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Saizou couldn’t remember when it was that he started to dislike his birthday. Probably when he and Kaze started going to Shirasagi more and when their social circle expanded from Igasato to include people from the royal capital. Back in Igasato, birthdays were more private and between the family. Also, the villagers they grew up in wouldn’t do the kind of rude shit that people in Shirasagi did, such as people coming up to Saizou to say happy birthday, and then give him a nicely wrapped present while saying “will you give this to your brother?”
Of course, he knew that they were from people who had taken a liking to Kaze; sometimes he couldn’t understand why they can’t just go up to the guy to give it to him in person and make the occasion personable. He said as much to Kaze, to which he gave the galling reply: “Oh, well honestly… I was hiding.”
Saizou gaped, with all the open-eyed honesty that a thirteen-year old could express.
“Hiding?”
Kaze turned away, gave a half-hearted shrug while his ears turned pink. “…Sometimes the crowds are scary.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Crowds? Were you in the city or the marketplace…?”
Kaze sighed, as though letting go of a burden or giving up a secret. “No, they were mostly in the courtyard or the training grounds. Just…sometimes strangers started to give me presents.”
Saizou looked away, briefly unable to process this madness. He thought a few girls asking him to pass along gifts were just one annoying thing. But his twin made it as though there were gaggles, nay, droves of people wanting to give him well wishes was almost beyond his ken, especially considering he thought people who weren’t his family or his superiors giving him well wishes were a lot already. It’s also not as though the Saizo clan all go out of their way to make nice with just anybody, as all ninja of their caliber pride themselves on being inscrutable.
So all he did was pat his brother on the shoulder consolingly and stare in amazement at their room full of gifts as Kaze showed him where in the pile to put the armful of presents Saizou passed along.
Saizou never really thought of himself as a petty sort of kid. After all, how many times did his parents and elders praise him on being reliable, responsible, and even above the material wants that all children are prone to crave. Why, those boys of Saizou know what really matters! Saizou the Fifth knew it’s all about working hard and being helpful while maintaining the pride of the clan. And that Suzukaze there, one would not find a more humble child than he! Besides, if you want something you got to work for it, whether in the fields or amongst the merchants and tradesmen who won’t withhold pennies for a job well done. The value of the gift lies in the intentions, says their father as he gave both boys handsome sets of tools for their trade. The younger Saizou never missed the beam of pride and satisfaction from their father as they openly delighted over their gleaming set of lockpicks and field tools encased in a dark leather pouch, knowing that this was a sign of their continuing growth as proud ninja.
Still, it really gets his goat when once at the castle, the twins were beset by random people of varying levels of acquaintanceship giving well wishes to both twins while showering only one of them with a thoughtful present. Saizou could almost feel sorry for Kaze if it weren’t for the obvious disparity of quality between their presents; on the occasional gift given to him by a stranger, he found it was of comparably lesser quality than Kaze. If he received a small box of sweets, which were decidedly not to his taste and not even his preferred type of sweet, Kaze would get a handmade bento full of baked goods and jellied candies. If Saizou got a handkerchief, though the hem slightly uneven, Kaze received a handmade sweater with designs lovingly woven onto the front almost to a kitschy degree. If Saizou was invited to go somewhere along with Kaze, he would be summarily ignored and then leave in a huff while his brother was swarmed on each side by girls dragging him this way and that.
It goes without saying he greatly appreciates those who gave presents of equal value to both of them.
It was not difficult to realize that Saizou acted as a convenient stepping stone or buffer in giving access to his brother, and especially when Kaze himself would look at him with beseeching eyes for help, but the foot has to be put down at one point.
Saizou sat in the shade of the engawa beneath the midday sun, his legs hanging over the porch to rest on rocks below on the grass. A towel was hanging around his neck, and he used one end of it to wipe at the sweat on his brow. It was still the tail end of summer, and the changing of seasons was marked by the silence in the trees. The mountains in Igasato were cooler, being of a higher altitude than Shirasagi castle so that they were away from the humidity of the lowlands that surround the base of the capital. The capital was windy but the summer rains stuck to the skin and there was little coverage from the sun.
This would be his first year when he would stay at Shirasagi at a more permanent basis, and not go home for harvest like he and Kaze used to do every year.
He leaned back on his hands, and his fingertips brushed against a box next to him. Looking over at his left, he saw with no small amount of irritation at the small pile of pouches and boxes he had placed next to him. No sooner was he done with outdoor exercises was he beset by a cluster of girls and young women wanting to pawn him off presents for his brother. Saizou pressed his fingers against his eyes and rubbed wearily, rubbing away sweat and tension and wiping them on his pants. Why must girls come around in packs where they swarm around him like some kind of collected attack, he thought for the thousandth time. For a civilian setting, he couldn’t believe how easily overwhelmed he was; some of them don’t even have presents, but came as “support” for their friend who was. There were also letters, which were heavily scented, and he made sure to collect them all in a raggedy pouch and stuck them to the bottom of the pile.
