One day, Lena received a beautifully decorated envelope. When she opened it, a holographic image displayed from the card - it was an invitation to a birthday celebration, sent by her cousin, Noritsune, or "Nori" as she called him. Lena was an only child in her family, so when she was little growing up, she only had her cousin that was around the same age as her. However, Noritsune only lived in the countryside for a few years before moving to the city with his father, who had gotten a job with the government at the time. "Aki! Look," Lena said excitedly. "We got invited to a birthday party. Well, it's held at this famous nightclub in the city. Wanna come with me?" Aki took the envelope and looked at the address. Yes, it seemed the party was being held over the weekend at a popular spot located downtown in the city back in 2205. "Do you think we should go?" she asked, "We've been pretty busy with missions lately. Will the government allow us to take the time off?" Lena nodded, "Of course! We get some weekends off, don't we? And we work SO hard. We should figure out what to wear, and look, the invitation says we can bring whoever we want. So, if you want to bring a date, maybe............" Lena grinned and looked towards Hizen Tadahiro, who was sitting at the kotatsu table in the middle of the room. He was drinking sake with Mutsunokami, arguing about something with him again. The wakizashi and uchigatana were always disagreeing over something or another, but everyone knew despite their disagreements, they were very close. "I think it will be fun to attend a party," Lena continued, "When was the last time we got to dress up and have fun? Besides, I haven't seen Nori in FOR~EVER! You know, he's a Saniwa like us. He was enlisted by the government years before I was. I want you to meet him. I think you two will get along well!" Aki smiled, for Lena's sake. "Sure, I'd love to meet him, just as I've met your grandmother. I'm sure he's a nice person..." "Then it's decided! This weekend, we'll go back to the present time and go to the party." Lena's eyes sparkled. "We can go shopping for matching outfits! Won't that be SO fun!?" Lena once again got carried away by the idea of shopping, something she loved to do. Aki was about to remind Lena to save their koban, but she couldn't say anything once she saw how happy Lena was. So then it was decided that this upcoming weekend, they would attend Lena's cousin's birthday party..................
And so, with Aki's help, the two girls sent communications to the Government of Time to request the upcoming weekend off. Surprisingly, their vacation request was accepted, and Lena quickly booked accommodations for a nearby hotel in the city so they had a place to stay after the party. "So, will you invite Hizen?" Lena asked Aki, grinning again from ear-to-ear. "Invite me to what?" Hizen asked, overhearing the conversation. He sauntered up to Aki and Lena, hands stuffed into the pocket of his red hoodie. "My cousin's birthday party," Lena replied. "Why would I want to go to that?" Hizen said, somewhat rudely. "I don't know him, so why should I care?" "Well," Lena explained, "Aki will be there, and since it's a party, there should be unlimited booze... My cousin is a real party animal, if I remember correctly." Hizen thought about this for a brief moment. Surely he wouldn't let Aki attend this party alone, especially in the presence of strangers. And, UNLIMITED drinks? Well, Hizen loved his sake and he wasn't against trying other beverages either. "So, are you inviting me?" he asked, turning to Aki, looking a bit shy as he turned to his master for approval. Aki took one look at Hizen's inquiring face and of course her heart melted at his endearing look. "Yes, of course I am inviting you," she answered. "If you would like to come with me...??" Hizen nodded quickly, with a very faint blush spreading on his cheeks. "... Then yes, I would like to go. So... count me in." He quickly turned around and walked away, as the conversation was over and decided. "Wow, that was easy," Lena laughed, giving Aki a pat on her back. "So now we only have to decide what to wear, yes?" Aki watched Hizen disappear down the hall. "What? Oh... sure, yes. Let's decide that and have a good time."
Now that Aki had invited Hizen (haha that was effortless!), it was up to Lena to invite her plus one. Lena knew the Danshi she wanted to invite to the party. It was obvious! But for some reason, it was difficult to muster up the courage to ask. As always. "Come on, this is so stupid," Lena said to herself, shaking her head to try and clear her thoughts. "Come on... you just have to go up to him and ASK! OK. I can do it! And if he says no, I'll order him to come. Yes, that's what I'll do..." Even though Lena was trying to focus, she didn't think her method was working. She wished Aki could help her, but this was something she had to ask on her own. So off she went to find him. Lena bumped into Mikazuki as he was exiting the bath. He had a towel around his neck and was wiping away the water from his wet hair. Lena resisted the urge to keep walking right by him and stopped in her tracks. "Mikazuki! There's something I want to ask," she said. "Oh?" He looked surprised to see her there, standing before him looking incredibly uncomfortable. "What is it? I'm listening." "..........."
