Chapter 4

“Foolish girl”
Some woman’s voice coldly whispered this near her ear.
She felt as though she had vaguely opened her eyes. Although she wasn’t certain she had really opened them. The cold moonlight dyed the room, ruled by the night, pure blue. It was a blue like ice. A beautiful girl she had never seen before stood there. She had hair like the darkness, skin like snow, and lips like blood. In her chill gaze, like the snow left on top of mountains which was left unmelted in the summer, there was not a smidgen of goodwill towards Shuurei. However, Shuurei felt for some reason something hot was coming from the corners of her eyes. Tears quietly flowed from them. Although somewhere in her heart she thought she knew the reason for those tears, it did not come into her head.
Shuurei whispered something. As if her head was filled with mist, she did not know what she herself was saying. What she knew was that it was a wish from somewhere deep within herself, which she had not been able to tell anyone up till now. The girl like the queen of the blue moon seemed to listen to those words, but she had no sense that the girl moved; not a brow, not even the tiniest of thing which composed her budged an inch.
“Foolish girl. Do you ask that of me?”
The girl repeated this another time, coldly, without any emotion.
“Interesting. However, I need a body. Your body. —I’ll take it.”
She said this dispassionately, and with an elegant gesture, the girl reached out her hand, tipped with nails like pink seashells.
She put two of her pale fingertips right under Shuurei’s ear, as if touching something precious which was beginning to break. This was an extremely gentle gesture.
Shuurei herself did not know whether she didn’t move, or didn’t want to move.
Seen up close, her perfect features were truly like those of a doll. Her beauty was different somehow from that of the other women Shuurei had seen. It was not lovely, nor was it voluptuous. For some reason, she thought she was, though very beautiful, like a doll left alone, whom no one would go near. She was wrapped in “something” like an armor. Though she was like a girl, she also appeared to be a tired out old noblewoman. In spite of this, she was still beautiful. Within the depths of her charcoal pupils, “something” shone from time to time, like a blazing fire. That made the girl not alone, but aloof. An intense will to something, stronger than loneliness…..what was it?
The girl’s face soundlessly lowered, and her splendid black hair fell on Shuurei’s tear stained cheek. Like her fingers, it was more fleeting than reality, yet more definite than nothing, a feeling like the faintest of feathers. Though they were close enough for their noses to touch, the girl looked into Shuurei’s eyes. Suddenly, the girl’s cold expression melted. For a moment, that faint something within her eyes was swept away, and disappeared somewhere. No, was it that it hadn’t been there from the beginning?
“I must maintain this vast power. Even if I must use up and destroy someone’s body and soul.”
With a melting smile from the queen, her blood-red lips pressed against Shuurei’s.
There was a cold, sweet scent of flowers. Something warm invaded Shuurei’s emptying body. A final teardrop fell smoothly from Shuurei’s eye.

