was descended from a visitor of Sun to Oasis. He’d been on that trip. He could guess at where her thoughts had gone.

“Damn it. Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great right now. Let’s go. I’ll race you.”

He Flashed. “Bet I can drink you under the table,” he called back over his shoulder, and made a leap for the next roof.

He couldn’t, of course. But that wasn’t the point. The challenge of keeping up with her might just be exactly what he needed to get just shit-faced enough to forget the day completely.

“Oh, I’d like to see you try,” Tsunade laughed and Flashed too, not really trying to win the race. Kakashi had trained with Yoruichi and she was the Flash Step Goddess, there was no way the blonde could win the race normally, but somehow she managed it today. There was no pub open at this time, so the place one could get a drink any time of day was Yoruichi’s office at the barracks. Despite that fact, Tsunade was still surprised to see the dark-skinned dom behind her desk while the main procrastinator, Matsumoto, wasn’t there.

Yoruichi wasn’t alone either, joined by her wife, Lee and their child Mamoru. The cute dark-skinned child was snoozing on the sofa in the corner with his head on his mother’s lap. Nodding to them, Tsunade collapsed in the chair opposite the desk and the younger woman instantly poured her a drink.

“It’s unusual to see you here, especially so early. What’s up?”

Yoruichi shook the bottle, looking at it critically, then produced another one from the bookshelf behind her. The booze was hidden behind a fat atlas which unsurprisingly was just about the only book there not covered in dust.

Before Tsunade could reply, Kakashi slid into the room behind her and flopped into the second chair, nodding to Lee and Mamoru and gesturing to Yoruichi for the same treatment as the Empress-Mother.

Yoruichi set another clay cup on the table, filling it as well, looking even more confused than the moment before.

“I had a son for thirteen years now and I didn’t even know. As for him…” The blonde gestured towards Kakashi. “You could say that destiny punched him in the face.”

“Literally, as I see.” The dark-haired woman noticed the scratch on her friend’s face as he downed his drink in an instant and slapped the cup back on the table. She poured herself a drink, before catching a disapproving look from Lee. Thinking about it a little, she then shook her head and set the cup aside.

“Is he Fai’s?” She asked Tsunade remembering how those two danced after the banquet all those years ago. Empress-Mother nodded in response, even blushing a little, also remembering those days.

“Well then, your kid must have had a happy childhood.”

Yoruichi was trying to offer some kind of comfort but judging by the change of Tsunade’s expression she managed to do quite the opposite of that.

“He is a concubine now. I signed that form myself and I didn’t even know. What kind of a parent am I? I don’t deserve to have children.”

The blonde emptied her little cup only to have it filled again.

“Well, that’s the sum of it for me, anyway.”

“Can I get a refill as well?” Kakashi asked gruffly. “I’m still trying to figure out how to explain it all.”

“I don’t care if you drink yourself silly, but…” ANBU Captain gave Tsunade a questioning look. The blonde nodded. Yoruichi just set the whole bottle in front of him and turned to the little table by the window to make her wife a cup of chamomile tea. Despite Lee carrying a submissive, this pregnancy seemed harder on him than the first one. The idiot still insisted on going along to missions which probably made it worse for him.

“Explain it how it is. At least, how it is for you. That will be the first step for you to understand the situation.”

Kakashi poured himself another drink and took a sip, drumming the fingers of his free hand against his thigh. “It’s complicated,” he said finally. “I’m bumbling up being Emperor even worse than I thought I would, I hate it, I’m mad at myself for hating it because I know it’s too important for that to get in the way, a sub broke my mask, and I overheard the kid who did it telling my cousin that he wants my heart when he’s never even knowingly met me… that about sums it up.” He gulped down the rest of the cup, poured himself another, and offered the bottle to Tsunade.

“If we want to be irresponsible properly, then you’d better speed up the pace.”

The blonde stared at him blankly for a moment, then emptied her cup and refilled it, setting the empty bottle aside.

“And that exact sub is my son. So that’s that I guess.”