Out of curiosity, he rifled through the packages to see if there any for him. Finding it all to be attached to cards written with Suzukaze’s name in bubbly writing (one even said “Suzukaze-sama” which made him cringe in secondhand embarrassment. There were also some “Suzu-chans” in there which sounded too gooey and saccharine if he actually heard it), Saizou sighed heavily and hunched over in his seat, his mood lowered to match the scowl on his brow.
“Tired?”
His eyes fluttered and before him, almost out of thin air, he saw a pair of pale red pants before him belonging to a female ninja. Standing with her weight on her left leg, he knew who it was before his eyes finished lifting up to the speaker, his head not moving as he looked up from beneath his eyelashes and his fallen bangs.
Kagerou stood before him, not too far but close enough so she could be heard with that quiet voice of hers. She wore a fresh pink tunic, arms bare save for a pair of tan gloves that cover her wrists with braces covering her hands. She had her dark hair half up and pulled away from her face in braids, and letting the rest cascade down her shoulders neatly like a crow’s wing. He also noticed that she was carrying what looked to be a box in her hands, covered in a green handkerchief neatly knotted into a bow.
He straightened up and met her at eye level, and said, “Yeah. Just finishing a few rounds on the field. You?”
She nodded, a small smile on her lips that seemed faintly tight with nervousness. “Same. Knife and shuriken training.”
“Hmm,” was all he said. He was too tired to make small talk, and he found that Shirasagi small talk was too inane to keep up with anyway, but he liked that Kagerou doesn’t chatter the way that other soldiers and castle warriors tend to do. Tsubaki and Orochi came to mind as prime examples of such facetiousness.
He glanced between her eyes and the package in her hands, giving a slight point with his chin. Kagerou glanced down and her hands, and said, “Ah, well…”
Her voice trailed off nervously like all the others who tried to find a polite way of saying that this present wasn’t meant for him. Saizou stopped himself from rolling his eyes at Kagerou, but he made an impatient sigh.
“Give it here,” he said roughly.
She looked up, gaping a little. “Excuse me?”
This time Saizou turned his head to look askance, not bearing to see the same routine mirrored in Kagerou- fingers nervously fidgeting on a bundle, her expression fighting back awkwardness, the slight stammer in her speech when going out of her way to express something indirectly- frankly, he wished that she just left the thing next to him and walk away quickly after finishing her business.
Looking forward, he stretched out his hand and waited for her to bring it forward.
Perking up, she almost too quickly said her cue. “Happy Birthday, Saizou. This is for y-”
“Yeah yeah,” he interrupted, and reached forward to grab the bundle by the knot. “I’ll make sure he gets it.”
He took it so brusquely that Kagerou didn’t have much time to react properly, hands curly in midair where once there was a present in her hand. Saizou didn’t think much of it; he had enough people coming up to him being breathlessly nervous by the mere thought of giving something to Kaze, that he would rather just skip ahead to the good-byes without hearing yet another half-hearted congratulations his way.
He held the present by the knot and, almost carelessly, turned around in his seat and dropped it to the rest of the pile. There was an audible “thud!” like the sound of silverware or box rattling apart. The sound made Saizou catch himself, and self-consciousness dawned on him. Turning back around, he saw that Kagerou’s expression frozen in an alarmed smile while her eyes were as round as saucers as she gave him a pointed glare. It wasn’t a particularly hostile look, but he nonetheless felt like he was caught red-handed.
“Uh… sorry,” he said lamely. He looked back at the pile. “I’ll fix it before giving it to Kaze.”
Kagerou’s lifted her eyebrows in understanding, and said, “Ah.”
“Yeah, so…” Saizou shifted and looked away sullenly.
“I already gave Suzukaze his present.”
Saizou looked back at the pile, and then back at Kagerou dumbfounded.
“…What?”
Kagerou gave a deep breath, held it, and then relaxed as she breathed out. “Let me start over: Happy Birthday, Saizou. That,” she lifted her chin to point at her gift. “…was for you.”
Saizou stared at her for a few moments, realizing that he was making a slack-jawed look, and quickly he turned around and almost crawled towards the pile. Haphazardly he pushed aside random bundles and boxes, and finally found the green bundle where it lay on its side. He grabbed it and turned around, the gift in his hands. He looked down, and then up again at Kagerou.