*****

“Father, it’s Riou. I’ve returned.”
His father Riou seemed to be napping, and stared vacantly, in somewhat of a bad mood. He gloomily combed through his hair, which, although it was actually only white hair, was a mysterious color, silver with a drop of gold mixed in it, heaving up his eyelids as though he was unwilling to look at his son.
His father liked to pass his time sleeping the entire day. Since at the court there were no unemployed men who did nothing and only slept like that, he had forgotten. Although he was over eighty, he looked to be in his twenties. Since his face looked as though he was still napping, Riou brought a basin over. Then his father meekly drew the basin to him and washed his face. He washed it, but the existence of his towel had slipped into oblivion somewhere, and after thinking about what he should do about his wet face, finally was about to wipe it with his own sleeve, so Riou wordlessly put a towel into his hand. His father, belying his appearence, was incredibly lazy, so if Riou did not take care of him, then he would wipe his face on even a rag. Actually, his father was far from methodical, in fact, the opposite, hopelessly idle. Probably, he had not even realized his son was there. Anyhow, having washed his face, his head seemed to clear a bit. He looked at Riou.
“….What’s this, in three days, you’ve gotten much bigger.”
“……..Wha? Three days?”
“Certainly, it’s been around three days since you’ve gone to Shi Province?”
Riou’s shoulder’s dropped disappointedly. Th-this father—
Perhaps it was because he did not age like a normal person, but he had realized that his father’s sense of time was quite off. He sometimes even thought that the winter of the current year was the winter of three years past. (When Riou pointed this out to him, he would like and say things like ‘I knew that.’) He would spend months and days sleeping, it seemed he didn’t much care whether it was currently spring, summer, autumn, or winter, because of his incredibly slothful personality, as had no attachment to anything but Bara-hime.
He had thought that because of this, it would have been quiet, even though he had brought Shuurei.
(Have only three days passed within him?)
“……………………..Already more than a year has passed since the epidemic in Sa Province.”
“You’re lying. It was autumn when I went with you to Sa Province. Now it’s autumn.”
“—After that, the snow fell and the sakura bloomed and the leaves became green, and now they’re red again, right?!”
“Oh, is that so? I have feeling that’s so, but well, leaves aren’t very important.”
That wasn’t good. He could only think that he was going senile. Actually, at his age, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be senile. However, since he had been like this ever since Riou was born, it was definitely his natural personality. It was a mystery to Riou why his clear-headed, serious aunt Ruka still was so attached to his poor-excuse-for-a-human being father. Maybe it was a case of ‘the worst behaved children are the dearest,’ but he was just a lazy person. Love was far too blind.
Riou looked at his son, and nodded lightly several times.
“A half year? Maybe something like that amount has passed. You’ve gotten a little taller. It’s convenient that when I look at you I can see around how much time has passed.”
“Please don’t use me as a calendar.”
Riou lightly raised one eyebrow. His son, who was always dispassionate and expressionless, so quiet that one didn’t know whether he was there or not, had become so full of emotion that h could answer back like this. Riou stretched out a hand white like alabaster. He lifted up Riou’s chin lightly with his fingers. Riou’s eyes widened. He had hardly any memory of his father touching him. He was shocked. He felt that this was the first time his father, who was unconcerned with everything, had carefully looked at him.
“F..father….?”
Riou did not answer his son’s question. It was not because he did not want to answer it, it was rather that it was too much trouble. Even so, he was more interested in how his son, who had been like a beautiful doll, had changed. Although their eyes were alike in their jet black color, there was a light in his eyes like that of polished obsidian, unlike his father’s, in which there was an endless darkness in which all was submerged into the void. In the midst of the long, closed slumber of the Hyou clan, there had been something which had been forgotten somewhere: living eyes.
“Riou, where you able to do what you wanted to do?”
A shadow fell across Riou’s handsome features. His son, who was no longer a doll who would do anything he was ordered, lightly bit his lips. What he wanted to do? He didn’t know. Although he had felt that the Hyou clan had made a mistake in the cases of Li Kouyuu and Heki Karin, nothing would change by his only thinking it. Even though probably something needed to be done. What should he do? Generally, as he was a man, and had no powers, he was a person with no value within the Hyou clan. To the Hyou clan, his existence was the same as garbage. He wouldn’t be able to do anything by himself.
However, why wasn’t he able to answer “no”?
“….I don’t know.”
Riou thought that reply was interesting. He noticed that he was smiling with the ends of his mouth.
“Is that so?”
“….Father, I have something I want to ask. It’s about Kou Shuurei.”
After giving a short rundown of what had happened after they left Kiyou, and how he had brought her there, he mustered his courage and looked at his father, but nothing had changed in his expression. He did not appear to be happy that he had brought Kou Shuurei back, nor did he appear angry, even though if Riou had not helped Shuurei, “Bara-hime” would have appeared. It was more of a ‘eh, so?’ feeling.
“…..Then?”
“Th..then, father, do you think anything of this?”
“She’s Bara-hime’s daughter, but she’s not Bara-hime yet. I have some concern, but not much interest.”
It was not much different to Riou [Sr.] whether Kou Shuurei lived or died. His life was only about waiting for her to die sometime. Even if it took a hundred years. He felt it would be fine if he only went to see her condition once in awhile. Riou’s [Jr] jaw dropped. As long as “Bara-hime” did not come out, even her daughter was not in his gaze—-?
He had thought that, even if he left Shuurei alone, that his plan was to wait with great interest for “Bara-hime” to come out, but that was wrong. He had really only decided leave things alone.
(…. …… ……. Really, father is….)
No, now he needed to think about the bright side. The bright side. His father was okay with letting Kou Shuurei live.
“…In this past half year, Kou Shuuei has changed rapidly, but I have a feeling that her life energy has flowed away faster than it should be. Father, do you have any idea why?”
“Probably it’s because someone else is using her life unauthorizedly. Like someone stealing water for their own field.”
“…..So, that man, has ‘awakened’?”
“Looks like it. My elder sister made him sleep, but hasn’t he been lent out to someone? [see note: I have no idea what Riou Sr. is talking about here, and this I am very unsure about this translation.] Certainly, Kou Shuurei was near at hand in Sa Province, so borrowing her life, the Black Immortal probably brought him to life. Anyway, it seems the person himself knew that from the time he woke up. Learning the harshness of human life after one’s dead, that’s interesting. There are many cases where bargaining with an immortal backfires, though. He was a spoiled young master who didn’t know troubles or of the world. That’s some training.”
Riou’s expression quickly became severe.
“If he has ‘awakened,’ he knows that Kou Shuurei’s life is flowing away–”
Suddenly, Riou found a suspicious point. His father had said ‘lent out to someone.’”
“You said ‘lent out’ to someone?”
“Ah. I have no interest in that.”
“…..If someone bargains with the Black Immortal, generally they’ll be slickly made use of, and end unhappily.”
“He must of thought he could do something. Because by whatever means, he had gone ‘outside.’”
“….Do you know of a way to help Kou Shuurei?”
“I do.”
Riou said this smoothly. He disinterestedly continued, speaking to his son, who had raised his head.
“You must already know it well too, Riou.”
–He froze. He felt something cold in his heart.
“She should extend her life the same way elder sister does. Right?”

