Gi kingdom, capital city Xuchou
Seven months after the prophesied arrival of the Messenger of Heaven
Moutoku Sousou, ruler of the Gi kingdom and probably one of the most powerful women in China, was not easily surprised nor intimidated despite her small figure and young appearance. Most of the time, the scandalous stories of the nobility under her rule did little to shake her, and oftentimes made her laugh shortly before dealing with the more disruptive elements in Gi very quickly and very personally.
Not even the news that Toutaku had taken over the imperial capital of Luoyang had startled her when she'd first received it a month ago. She had simply accepted the courier's message in her throne room, with her loyal generals Genjou Kakouton, Myousai Kakouen, and Chuukou Kyocho at her side, and dismissed him after he had delivered it. When pressed by the courier and her generals about how she would respond, Sousou had responded with a careless air and a wave of the hand. "Toutaku may be the hero of the west, but that means nothing to me. If he thinks he's strong enough to crush me, he can certainly try."
In much the same way, news of Toutaku's tyranny in the capital and ruthless suppression of the folk there did little to spark Sousou's interest over the following two weeks. Gi continued to plan its own expansions independent of all those happenings, while Sousou herself lounged around the palace and entertained herself physically and mentally when there was no work to do otherwise. However, that cool, unperturbed facade shattered to bits on the day that Kakouton came to her and told her that Honsho Enshou, the most stubborn and stupid noble that Sousou had ever had the displeasure of knowing, was approaching the kingdom of Gi with an offer to join an anti-Toutaku alliance. Thankfully for Sousou's reputation, Kakouton had seen fit to come to her private chambers and give the information behind closed doors, so only the general witnessed Sousou's blank, blue-eyed, half-lidded stare.
"You're not serious, are you, Shunran?" Sousou said slowly, closing the book that she'd been reading. She was sitting at a fine wooden desk in a matching chair with red cushioning, only a few feet away from her bed. Kakouton was kneeling down at the door, bowing her head and allowing the tips of her long, slicked-back black hair to hover above the ground. Birdsong came in through the open window, failing to lower the tension in the atmosphere between the two of them.
"I wish I were joking, Lady Karin," Kakouton replied. "But no, I'm entirely serious." She did not look up to meet Sousou's eyes in part because of just how "bored" the leader of Gi first looked when Kakouton had delivered the message. It may not have seemed a big deal to anyone that didn't know Sousou, but when her expression and tone went flat, she was not at all in a good mood.
Sousou pushed her chair back and stood up, causing her spiral-shaped blonde pigtails and the reddish-pink ribbons that tied them to bounce slightly. Her outfit was relatively simple, as it tended to be when she was around in the palace—a dark skirt with detached sleeves, dark stockings, and boots. "I know that fool wouldn't dare ask me to join an alliance unless there were others she had appealed to. Did you inquire about that, Shunran?"
"Yes, Lady Karin. The messenger stated that similar invitations have been extended to Sonken, Kousonsan, and… the Messenger of Heaven." Kakouton spoke the last name with a venom that she rarely used for anyone, and Sousou smiled. Kakouton was known as one of the best swordswomen in China, but when the Yellow Turban Rebellion swept over Youzhou, rumors of the Messenger of Heaven soon followed, saying that he used a sword more akin to a giant slab of iron—and was more than capable of killing multiple men at a time with one sweeping cut. For all her prowess with a blade, Kakouton couldn't claim that kind of skill, and since then had harbored a grudge against the man without having ever met him. "However, he didn't tell me whether they had accepted the offer or not. It's likely all the messengers left Nanpi at about the same time."
Sousou rubbed her chin, and allowed her smile to turn into a nasty smirk. "I see. If the Messenger of Heaven appears, then there is no doubt that she will, as well. The Green Dragon Blade of Youzhou, the Black-Haired War God Unchou Kan'u… the power of someone like that is beyond essential to my dream. We'll accept."
Kakouton's head snapped up, and her voice raised to a shout. "Lady Karin! Are you absolutely—"
Sousou looked down at Kakouton, and her expression lost all pretense of amusement. "Yes. Send word to Nanpi, either by our messenger or theirs. If nothing else, we shall be in a position to evaluate the overall worth of Luoyang once all is said and done." Then, ever so slowly, the smirk grew wider. "If the others accept, we will meet Kan'u and that rather ugly man she's fallen into the company of. Perhaps we may be able to convince her to change her mind about who she should pledge her blade to."
Kakouton lowered her head again. "As you wish, Lady Karin. It will be done."
The position of Kakouton's head hid the fact that her eyes were burning holes into the ground. Her teeth clenched and ground against each other. It is Lady Karin's wish. It doesn't matter how I feel. If she truly wants Kan'u, then I will...
She was pleasantly surprised when Sousou's thin fingers danced on the back of her red sleeveless qipao, between the strands of her hair. Moments later, Sousou herself seemed to press into Kakouton's back, and Kakouton could feel Sousou's chin nestled into the crook of her neck.
"Shunran." Sousou's breath gently tickled her ear. "You're upset, aren't you? Come. Before lunch… why don't we relax a little?"
"Lady Karin..."
"You know me, Shunran," she whispered, pushing further. "I like beautiful things. The devotion that you and the others give to me is beautiful. But, Kan'u is beautiful, too. Too beautiful to stay with that ugly man. You don't need to be jealous. You will always be beautiful to me. So come. Let's go to bed for a little."
Kakouton gave up on fighting the blush that spread across her face, and rose up as soon as Sousou grasped her hand and pulled off of her back. "Y-Yes, Lady Karin."