“This is for me?” he asked.
“Y-Yes,” she replied.
He looked down, staring and righting it so the knot was on top. He looked up.
“…This is for me,” he repeated.
Kagerou gave a wry smile. “I’m starting to regret giving it to you. But yes, it’s yours.”
Saizou’s eyes drifted down and immediately he began to untie the bundle. Letting it open for both to see, he winced when he saw spilled rice and drippings staining the cloth as it spilled from a dark bento box. He hurriedly set the box aside and picked up the food.
“I’ll, uh, I’ll clean that,” looking quickly up at Kagerou.
He lifted the lid of the box, and saw the formerly neatly arranged food spilling into each other. Nonetheless, it was still a presentable box of rice, beef and onions sautéed brown in soy sauce, and bright green spinach, while a very bright red umeboshi lay in the center of the rice and staining the grains almost blood red.
“Wow, it… it looks great,” he said. He meant it. However, there was something a little unsettling with how bright the vegetables and pickles look, and the darkness of the meat itself; he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly is unnerving, but it all smelled nice, and so he chalked it up to some kind of aesthetic thing that cooks in Shirasagi like to do.
Like if the chef was into haunted houses and cursed food that lure you in by being appetizing.
Her smile quirked as she watched him take the second package, larger than the bento box. Lifting the lid, he saw inside measuring cups and instruments resting in velvet. There was also a handsome pair of gloves made from tough hide, and it completed the toolset made for those working on volatile chemicals and powders.
“It’s a chemist set,” said Kagerou. “Ever since I saw you showing off your signature Igasato explosives, I thought these might be something you’d appreciate.”
Saizou picked up the gloves carefully, rubbing his fingers against the cloth and found it to be made of kinshi down inside. “I do,” he said, staring at the tools made of gleaming brass and steel. It was a modest set, more for using it in the comfort of one’s home, and not like the more robust assortments in the machinist’s hall where ninja tools of the trade were made, or in specialist smithies who dedicate whole laboratories to the craft. On the sides of the measuring cups, he noticed that there was an engraving of a dragon that he recognized to be Kagerou’s artistic preference. Even so…
“Thank you,” he said looking up at Kagerou. He suddenly felt more shy. “This is nice. Great. Too great. I mean, are you, uh… are you sure?”
Kagerou was taken aback, a blush creeping from her neck. “Um, yes, I mean, I don’t deny that the gift isn’t something one gives casually, and um…” She found herself at a loss for words, the blush spreading towards her cheeks now.
“…I hope you weren’t expecting sweets, in which case I'd rather steer clear from you lest I...”
“No,” said Saizou quickly, and he coughed to the side, trying to mask his distaste at the idea. “It’s just that well… are you sure… this isn’t for… Kaze?” The question was so awkward that even Kagerou cringed a little, and he wished he should have just said thank you and talked about the weather, like normal awkward people.
She gave another wry smile, and said, “Does Suzukaze also have an interest for explosions?”
He was taken aback by the rhetorical question, and he gave a short laugh. “No, it’s just…” he trailed off and looked to the side, thinking the words to say. His smile grew wider despite himself, and suddenly the air felt warmer around him.
“Thank you, Kagerou, truly. I’ll definitely make use of this.”
Kagerou ran a hand through her hair, relief palpable as she breathed a relaxing deep breath. The act almost seemed coquettish, what with the slight turn of her head so he could turn his eyes toward her long neck and dark hair. He quickly looked back to her face, hoping he didn’t stare too long.
“You’re welcome, Saizou. If you need any repairs or if you lose it, just ask me. My mother has family who are blacksmiths, and I asked them if I could have a set. They make extras for clients, and so I just have to assemble the good ones from the lot.”
“So a family discount.”
“A very reasonable price,” she said, smiling.
“…of rejects, then.”
Kagerou’s face fell, and she almost pouted. “They’re not…” she began, and then she saw the sly look in his eye, and said instead, “You’re as terrible as they say.”
Saizou snorted. “I don’t care what they say,” he said, standing up. He dusted off the seat of his pants and noticed that she took a step back. He hadn’t noticed before, but he was tall enough now to loom over her. Still, she looked resolutely up at him.
“Whatever they’re saying about me,” he began, “and I heard many things, it never seemed to stop them from bothering me with this and that.”
Kagerou lifted her chin. “Am I bothering you?”
“Not like the others.”
“Ara, do you also hide with your brother from your admirers.”
He gave a look that bordered on scornful. “As if I’d ever be cowed by something so annoying. The Saizou clan should inspire fear in the heart, not romantic allures.”