"Yes, so, there's a party going on... Nothing big... just my cousin," Lena informed, crossing her arms. "Do you wanna... come with us? I mean, I'm going, and so is Aki and Hizen... if you don't want to come, then no problem... What do you think.....?" Fortunately, Mikazuki was in his uchiban outfit and not ONLY in a towel. Otherwise Lena would have ran away at first sight. She waited patiently for him to respond, looking at the floor instead of his face. "Ahaha, is that so?" Mikazuki took a step closer to Lena. "So, you want me to come?" "If I didn't want you to come, why would I be asking you right now?" Lena replied grumpily, letting out a sigh. "Do you think I would waste both of our time...?" Mikazuki knew Lena would be short-tempered with him. For some reason, she used to be kinder, but recently even he noticed she was very tense whenever they were interacting. "Ah, why don't you let me think about it," he answered. "I'm not decided yet." "Okay." Lena accepted his answer. "I'll... talk to you later, then." She turned and walked away from Mikazuki, feeling like she had failed in bringing out her feelings to him once again.
Later that evening, Lena brought some tea and sweets to Aki's room to talk to her about what happened. "I couldn't tell him I wanted him to be there," Lena confessed, pouring tea in Aki's cup. "Oh, that isn't good," Aki commented. "Why were you so short? You shouldn't have acted so coldly... Why are you always trying to hide your feelings from him?" "I don't want him... to think that I'm reliant on him for everything," Lena responded. "I know, it wasn't polite... I should have chosen more considerate words." "Yes," Aki agreed, "You should try to open up your feelings better. Otherwise, if you keep hiding, the only person you end up hurting is yourself. Aren't you supposed to trust each other? As Saniwa and Touken Danshi?" "I know... this is hard for me... Maybe I should... just ask someone else..." Lena held her cup of tea and gazed at the leaves remaining in the bottom. Upon hearing that, Aki reached out to touch Lena's hand. "I know that isn't what you want," she said firmly. "Stop trying to lie to yourself because you don't want to be hurt!" Lena's eyes widened and she looked at Aki nervously. "...You're right... I know..." she mumbled. "I'll try again, I promise."
There were still a couple more days until the birthday party. In the meantime, Konnosuke informed Aki and Lena that the Government assigned them to another mission. "Your task is to intercept an HRA messenger," Konnosuke reported, "and stop them from delivering vital intel to their allies." "All right then," Heshikiri announced. "Then this time, Masters Aki and Lena will accompany the mission again. Their secretary swords, Wakazashi Hizen Tadahiro and Tachi Mikazuki Munechika, will go as well. Along with Uchigatana Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki and Tantou Yagen Toushirou. You all had better watch after our Masters better this time," he warned, as last mission Aki had gotten injured. After they had packed everything and changed into their combat attire, the team made their way to the time portal. The portal opened, and Aki and Lena stepped forward, followed closely by Hizen, Mikazuki Mutsunokami and Yagen. Arriving at a desolate landscape, the team quickly rushed into the bushes to hide and blended into the shadows. Hizen made sure Aki was near his side, ready to protect her. Minutes passed like eternity as they waited for the enemy messenger. Finally in the distance, a figure appeared and they were clutching a package...
It was Thursday, the day before the party. Everyone was in high spirits after the recent successful mission, but Lena spent the morning hiding in her room. Normally, she would have woken up early to help prepare breakfast, but today when anyone came to her room door, she would tell them to "go away".
"I don't understand," Yagen admitted to Aki. "She didn't seem injured from the mission. So what's wrong?"
Aki knew Lena well and so she replied, "You know, a woman's heart is a mysterious thing... So Yagen, don't worry, you should do what you have to to get her out of her room."
Yagen nodded. "All right, then... but she won't like it."
Moments later, there was some shouting and the sound of some kicking around and things getting knocked over, and soon Lena appeared in the dining area for breakfast. Yagen had stormed into her room and dragged her out of bed, forced her to get dressed, and made sure she showed her face before Heshikiri noticed that she wasn't present. How thoughtful...
Her hair was disheveled, sticking up in various places like straw. Even the braid hanging against her cheek was loose and unravelling. She sucked in a breath and tried to care, but somehow couldn't find the energy to do so.
"Good morning," Lena said dully, fully aware of how tired she looked. In fact, she had been awake all night and hadn't slept a wink.
"Wow," Hizen commented, "You look terrible."
"Thanks Hizen, you're so nice," Lena replied, shooting him a glare. But she knew he was only telling the truth.
"Hizen! Mind your manners," Aki said, turning to Lena. "It's not so bad...!"