Lee suddenly stood up picking up the sleeping boy and made his way to the exit bumping into Itachi in the doorway. The ANBU looked someone dragged him through hell and back, or at the least like he got thrown pretty hard. Seeing her friend like, this Yoruichi was glad her sub left. Lee wasn’t in the way, but it probably wasn’t good to expose him to these negative emotions. Stress was bad for him.

“So, what’s up with you? By the looks of it, a lot.”

The dark-skinned woman glanced at the bookshelf then began digging through a trunk near the sofa. Itachi ignored her, heading straight to Tsunade and handing the blonde a scroll and a note. Empress-Mother read it slowly, first growing pale, then shaking with anger. She wanted to punch a wall but restrained herself knowing that if she did so, the building would probably collapse.

“I will kill that Kuchiki bastard!”

Despite feeling the blonde’s rage Itachi took a step closer shaking head.

“It’s ok. I have accepted my destiny. Just sign it, let it be over with.” The dark-haired man placed his mask and sword on the table turning to the ANBU commander.

“It was an honor to serve under you.”

Itachi smiled, despite holding back tears. Lady Mother motioned to him to come closer and placed her fingers on the slender man’s forehead. If it didn’t happen, she could try to override this somehow but when a red lotus mark bloomed where she touched Itachi she felt the fight go out of her. Hands shaking Tsunade signed the scroll and set it down on the table.

“But why? You said no to Madara last time, why agree to it now?”

The Uchiha shrugged awkwardly and lowered his gaze. “I… uh… I met someone stronger than me. Someone able to take what fate has dealt them. It’s useless to pretend I’m not a submissive. It’s useless to fight against fate. That only got me hurt before, so…”

Kakashi, unlike the Mother-Empress, did not restrain himself. “That son of a bitch!” he snarled, slamming his fist into the desk hard enough to cause the thankfully-empty cups to bounce and overturn. One of them rolled onto the floor with a loud clatter, but he paid it no mind. They were slowly taking away everything.

He understood, to as far of an extent as any dom could, why Itachi was doing it. He’d heard the conversation his cousin had had earlier. He understood what Byakuya was thinking too. He was thinking of the bloodline. Kakashi himself was the last Dom of the bloodline who had the bloodmagic, and only weakly. Only in one eye. But he was forcing this on them – essentially saying that he had to produce an heir with his cousin, with a man with whom he had fought battles side-by-side. It wasn’t fair to take that away from Itachi too.

He clenched his hand into a fist again, carefully reining his emotions back under control, then turned back to Itachi.

“It was an honour to serve with you too,” he said honestly. “Since neither of us will be any more.”

The dark-haired man laughed, shaking his head. “Oh heavens, you only see the worst in everything, don’t you? What keeps me going is the comfort of knowing I can be by your side again. I’ll still watch your back. We can hang out and drink together. The only difference is, I will be wearing prettier clothes. That’s not so bad, eh?”

Kakashi snorted slightly. “I suppose that’s true,” he said, shaking his head. “But I doubt that’s all they expect of you… Uchiha.”

“Oh, I’m well prepared for that. My body was built for it, I’m sure it will handle the task when the time comes. My mother managed four of us despite being frail and sickly.”

Tsunade wasn’t entirely sure who the ex-ANBU was trying to comfort with those words, but at the end of the day it didn’t matter. Now that Itachi was a concubine, he had to behave like one even if he hated every moment of it. Although, there was something the blonde could to make his life a tad easier, even if it meant that in the end she was only playing right into Byakuya’s hands again. Having thought about it, a moment later Tsunade produced the Emperor’s Seal from its warm hiding place.

“Itachi Uchiha, as Empress Regent I promote you to rank Tsubaki. You may reside on the third Floor of the Flower Pavilion and choose a concubine of the Furu rank to be your personal maid.”

Itachi tensed for a moment then bowed to Lady Mother. “I thank you, your Imperial Majesty. My maid shall be Nora.”
Tsunade couldn’t help but laugh. “I should have seen that one coming really.”

Kakashi supposed he should have seen this coming too. It was only right that Itachi be a Tsubaki. He wondered if it would cause dissent amongst the ranks of the concubines that he was the first and only one for now. There was one he remembered Tsunade mentioning, a gift from Gold lands, a Noble’s daughter. Sari, he thought her name might have been. Perhaps she would have to be promoted too, in time. He sighed. It wasn’t exactly how he would have liked to keep his friend, but it showed that Itachi had always been a closer follower of duty than he was, that he was so willing to bear his children. The man wasn’t unattractive, but after fighting side by side for so long, it was difficult to see him in that light.