Kagerou gave a turn of her head so as to make a sidelong, knowing glance. “As much as I heard, some people are very much attracted to that kind of fear.”
His face dropped in disbelief, and he glared with eyes half closed. “That would explain why some girls keep asking me to play hooky with them.”
“And then promptly alerted Yukimura of their delinquency,” said Kagerou with a smile.
“Well, if they wanted to spend time with me, nothing better than having additional training the Igasato way,” he smirked.
They both laughed good-naturedly, and for a moment stood and enjoyed each other's presence.
Kagerou ended it first. “Well, happy birthday Saizou. I hope today is a good day for you.”
“Thank you,” he said again. He placed his hand on the back of his head, rubbing his scalp awkwardly. He felt he should say something more, but became more frustrated in retreating back to safe phrases.
Kagerou took it as her cue to leave. “Well then, I suppose I will see you later.”
She turned on her heel to leave, and that snapped Saizou into action.
“Kagerou, wait.”
She paused and he barely have enough time to register what he was going to say before he blurted out, “Do you want to train with me later?”
Kagerou gave a blank stare which sent him sweating, but she looked askance in consideration.
“…alright,” she said shortly, and he almost let out a sigh of relief.
Then she gave a gentle smile. “Is the training going to be an Igasato-style specialty?”
He gave a challenging grin. “Are you in trouble with Yukimura?”
“No. However, I would like to see exactly what it is you can offer.”
“Then you’ll meet your match later.”
Kagerou nodded and she left, a bounce in her step. Saizou, for his part, went to gather his and his brother’s gifts, feeling pleased for once.
Later in the day, Saizou dropped off the presents in a pile and left to clean up and change his clothes. When he came back, Kaze was there sorting the pile on the floor with his legs crossed.
“Done for the day?” He asked him.
Kaze nodded. “Yes, but I was done much earlier. I couldn't even get back to our room without being bombarded by people.”
Saizou thought back and remembered seeing many people skulking around the halls, although they all ignored him. “I can see that,” he said. “Got anything to share?”
Kaze gave him a regretful look. “Nothing that would suit your stomach.”
Saizou sighed. “I figured as much. Looks like it'll be another year of old leftover candy and sweets.”
“I'd have to be careful how I share, too. Many people are rather particular of who I choose to give attention to,” sighed Kaze. “Did you get anything”
At the question, Saizou’s face brightened, remembering the bento. “Yeah, I did. I should eat it right now…”
“Hey, that's great,” Kaze said warmly, watching Saizou stepped carefully through the presents to his side of the room.
“Yeah, I got an actual gift this time,” said Saizou as he rummaged through the pile he brought in. “Two, too. I got a set of-”
He stopped mid sentence, his hands motionless as he stared at the bundle. Kaze looked over his shoulder curiously at his brother. Saizou picked up the green bundle that was his own gift, opened it and saw only the black box containing the chemist instruments. His eyes wide in panic, he put it down and began haphazardly sift through the packages and bundles that belonged to Kaze. He placed all presents on one side, and finding the space empty, began to put it back this time looking at each one carefully.
“Do… do you need help?” Kaze asked when Saizou shuffled across the floor on his knees, wrappings and boxes pushed out of the way of his warpath with his eyes scanning the floor.
He finally looked up. “Do you see a black bento box, medium-sized?”
Kaze thought for a moment, knowing that that could be any bento box without any other key description, but he knew that he himself only received small modest ones. “No?” He replied, his voice uncertain. “Not anything larger than anything that can perfectly fit two onigiri.” Kaze’s face then looked concerned. “I hope I know which one belonged to who after I finish them. I wish they had name tags on the lids…”
Saizou huffed, frustrated.
“Did you see it over there?” He pointed to where he placed the armful of presents given to him earlier that day. “It was together with that chemistry set in the green handkerchief.”
“I didn’t go to that side,” said Kaze.
“Well, it’s not there anymore,” countered Saizou.
Kaze scowled, offended. “I didn’t touch a thing! Also, I haven’t eaten anything since I came into this room!”
Saizou threw up his arms and exclaimed, leaning back to sit on his seat with his legs spread out. “Then, where is it?!”
Kaze screwed up his face in frustration, and rolled his eyes. “I have no answers for you, brother! Maybe it’s somewhere around here…” He made to move towards the opposite end of the room when Saizou interrupted.
“I know I didn’t put it there.”
Kaze looked behind to glare, exasperated. “You want my help or not?”
Both their heads turned at the sound of the screen door sliding open. The tall figure of their father appeared in the threshold, his expression dismayed and his eyes half-closed as one would make when having seen many brotherly arguments for sixteen years.