"Thanks, Aki-nee, but I know. I didn't sleep well last night," Lena told her. "So it's fine."
"I thought you weren't scared of horror movies," Hizen said.
"I'm not," Lena replied, "I just... I was up all night thinking about something."
The Honmaru was filled with the tantalizing aroma of a traditional Japanese breakfast prepared by Shokudaikiri and Shishiou. The enticing scents of miso soup, grilled fish, and pickled vegetables greeted everyone as they gathered around the low dining table. Heshikiri was arranging an assortment of dishes on the table as well.
As Lena took her seat, she couldn't help but notice that Mikazuki was missing from the group. Although she tried to ignore her curiousity, after enjoying some light conversation with Aki and the others, she excused herself to find him.
The veranda offered a serene view of the courtyard and the surrounding scenery. Mikazuki was sitting there, gazing at the endless expanse of the sky. The sight of him brought a sense of calm to Lena's heart, but also a sense of fear as well, which she tried to suppress.
"Good morning," Lena said softly, approaching him.
"Good morning." Mikazuki turned his head, acknowledging her presence. "The morning sky is quite captivating, isn't it?"
"Yes," Lena replied. "But don't let the view distract you too much. Breakfast is ready..."
"Hahaha." Mikazuki chuckled lightly. "You're right. I suppose I got lost in thought for a moment there."
Before they made their way back to the dining area, Lena stopped in front of Mikazuki. "Um... before we go, I want to tell you something. I...I want you to know that I do want you to come with us... to the party, I mean. Tomorrow... and. I'm sorry I was so rude to you the other day."
Mikazuki looked at her and laughed. "Sure... I understand. You know, Aki-dono was saying that a woman's heart is a mysterious thing..."
Lena rolled her eyes, but was happy Mikazuki forgave her. "So, you'll come with us? ...With me?"
"Ahahahaha, as you wish. Let me join you," he said.
Lena gave him a small smile, but inside her heart was soaring. "OK. Thank you..."
They made their way back, and the rest of the Touken Danshi warmly greeted them. Hizen was reaching for a piece of grilled fish, and already put many different food items on his dish, and Aki's dish too.
As everyone indulged in the meal, the conversation flowed easily. Lena felt grateful for the companionship everyone provided. Her thoughts drifted to life in the countryside with her grandmother, where she never had the opportunity to make many friends. Yet today, she was enjoying a breakfast with Aki and the rest of their team. And that made her very happy, even if she didn't have the words to express her feelings.
On the day of the party, Aki and Lena spent the morning completing their duties and chores before starting to get ready. Lena was excited to do Aki's makeup and helped tie her hair into a beautiful side braid. They were also going to be wearing modern dresses.
As they were taking a weekend off-duty, it was decided that the next part of the mission would be assigned when they returned.
Aki and Lena decided that Mikazuki, Hizen, Shizukagata, and Kotegiri would be the team coming along to the party. Shizukagata liked to dance, and Kotegiri loved to sing and dance, so they were happy to be included. Lena desperately wanted Yagen to go as well, but he refused, as he was not "the dancing type". Mutsunokami also recently came back from a mission and had to go for repairs, so he could not make the party in time either.
Noritsune's party was held at an upscale nightclub because he was secretly a party animal, even though during the day he acted as a responsible and proper Saniwa. His father, Lena's uncle, was very strict and even demanded Nori to enter an arranged marriage for political reasons - which surprisingly, Nori agreed to do. Lena had not spoken to Nori in a long time, but since Granny had mentioned this fact to her, so she knew about it.
When the group arrived, the loud music could be heard even from outside. The establishment looked fancy as it was the city's most popular night spot. Standing guard at the entrance was a tall figure wearing a black hoodie with many buckles and a sheer mesh shirt. He also wore a cap. Kotegiri recognized the man instantly. It was his big brother, Inaba!
"INABA SENPAI?!" Kotegiri gasped, "Is that you! Wow, you look so different! Cool!"
"..." Inaba remained emotionless and didn't comment. Instead he asked coldly, "Do you have an invitation?"
Lena handed their invitation to Inaba, and they were shown inside. Vibrant lights and upbeat music filled the large room. Many well-dressed men and women in extravagant clothing were socializing, dancing and drinking. Some of them were Saniwa and some were not, some were even Touken Danshi.
"It's quite lively here," Mikazuki commented, although they could barely hear his voice over the loud music.
At the center of the dance floor was a stage where a DJ was mixing songs. Kotegiri's eyes went wide with excitement. He and Shizukagata immediately went down towards the dance floor...
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