“Well, since you are my concubine now, perhaps we’ll spend a night later this week… I’m afraid tonight is already accounted for.”

“Just as well. I don’t have an appropriate wardrobe yet. The nobles would laugh if they saw me with you like this.” Itachi gestured at his dusty ANBU uniform and blushed. Tsunade nodded, looking at the man in a different light now. He was quite lovely indeed and being a Tsubaki now only helped. They did not need to conform to a uniform like the lower ranks so she could make sure the Uchiha would have a nice wardrobe. Smiling, the blonde took a blank scroll from the desk and, having filled about half of it, passed it to Itachi with the scroll she signed earlier.

“Go find Eboshi and give her these. I won’t have you be an embarrassment like my little flowers, so you’ll have to learn how to be like them. I can’t have you in the harem strolling around like a dom in pants.”
Itachi nodded, taking the scrolls and lowering his eyes demurely. “Yes, Mother. I know I have much to learn.”

Kakashi scowled at the thought. Once, it wouldn’t have mattered to anyone. They would both have been in dusty ANBU uniform, and no one would have cared. But now, even their clothing was dictated by others and their expectations. He hated it. But… he sighed inwardly. It was their duty now. And Itachi was right. Their duty was the most important thing. Because, just like when they’d been going on missions, it was bigger than them. It was about the protection of the people. They needed a strong Emperor, and healthy heirs… and now it was up to him to provide that, and as much as he’d never wanted it, as much as he was lost and confused, he had to step up to that duty. Itachi had shown him that. He had to learn how to be an Emperor. How to be the Emperor his people needed and deserved.

He grimaced slightly. He much preferred a carefree life. But that wasn’t an option any more…

As soon as the new Tsubaki left, the ANBU Captain spoke up, producing a green bottle from her trunk.

“There is a lesson for you in this, Kakashi. He isn’t doing it for the Empire or for Byakuya. He’s doing it because he cares about you. Each of us is part of one big group, we are a family. And our family runs this Empire, that’s just how it is. I might be from Oasis myself but I live in this land, Lee is from this land, our children will grow up here… You need to find what keeps you going.” Yoruichi smiled, placing a bottle of Oasis “Green Flame” on the table. It was indeed green, burned like hell and was capable of getting just about anyone drunk in three shots. The exception to the rule was Tsunade, who could handle five.

“Drink to being who you are, not over it for once.”

Kakashi only nodded quietly to Yoruichi’s words. Nothing truly needed to be said in response. He only needed to acknowledge that he understood. He picked up his cup from the floor and held it out.

“To duty,” he said after a moment, having decided it was the most appropriate toast. “And to doing what we must, not what we will.”

Tsunade couldn’t help but laugh raising her little cup as well. They seemed to go to hell and back in a matter of hours today, but everyone seemed to come out of it a slightly stronger person. Strange, how it all started with Ilse, the kid seemed like some kind of catalyst. The blonde decided that she too had to do her part in all this and talk to him at some point. Ilse deserved to know who fathered him after all these years. That would be it though, due to her position Tsunade couldn’t single him out and treat him differently to other concubines.

“To duty.”

Tsunade downed her portion and, shivering, placed the cup back on the desk. It really did feel like swallowing liquid fire.

“Ahah, don’t get too wasted.” Yoruichi laughed, looking at the time, and passed Tsunade the bottle. “Right, my lovelies, I need to go for my shift so I’ll ask the maids to bring you some snacks up here and I’ll catch you all later. Kay?”

Kakashi waved a hand to Yoruichi. “Have a good shift,” he said, and held out his cup to Tsunade. “We’ll try not to drink too much.”

Which meant that this one would have to be his last. Such a shame.

He watched the purple-haired ANBU captain go, and sighed.

“This has certainly been an eventful day… and it’s barely even noon. So, Mother… would you care to teach me some of the ways of an Emperor?”

