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"There is nothing with being afraid, you know," Rubuke said, and laughed sheepishly,"Yeaaah, most of our members are retired already." The kenkaku listened to Lumine once more,"I doubt there is a perfect life style anyway, but at least you were free, and hey, you found them to come back to with your life style, so don't wonder what if you hadn't. That is useless thought.'

"Mh, Kazuko-dono wouldn't do that little thing.That little argument was a scandal in the Kenkaku, and people in the village misinterpreted it. She came into the court and threatened Kenkaku for judging her teaching style after she was Maemi's private tutor for a while. She strolled into the main court, and told him to let her do her job, at her pace if he did not allow her to teach Maemi something she could use. She had already thrown her sword at him and stabbed it behind Father, he went for her using her own sword, but instead of attacking him, she cut his armor off with a pocket knife and pushed him back. It was really cool. It was hard to imagine she moved that fast!" Rubuke told Lumine,"After that,Kenkaku-sama let Kazuko chose how and when she would instruct Maemi, and Kenkau-sama had no right to complain."

"LIstening to that court hearing was amazing.... I can see how Listening is very important," Rubuke nodded," You know, I think I will try to listen more. ... You are right about how we tend to overlook stuff.."

"The shinigami?" The tengu looked to the side,"She looked sort of like Maemi. I seriously thought it was her, since I heard her talk from the other room.... I miss her too, and no one can ever replace my big sister... No one."

"I can understand why you would see the similarity....they are alike..." Rubuke mumbled watching Lumine shift about almost uneasily,"Hey... if you meet her and Maemi again, I will envy you if you don't enjoy it, okay?" The tengu looked up and smiled at the celestial wanly.

When the ex-celestial offered her hand the Kenkaku reached for her hand. .... And when Lumine collapsed forward she shot forward to catch the falling girl.


----

"What happened?!"
"She sort of just passed out!"
"Quick, let's get her on the bed."
"I didn't do anything to her-!"
"We know, she has no injuries!"
"Get a wet cloth, maybe that will help wake her up."
"Do you have any?"
"Just use my scarf."
"Hurry up!"
"Hang on Lumine, we will get you back in a moment."
"Oh god, did I kill her of a heart attack?!"
"No, you didn't, calm down. Here."
"Hang in there, Lumine... You'll be fine."

The three youkai had chaotically hurried about, feverishly looking for whatever could help ailed girl. Her mumbles only worried them more, and even when they had tucked her into the bed with a wet cloth over her head in a vague attempt to help her, they all stood worried.

It was Ochiba who mentioned a medic in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, where she had resided before she was brought to the Human Village, a medic said to excel in her field. The trek to the Bamboo Forest would take Ochiba far too long by foot, so all pride aside, Michiko offered to carry her on her back and run her there. "If I carry you, and you steer, we will be there in half the time," Michiko had said. Rubuke, they agreed would stay with Lumine and safe guard her while the two older youkai made the trip, since the crow was injured and, if anything, would only weigh them down in the sprint.

And so, Michiko hefted Ochiba onto her back and rushed out of her home. Rubuke, dejected and still broke as far as her pride and honor went, dragged a chair to Lumine's bedside and over-watched the writhing ex-celestial. A bit of time passed and the crow crossed her arms onto the bed, leaning down to rest her head on her arms. For a bit she started at Lumine helplessly,"Just when I felt we could get along...."

Even with Lumine's restless trashing the broken bird managed to doze off as awkward of a position she was in, all to the thoughts of what would Maemi think if she saw her by Lumine's bedside.

She awoke only when she was gripped. Startled, her eyes snapped open darting to the hands around her arm, and then to Lumine's face. The blue-haired girl looked still half -unconscious. Rubuke shifted to face her,"Don't worry, Lumine, I won't leave you, I promise."

"That's fine, Lumine, " The tengu muttered as the celestial rested back onto the bed. Rubuke shook her head,"Not worry? Michiko and Ochiba ran off to visit that one medic in the Bamboo Forest, said they'd go an see if there was anything they could get for you. The rouki literally put the rabbit on her back so it'd be faster. Of course, they haven't come back just yet, the trip is long as it is by flight."

"That doesn't matter," once more she shook her head,"How do you feel? Those two will come back soon, so don't worry about them. You gave us all quite the scare." Rubuke straightened out on her chair, perfectly simulating a lack of interest. Nevertheless, having staid up till she had to pass out showed through her tired features. Even if she was broken herself, Rubuke seemed to be trying to forget that.

"They simply want to find anything to make it... easier on you," Rubuke commented looking at Lumine as she tried to get up, failed, and landed once more onto her back. "I promise they will return in no time at all, don't worry; for now rest, since it is what you need."