The moment Riou, who had ploddingly returned back from his father’s entered the room, he felt something.
(….What’s this? Something has come….?)
It was midnight. So much moonlight shone into the room that it appeared to be pure blue. However, when he looked around the room, he saw that nothing had changed since he left it. The spell papers and bells which he had placed just in case in the four corners of the room did not show anything out of the ordinary. Riou, who possessed no supernatural powers, did not think that he could beat Ruka in the main house of the Hyou clan, but this was better than doing nothing. He had felt the remnants of “something” floating, but the bells he had placed to warn of someone entering the room were silent.
“….What….?”
Ruka’s power, for better or worse, was enormous. Anyone would notice an elephant, even if they didn’t notice an ant. The bells, which even a powerless beginner like Riou could use, had been placed there, and if Ruka had come, they should have rung. However, the bells had not rung, and Shuurei was deeply sleeping as she had before.
(….was it just my imagination?….)
When he went near Shuurei, as he had thought, she was sleeping, with no change in her condition. There was only a single tear trailing from her eye. He had faintly hoped that she would awaken, but when he put his hand to her forehead, she did not react. The tears appeared to be only a reflex. Already some days had passed, but he had no sense that she would awaken.
“….no change today?….well, maybe it’s better than something abnormal.”
He tried checking her temperature, pulse, and breathing, and was relieved. Yes, this was a hundred times better than her heart stopping.
Following this, Riou decided to once again do some research. The “Room of Tranquility,” a great amount of books and scrolls were piled up, to the point where there was no place to put one’s feet. Like Li Kouyuu, she was sleeping without waking, but in Li Kouyuu’s case, hypnosis had been the cause, while in Kou Shuurei’s, it was like she was on the verge of dying from working too much. Now that she had been revived, she might wake up, or she might not. He could only wait. Riou didn’t really mind if she were to sleep for ten years. This woman had the right to that much of a rest. No matter what anyone said. He was worried about how, since Ruka had cut off all means of communication for some reason, that he could no longer contact the Ministry of the Cave of the Immortals or the court, but nothing could be done about that.
(The same method as my aunt?….)
The white mouse ran in front of Riou. It would sometimes appear and disappear, and loiter around Shuurei. Although it couldn’t talk, that was enough to confirm it as Shusui. It was useless to talk alone, so Riou picked up the white mouse.
“By the way, where is my aunt, and what is she doing? She must have noticed that I brought Kou Shuurei back… If she noticed, I had thought that she would come her e that second and take over her body.”
From before, there had been hardly anyone who knew where Ruka’s throne was. Actually, Riou usually did not know where Ruka was or what she was doing. When he thought about it, it had been some years since he had seen her body, rather than her spirit body.
Ever since they had come, the entire palace had been inactive. Riou also felt something strange about this. The reason he had been able to return after all of the ‘passages’ had been sealed, was that he had a special pass given to him by Ruka. It could only be used once, but it could open a ‘passage’ anytime and anywhere. However, it would only acknowledge Riou and Shuurei. That was why he had not brought Ensei and Suou with them.
“…Shusui, actually when I was sent to be the head of the Ministry of the Cave of the Immortals, my aunt told me if I had a chance, to send Kou Shuurei to the Hyou clan….. I didn’t do it, though.”
Although it wasn’t that he couldn’t, he didn’t. Disobeying his aunt, he had wakened Li Kouyuu. This was because having known the “outside” world, Riou had come to find things a little big ‘strange.’
“…….because I dragged my feet and didn’t do it, my aunt used you…. Sorry. But because that happened,maybe it’s good that I brought her straight to the Hyou clan. I don’t think that my aunt will exert herself for Shuurei, but if we persuade her… but I’m not good at talking…no, there’s no way that my aunt, who’s like an eccentric queen, would listen to me…”
For some reason the mouse squeaked angrily. Riou ruffled his bangs.
“…I know, if I work at it, I should be able to do it, even if it’s useless effort. No, I shouldn’t say it’s impossible. It’s better than not doing anything. Before things get any worse. …Probably, over here, a lot of things are like that.”
He was a bit surprised at himself for his last words. That was something he hadn’t said out loud. Since he had gone “outside,” many thing had hapened, and somewhere in his head he had thought that, but he had a sense now that it had taken form and dropped there. When he had sight and gotten up heavily, the white mouse had disappeared with a squeak.