“I leave the room for one minute and here you are fighting,” said Saizou the Fourth. He spoke in a muffled voice, as one would make when speaking with food in their mouth.
Kaze immediately sat up on his knees in attention, but Saizou the Fifth remained seated on the ground. He was distracted, instead, by what his father was holding.
Namely, a medium-sized black bento box.
“What are you eating?” Saizou asked point-blank.
His father stopped chewing and stared at his son. He then swallowed.
“Kaze’s bento box…?”
Saizou threw an accusing finger at him.
“That’s MY bento box!” He said shrilly.
He quickly stood up and before either his twin or his father could do anything about it, he grabbed the box from his father’s hands. The box felt cold and slightly wet, as though cleaned, while Saizou scowled in dismay at how light it was and confirmed it when he opened the lid.
“You ate it all…” he said in disbelief.
His father stared at him, chopsticks still in his hand. “…That was yours?”
“Yes!” Saizou whirled around to exclaim. “Why did you eat it?!”
His father mirrored his son’s contemptuous scowl and said indignantly, “Well, Kaze said I could have some of his birthday food and I thought that was his!”
Saizou sank to his knees and groaned. “Ugggghhhhhh.” He nearly collapsed in disappointed frustration.
His father put his hands on his hips and scoffed. “Jeez! If you didn’t want anyone to eat it, you shouldn’t have put it with Kaze’s pile!”
His eyes scanned the room. “Look at this place! So messy. Can you even tell me which ones are yours?”
Saizou looked up balefully and couldn’t come up with an answer.
“See?” As though his silence proved the father’s point. “I can’t believe you tried to blame me. Learn the lesson, okay?”
Kaze piped up for once, and it was not helpful. “So how did it taste?”
Their father raised his eyebrows in pleasant surprise. “Pretty good! I thought the food looked spoiled at first, but actually it tasted great! Hmm, why did it look so weird, though…” he tapped a finger on his cheek in thought. Then he turned his gaze to Saizou. “Go tell whoever that it tasted good, okay? That’s the polite thing to do.”
Without further ado, Saizou the Fourth left the room, leaving his sons looking upon the clutter in the room and with Saizou the Fifth quietly mourning his loss.
Petulantly, Saizou lightly tossed the box onto the floor and he sprawled down on the tatami in a fit of pique. Wordlessly, Kaze went to straighten the presents around him, occasionally looking in the direction of his older brother’s prone form.
“He didn’t even say ‘sorry’, that mean old man,” grumbled Saizou, his words muffled as he spoke into the ground. He sighed and while still lying prone on the floor, he wormed and wriggled his way over to his side of the room.
“Who gave you the food?” asked Kaze.
Saizou sat up and began to help sort the things. “Kagerou,” he replied glumly.
Kaze raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Really? That was nice of her. She gave me a pair of onigiri wrapped in bamboo leaves earlier. There some really dark filling inside, but it tasted good.”
“Oh yeah?” said Saizou in a distant voice. He resumed sorting quietly for a moment, although his mouth was turned down thoughtfully. “…Did she give you anything else?”
He asked in an off-handed way, but Kaze noted that it was not usual for him to inquire about these kinds of specifics. He looked around his area and saw what he was looking for. There was a white envelope in his hand. Overturning the opening, a red charm dropped out into his palm.
“Kagerou got me a health charm from the temple, and drew me a Kinshi for good luck.” Kaze looked over the card with the sacred bird on it and said thoughtfully, “A kind of intimidating Kinshi…Or a bat...?”
He showed it to his brother, and he took it to examine the drawing. Kagerou has a hand in drawing well enough to make an aesthetic, although he wondered if she has a thing for dark stuff. Or if she was attracted to a certain kind of fear.
“So did she give you anything?”
Saizou looked up at Kaze, and for a moment didn’t understand the question.
“Oh… yeah,” he replied dumbly. He turned over the drawing, and saw that it was drawn on nice quality albeit plain paper. He looked over at the charm in Kaze’s hand, and knew it to be a common health charm that anyone can buy from a temple. A hidden weight seemed lifted from his shoulders, and he began to feel more than a little happy.
“I got something really nice from her.” He made to grab the chemistry box when he remembered. “Oh, I gotta meet her later.”
Kaze watched him stand up and made for the door, grabbing his satchel of tools with him.
“I thought you were done for the day?” He asked.
Saizou placed his hand on the sliding door and looked for his shoes.
“Yeah, but she asked me to train with her on something, so I, uh, guess I won’t be back until dinner.” Saizou picked up his shoes by the straps and turned to close the door.
“See you,” said Kaze before his brother closed it completely.
If he hadn’t known any better, he could swear that there was a smile on his brother’s face just before he left.