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Today is the two month mark. Two months since they lost contact with Kaze in Nohr.
It would be customary to presume Kaze dead, by now. The damn fool just had to go. Not that Saizo could have denied him, of course. He was among the best of them; only, he didn’t have a liege to bind him, like Saizo or Kagero did. So when they needed someone to gather intel from the deepest parts of Nohr, of course the damn fool volunteered.
The first week that Kaze’s reports stopped coming, Saizo tried to ignore the way his stomach churned with dread. Kaze was fine. Right?
When two weeks passed, Kagero took notice. Do you want to talk, Saizo? She had offered. He turned her away without a word. Kaze would be fine.
After a month, Ryoma asked about the status of Kaze’s mission. Saizo grimly told the truth: they’d lost contact four weeks ago. I’m so sorry, Saizo. Please, let me know if you need any time away from your duties.
Saizo had ignored the stinging in his eyes and sinking feeling in his gut.
It’s been two months, now. So Saizo is already in a bad mood when the messenger bursts into the room.
“Lord Saizo!”
He grits his teeth under his mask and turns to the entryway. “ Excuse me? You’re breaching protocol by barging in here–”
The messenger swiftly bows, but holds out a small, folded parchment. Saizo recognizes it as a carrier hawk note.
“I apologize, sir,” the messenger scrambles, “but it’s from your brother! I presumed that you would have wanted–”
Saizo snatches the parchment, causing the messenger to flinch. “Thank you,” Saizo growls. “Dismissed.”
Saizo’s heart is pounding in his ears so much that he can hardly hear the messenger leave. He presses the paper flat against a desk and smooths it out. It’s coded, but he can quickly recognize the handwriting:
It’s Kaze.
It’s terse, but it confirms it: his brother is alive.
That evening, he reads the decoded report out loud to Kagero.
“‘ Reporting: Suzukaze. After most recent update, was captured and compromised. Held captive in Castle Krakenburg .’”
Kagero gasps. “Oh my,” she says. “They held him in Krakenburg? That must’ve been serious.”
Saizo nods and continues. “‘ No intel disclosed in interrogation. Was able to escape.’ ”
“Gods. They tortured him,” Kagero laments. “We need to conduct an extraction right away–”
“He’s being a damn fool,” Saizo interrupts. “He doesn’t want an extraction yet.”
“What? But protocol is to go through a debriefing after being compromised?”
Saizo huffs and reads the rest of the letter:
“ ‘Please restock drop-point at Bottomless Canyon. Need to investigate important development before leaving Nohr. Will report back in one week.’”
“An important development?” Kagero asks, taking the parchment and flipping it to see if there’s more written. “That’s it? He doesn’t add anything else?”
Saizo shakes his head.
Part of him wants to drop everything and rush to the Bottomless Canyon right away. But he can’t ignore his duties to Prince Ryoma. And Kaze knew the risks of the mission when he volunteered, and was prepared to handle anything– including recovering from Nohrian ‘interrogation.’
So he resolved to wait, and had the drop-point restocked.
Only the shinobi in charge of restocks would notice that Saizo added green mochi to the supply list for that checkpoint.
- - - - - - - - - -
Kaze’s next report is a little late, but it comes nonetheless.
Again, it’s short and to-the-point. This time, it’s marked with a symbol on the top of the paper– the code that operatives use to indicate they are out of enemy territory and not under duress. It’s also not in code.
Saizo reads it right away, and his eyes practically bulge from his head when he does.
Reporting: Suzukaze. Returning to Shirasagi with lost Princess Kamui. ETA: three days.
Saizo looks at the date written at the top of the parchment.
He drops the paper and sprints to find Queen Mikoto.
His brother would be here tomorrow–
with the long lost princess, apparently.
- - - - - - - - - -
The next morning, Saizo trades places with the ninja scheduled for gate guard duty.
Even approaching from the distance on the horizon, Saizo recognizes his brother’s walk. There’s also a slender figure with silver hair accompanying Kaze.
Saizo can’t control his leg as it thumps like a rabbit, his foot tapping restlessly against the floor. He can’t abandon his post– so he forces himself to be content with observing his brother’s approach.
As they get closer, Saizo notices the weight Kaze has lost, and the tattered, frayed edges of his clothes.
The second they cross the castle threshold, Saizo is there.
Kaze smiles. “Hello, brother.”
Saizo hesitates.
There he is– his brother, alive. Smiling like he has not a single care in the world. No: happy, even.
Every nerve in his body wants to embrace him, to rush him off to a decent meal. Or, to scold him for being foolish, for his self-sacrificing attitude. Gods, if father could see him, he wouldn’t know whether to be more proud or angry.
But protocol – protocol dictates that he be fully debriefed, give his full report before anything else. And then of course is the princess trailing just behind him, looking overwhelmed and confused, who needs escorting. It would be improper to discuss personal or even shinobi-related matters in front of her, and Kaze needs to continue walking her to Queen Mikoto, and…
Kaze sees the internal tug-of-war reflected in his brother’s eyes, and chuckles.
He hugs him.
Saizo is stiff, his brain frozen.
It’s against protocol! It’s disrespectful! It’s– it’s…
“It’s good to see you, Kaze,” Saizo murmurs, and Kaze smiles.