At that time, Shuurei soundlessly opened her eyes.

*****
In that second, there was a ringing sound, and the bells all flew into pieces. All the hair on Riou’s body stood up. He had a feeling that even the down on the nape of his neck was standing up. This power.
“Aunt?! No, but—-)
She hadn’t come
But, she was there. Definitely. But where?
“….
After he had turned his head around to all four sides, he shivered at the remaining possibility. He looked at Shuurei with a start.
“Could it be that Aunt is already in….No, but when!! Was that from before—-Hey!”
Even though he shook her, Shuurei was blank, and her eyes did not focus. Shuurei vaguely rose as if to walk way somewhere.
“Eh!?! Hey, wait, wai—”"
Considering the differences in strength, he should have been able to push her back, but she waved him away with incredible force.
(This can’t be. What power. Damn it, I got pushed away this easily—)
Riou pushed her down on the bed with all of his might. Despite this, Shuurei resisted him, trying to go somewhere. He tried to knock her out, but her strength didn’t give him any gaps. Damn it, if there were only one more person here.
It was at that time, that there were two cracking sounds like bamboo breaking. Actually, whether they were in his ears, or in his head, he did not know, but anyway, they were right over Riou’s head.
In the next second, Riou was crushed by the incredible weight of something which had fallen from above.
“—————?!”
It was a shock so large he though his back would break. He struggled to make a gap so that Shuurei would not also be crushed. The weight was such so that he could not get up either.
After three seconds, he heard some stupid voices above him.
“….What’s with this violent way of sending me, Ryuuren! No, that wasn’t Ryuuren? Has he been possessed by some strange person? What’s with being more respectable when possessed? Urgh, you’ve made your big brother dizzy. But, we’ve arrived at our goal? We got pulled to the side, like a fish on a fishing rod…. Hey, this is fluffy, isn’t this a bed? It’s an appropriate place for me, but sleeping in a bed with a man is not to my tastes. Get out, Jin!”
“I’ve already gotten out of the way. You should get out of there quickly and not talk anymore. Because you don’t want to suffocate the lady you came to help by mistake.”
“Wha? Huh? Then, at my back….who is this? Wait, could I be in the way in this bed while someone is in the middle of—”
Riou felt he was hearing for the first time in his life the threads of his patience snap.
“—-Get out already!!”
He yelled in rage with all of his strength.

Notes: Yes, Riou and his father have the same name. For most of the passage, I think it’s clear which is which, but I might go through and add in more notation to distinguish the two. It really is quite aggravating.

The part where Riou Sr. is speaking is confusing even in the original Japanese, judging from what the fans think.

Commentary:
BTW, Riou Sr. irritates me quite a bit. I’m not really clear on whether he’s this way because he can’t help it, or this way because he likes being, but if he can be interested in Bara-hime, then he can be interested in other things, IMHO, and it really annoys me how he seems to be entirely useless to Riou Jr. (Riou Sr. would be the worst dad if there wasn’t so much competetion in the series!), and actually, it also annoys me how he does nothing to support Ruka, and essentially ignores her, despite everything that Ruka has done for him.

On Riou Sr’s confusing words: who is ‘that man’? Clearly, in the latter part of his remarks, he’s talking about Sakujun, but IMHO, there are some thing that REALLY don’t fit and don’t make any sense, if we assume the only two people in the paragraph there are Sakujun and the Black Immortal. Ruka made someone go to sleep, but why would she bother with Sakujun? More than “lent out to whom,” the question is, who/what was lent out? Maybe it was NOT Sakujun? It gets rather confusing. When this is explained in the next book (hopefully) I shall go back and revise this passage. @_@