“I can certainly try to.” The blonde nodded slipping behind the desk and searching the drawers for some craft supplies which she used to make a paper hat with “Emperor in Training” written on it.

“But you have to wear a hat.” Tsunade giggled like a little girl, the alcohol seemed to hit her harder than usual, but then there was no reason this whole thing couldn’t be a little more fun.

Kakashi snorted with laughter, and took the hat, balancing it awkwardly on his messy hair. “I assume this is to build moral character by making me look ridiculous?” he joked, deadpan.

“Yeah, that kind of thing. It’s for discipline. And you need to make sure it doesn’t fall off. But then, for someone like you that shouldn’t be too hard.”

Lady Mother returned to her previous perch and after a moment of thought decided to start with a history lesson, telling the man about their relationship with Oasis as a distant land, other alliances and so on. The Land of Oasis was their ally for generations, Sun and Earth had a non-aggression pact and otherwise stayed out of each other’s business whilst Wind was a Land they wanted to be friends with but somehow could never agree on terms.

“I’m not sure how much you paid attention to this, but Wind’s Emperor is coming down for the Spring Banquet. We have another opportunity to work it all out. I must say though apparently their current ruler is a little brat, so if you screw this up, I at least won’t hold it against you. At least try not to st…” Tsunade was interrupted by a knock at the door. So, that must be the maid with the food then.

“Ah, right on time. Enter!”

The maid was in fact Ilse in the blue gown of a Furu, with a black ribbon tied around his wrist. A sign that he was demoted for the day and in punishment. Clearly Eboshi didn’t let the whole morning affair with running off slide. Noticing Kakashi, the kid grew pale and wide eyed, nearly dropping the tray.

Kakashi stiffened slightly at the unexpected sight of the concubine, but forced himself to relax again.

“Thank you,” he said. “Just place it on the table. And if I may ask… what is your name?”

“Ilse D Flourite of Oasis,” responded the little blonde, placing the tray of sweet pastries on the desk and stepping away, hoping to blend with the wall behind him. Tsunade sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. The child was definitely Fay’s and hers, there was no question about it. Thankfully, it wasn’t so obvious to everyone else and any nasty rumors could be avoided at this point.

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. “Very well, Ilse D Flourite of Oasis. Since I presume you have figured out who I am, rest assured there will be no punishment for what happened this morning.”

“The hat gave it away.” Ilse blushed crimson, fidgeting with the ribbon. Tsunade couldn’t help but laugh at his blunt words.

Kakashi couldn’t help but laugh too. The kid was either brave or stupid, or possibly some combination of both, but he couldn’t really fault him for the observation. The hat did give it away.

“I’m trying my best to learn how to do my duty,” he told Ilse, remembering the conversation between Tsunade and Nora that morning. The blonde had probably been there to hear it, not that Kakashi had noticed him at the time. He was probably being more open than he should be, but, dammit, he was drunk, and besides… the kid was one of his concubines now. That was what they were for, wasn’t it? And he had walked in on a funny scene. Hopefully he’d be smart enough not to go blabbing about it.

“It wasn’t a duty I ever expected to have to take up.”

“Did Fay ever teach you how to play Koi-Koi?” Tsunade pulled out a deck of Hanafuda cards out her sleeve and gave them to the boy. He looked confused for a moment, then nodded.

“Yeah, why?”
Lady Mother stood up giving her seat up for the little blonde and moved the tray to the side snatching a pastry in the process.

“Entertain yourselves for a bit. I just remembered I had to speak to Yuuko so I’ll be back in a bit.” The woman walked to the door then paused adding: “Kakashi, prepare to lose, if he’s half as good as Fay.”

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the woman’s retreating back. She was definitely leaving them alone on purpose. He wondered what exactly her game was this time. Then he sighed, and settled back in the chair.

“You deal, then,” he told the kid. “It’s been a while since I played.”

Ilse didn’t even think to go easy on the man, and whilst Fay would smash his opponent in a couple of turns the little blonde liked to play slowly. Not only did he match cards that would be useful to him but also used every opportunity to sabotage whatever set Kakashi was trying to put together. And, unlike Fay, he never took any dumb risks, too aware of the fact that whatever cards come out the side deck can harm or help either of them. He liked the flowery sets and ribbons, but never focused on gathering the same set close together making it hard to figure out which the many Yakus he was assembling until it was too late for the opponent to react.