The tengu watched the ex-celestial squirm and struggle to some mockery of an upright position, shakily holding herself up. As she called for Rubuke, the crow moved forward, putting Lumine's hands on her shoulders and grabbing at her waist, helped Lumine to her feet. "Ah wait..." turning to the side of the room, she stretched her good wing, letting Lumine grab onto it while she herself reached for the naginata leaned on the side. She came back to Lumine and handed her the weapon,"Hold onto this, it will help you walk."

The Kenkaku child let her grabbed the polearm and took the ex-celestial's waist slinging her other arm over her shoulder,"I will walk you outside if thats what You want to do."

"It's not a problem,I promised that rabbit and Rouki that I'd take care of you will they were gone," Rubuke crossed her arms and nodded knowingly," And it's not pathetic. We all get hurt now and again, you know? It natural for all of us to be weak at some point,so... its not pathetic." The tengu stood close by ready to catch Lumine,"I can take you out to one of Michiko's couches, those look comfortable."

"Yeah, you need to be a bit more careful with yourself from now on," the Kenkaku caught Lumine's glance, and instinctively she stretched her working wing to look at it herself to ensure nothing was wrong with it too."Ah...I know Rouki didn't mean to, if she did she wouldn't have taken care of my wings...." The warrior tilted her head as Lumine talked about Michiko and her mother,"What do you mean...? Master Kazuko was Master Kazuko..."

"Ah... I guess you are right. Master Kazuko didn't seem the kind of person to be so simple and shallow," Rubuke followed closely keeping Lumine at a reach's length incase need be. The house was at an odd halcyon, with the silence of the forest as the only company, and as Rubuke eventually help Lumine sit after she spoke of how Seijin was more than the idol she had known.

"Areh, you put a good point," Rubuke rubbed the back of her head, as she walked around to stand by the window restlessly, "Master Kazuko was an Idol... just as Master Jurou and the now deceased Master Rouki.... Even that odd priestess that has lived at the village for so long... all of the are idols of the village, yet we don't really know them, right?" The tengu crossed her arms, rubbing at her forearm. Her glance looked out to the deadly still forest. By now, night had fallen, and even if she denied it, the Kenkaku Child began to worry about the two youkai outside, specially when her sharp sight caught the dual blades resting in the side.

Fearing Lumine would see these, the tengu sat on the arm rest of the armchair blocking what would be the ex-celestial's sight line of the weapons. Rubuke would go look for the as soon as Lumine went back to sleep. "I would love to learn of Master Kazuko... Mh. At the same time, I feel I should learn of and from Master Jurou; I hear she was Master Kazuko's closest friend and fiercest rival while both where students in the Swords Academy." She fidgeted trying to move her broken wing, only getting a pang of pain and the cold reminder of her handicapped; How would she find Michiko and Rubuke if need be like this? "Did you... hhm, spend alot of time with Master Kazuko? Did she train you personally?... You must be good at sword fighting if she did--" Rubuke shook her head thing to keep Lumine busy.

"Hai. Master Taisei Jurou! " Rubuke nodded,"She trained Samuro for a little while, but eventually, he ended up Master Kazuko's full time pupil. She has those big white wings that seem to run in the Jurou Clan, like the 'Red Wolves' of the Kaninus Clan." She gave a curious tilt of her head,"Drinking buddies? They must have been great friends." Her glance looked away from Lumine, sideways and towards the table she was blocking. The Rouki Blades where there, glistening. The talk about the idols planted an odd idea in her head.The thought of taking them and turning them in ran her mind, but the glory of bringing an artifact back would be blackened by unwanted betrayal. No, those blades were in the rightful owner's hands, and even if they had earned her family's respect it was in a wrong way.

A noble warrior would never betray the trust given on them, to do so would turn the to a lowly mercenary, she told herself, and that was something she would never do.

"Aw..." Rubuke almost pouted for a second, truly showing how young the last Kenkaku Child was,"I guess you are right. I am a bit surprised I can move one of my wings, and you obviously need rest... So I guess it'll be for another time, right? When you get better and get back to being the nagger Maemi loved."

"Well no, you aren't that bad," Rubuke grumbled, her gaze flickering to Lumine,"You are actually pretty smart about some things and you are obviously a sort of... innocent brand of noble.... Like... Part of you doesn't care for the wrong in the world, just the good in it. Its nice,really."

When the attention shifted to how she herself wasn't so bad, Rubuke crossed her arms tighter,"Ah, you think so? Hah, you'd be the first to say something positive to me."