Kakashi thoughtfully examined the layout before him. It was obvious that he had lost. The kid was just dragging it out now. But one of the most important things he had learned in ANBU was when it was necessary to make a tactical retreat.

“Alright,” he said, laying down his cards. “I concede. You’re a far better player than I am, even when I wasn’t out of practice.”

Ilse nodded, gathering the cards back into their little box. There was no point in playing again, the outcome would be much the same and they had wasted about half an hour already.

“The pastries are cold, Your Majesty. Shall I go fetch some more from the kitchen?”

Flourite glanced at the bottle on the table. It probably contributed to how badly the game went for the Emperor and with the man being intoxicated, the blonde couldn’t feel completely at ease. Or was it always going to be like this?

Kakashi shrugged and snagged a pastry from the tray. “I don’t mind. They’re just as good cold… a lot of the time in ANBU, we couldn’t afford to be picky about food…” then he smirked slightly. “But by all means, if you wish to leave, you may. I daresay you have other duties to attend to, and probably more important ones than beating a drunk man at Koi-Koi on the whims of the Mother-Empress. I’m sure she’s lurking around somewhere anyway, and I should probably sleep off some of the alcohol. Don’t let me detain you.”

With that, he leaned back in the chair, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

Ilse tensed up, gripping the box of cards so hard his fingers went white, not knowing how to respond. Was there even a choice? Was he told to leave or to stay? The blonde decided that it was the former. That he was told to bugger off in the politest way possible. It wasn’t surprising really… Why would the Emperor want to waste his time on a kid? Feeling ignored, Ilse glanced at the Emperor and smiling sadly headed towards the door.

“Have a pleasant day, Your Majesty.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to leave.”

Kakashi hadn’t moved or opened his eyes when he spoke and didn’t now, either.

“You seemed a little uncomfortable, and after what happened this morning I wouldn’t entirely blame you if you were. I reacted badly, and what you saw was a side of me I usually keep tightly under wraps. Considering all that, I thought you might appreciate an out. If you want to stay, however, then don’t feel you have to go... But if you do stay, let’s not play any more Koi-Koi. I can appreciate the level of skill it takes to dictate a game the way you do, but that gets boring for both sides after a while.”

Ilse stopped with his hand on the door handle, then took a step back.

“I am uncomfortable because I see the Emperor as my husband, but the Emperor only seems to see me as a child.”

Kakashi stiffened slightly, and opened his unscarred eye.

“I’m not used to… the concept of concubines,” he said awkwardly. “And marriage was never something I wanted as such. I only became Emperor a few days ago, and it was never a duty I expected to have to take up. This is still strange to me, and it’s difficult. Perhaps it will be easier in time, when this has become more natural for me. You are young, Ilse. I know that if you are part of the harem, you are old enough to bear children and be considered an adult, but I’m older than you, I have had different experiences, encountered subs with… different beliefs and ways of doing things. Like Hinata. I was the one who trained her to become an ANBU operative. Those are the experiences I have had, and to have a large group of subs free for… my use, shall we say, is not something that seems natural to me.”

“Really?” Ilse giggled shaking his head. “Lady Hinata’s lotus is that of ink. But don’t worry, I won’t tell. You must cherish her a lot. Empress Mother examined her personally. I thought it was strange at first, but now it makes sense.”
The blonde smiled, not daring to raise his eyes again in case that gave away his true feelings. He wasn’t jealous exactly, but close to it. Tsunade accepted him as a concubine because of his pretty doll face, not even looking at what skills he had. And still it was not enough to gain the Emperor’s attention. Kakashi seemed to prefer girls after all.

“But liking only one flower will make others jealous and vicious. Who knows how they might try to harm her?”

Kakashi laughed. “Hinata is a dear friend to me,” he said. “A comrade. We have been on missions together, and that leads to a level of closeness that isn’t intimacy in the way you’re thinking. Such actions can be taken between comrades, whether Dom or sub, because they are simply needed at the time, not because there are feelings involved. I think Mother placed her in the harem to be a part of my personal guard, rather than for any other reason… Since it seems she and Yuuko have been planning this for some time. Though initially I rather thought it was for my comfort… that she placed her there so I would have a familiar face. I should have known there was more to it than that.”

He stretched. The paper hat was still balanced precariously on his hair, and barely wobbled with his movement. “Since you’re staying, come and sit.”

Ilse obeyed, settling back into the chair and looking down at his hands. Earlier on the little cuts from the mask shards have opened up and now the blood was visible through the bandage.

“I understand. Because of what tasks you had to preform sometimes it is too much. And one needs the comfort, to feel alive again. And it is better to do so with a lady, than with a bottle. That being said, if the Emperor does not feel comfortable, he can choose a few wives and disband the Harem. So long as there are heirs, the Lords will not think ill of you. And with no Harem to manage, things will be easier on you. That being said, choosing the wives will be tricky and many nobles might be offended if you do not accept their children.”

The blonde shuddered a little, thinking what would happen if the man really took his advice. If the Harem is disbanded he will be sent to live in a monastery with the rest of the flowers. But then, if that is what made the Emperor of Sun happy, that would be ok to.

“Pardon me for speaking my mind so freely, but I think that the new Tsubaki is one of the obvious choices, for the sake of the bloodline. And I hear you have been friends in the past, but that might make the Kuchiki clan arrogant so it would be sensible if Lady Hinata was chosen too. However, neither of them should be Empress, because that will cause tension with the two clans thinking the other is favored more. As such it would be sensible for the Empress to be from a different land. That being said though, there is little point in taking a wife from Oasis. The relationship between our Lands is strong and stable anyway. And it shouldn’t be anyone from Land of Gold either as they and Oasis have had a bad relationship. Your servant isn’t competent to advise you any further, please don’t take any offence.”

The blonde fell silent, trying to relax a little and not ruin the atmosphere further. It was no good to be so stiff in front of someone with so many worries already.

Kakashi remained silent for a few moments, taking in the flood of information that the concubine had given him.

“You certainly know your politics,” he said at last, impressed despite himself. He didn’t really want to choose his wife with pure politics in mind, but he could see the wisdom in what Ilse had to say. “I have never really needed to consider possible consequences of my actions so closely before… I think perhaps I need someone like you as an advisor.”

“Your Majesty may do whatever he wishes.” Ilse’s smile seemed a bit forced, strained. Concubines weren’t really allowed to meddle in politics and had he had clearly overstepped the boundaries a while back but it was too late to worry about it. Besides, Kakashi did need someone like that, desperately. “I beg the Emperor not to make any hasty decisions. An Imperial advisor needs to be a person loyal to the land and the Royal Family. Someone who you can definitely trust.”

The blonde chewed his lower lip trying to organize his thoughts. An Imperial advisor was no simple matter and he didn’t know enough people in the palace to suggest anyone, since the harem as it was had existed for about a day or so.

“Unfortunately… Currently I have no one in mind for His Majesty to consider. Perhaps you could get to know them better before you make a decision. Nor would I officially promote a flower to such a high rank. It might make others in the government jealous too and… I guess I’ll put it bluntly. One can poison an Imperial Advisor, but not a secret one.”

Kakashi sighed inwardly. Though the kid had good points again – he really was smart – he’d taken the comment slightly more seriously than it had been intended. Though an advisor really was a good idea, he agreed that a concubine probably wasn’t the best choice for it… Not openly, anyway, which was a shame, really. One of the few things he did know about concubines was that, though they were officially forbidden from being involved in politics, they were often the Emperor’s closest and most trusted advisors in secret.

He was right, though. There were ways to get to an Imperial Advisor, and Tsunade couldn’t do the job for him forever. Maybe a secret one wasn’t the worst idea ever, for now.

“Also interesting points,” he said finally. “And something for me to think about.”

“Indeed. I hope I have been of use. My many duties await me.” The little blonde fluttered from the seat like a butterfly and kneeled down. “I take my leave of you.” They have talked rather informally up to now, but remembering the protocol was an important habit to get into. He couldn’t talk to the Emperor like that in front of others.