Ichiro Nanami

Tsuma, Crane Lands, 1st Night of the Topaz Championship 1198,

“WHAT!?” The roar came from within the Minor Clan Alliance quarters. A small table followed it through the rice paper door into the courtyard. Usagi Tomo’s swift reflexes saved him from being brained by a piece of furniture.

Ichiro Nanami followed it through, her face a mask of rage. “I’LL KILL THE LITTLE WORM!” Behind her, a young Dragonfly courtier flapped feebly at the muscular young woman. “Please Ichiro-sama! It is merely a rumour.” Tonbo Chioko followed her friend through the ruined door into the open air. A young Hare clan samurai was looking at the table, now in pieces. “Nanami-sama, please, that was a gift from the Crane to the Sparrow ambassador!” “I’LL RIP HIS SPINDLY LITTLE ARMS OFF!” Tonbo Chioko looked past her raging companion to the Hare bushi “Apologies Usagi Tomo-sama, my friend has received some…difficult news.”

Usagi Tomo, none the wiser as to what was going on said “Please keep the noise down Badger-sama, I have my orders to maintain peace and tranquility here.”

The Badger roared incoherently causing the Dragonfly and Hare to wince “Please Nanami! It is probably not even true!”

“IT WILL BE WAR BETWEEN THE PHOENIX AND THE BADGER! AND TO SLEEP WITH SOME MERCHANT SLUT! I’LL KILL HER TOO!”

“Uh, Tonbo-sama, your friend seems…distraught. Is there anything I can assist with?” Usagi Tomo, calling on all his training tried to calm the situation. Tonbo Chioko smiled finally “I think it would be best if we could perhaps get her off site to somewhere where she cannot hurt herself or…others”

Tomo nodded and between him and Tonbo Chioko, they managed to convince Ichiro Nanami to move to a secluded garden down the street from their quarters.

“Now, what seems to be the problem Ichiro-sama?” Usagi Tomo handed the Badger a handkerchief. Nanami took a huge, shuddering breath, wiped her eyes and began “So, do you know Ikoma Naoki? The Lion entrant who was knocked out of the athletics competition?” Tomo shook his head but Tonbo Chioko nodded as Nanami continued “I was talking to her about it after the event and she said that it was a well known ‘secret’ within the courts here at Tsuma that my betrothed Asako Osamu…no Chishiki, I mean was sleeping with some merchant running slut of a Crab!” She was beginning to look dangeroulsy close to raging again so Tonbo Chioko stepped in “But Nanami-sama, it is a rumour, and the Lion have no love for the students of the Imperial College.” Usagi Tomo nodded “And the College students are very honourable. Especially Ide Hibiki.”

“But what reason would an honourable samurai have to lie?” Nanami asked through sobs?

“What reason wouldn’t they?” replied Tomo darkly “One tried to blame me for their transgression last summer.”

Ichiro Nanami looked up at her friends “So you mean…it could be nothing but lies?”

“Damned lies and slander” replied Tonbo Chioko helpfully “We will look into this, but we have to do this quietly and without attracting the notice of either your betrothed or the woman he allegedly…uh…” Chioko searched for a word that would not cause her friend to start crying again. “Slept with” added Tomo helpfully. Nanami started to cry again.

“Thank you Tomo-sama” replied Tonbo dryly “You are too kind.”

They returned slowly back to the Minor Clan compound, talking quietly of other things but their steps had a sense of purpose and the Hare and the Dragonfly were determined to get to the bottom of this.

“I’ll write to my betrothed, she is close to the Phoenix, she will be able to get the information we seek.”

“Thank you Tomo-sama, and I will make my own investigations as well. We will reconvene tomorrow night to see what we have discovered.

It goes without saying that the ninja using the Minor Clan alliance rooftops as a thoroughfare went completely unnoticed by all three samurai, but she was glad she had stopped to listen. Initially for the amusement of it and then for the information, Shosuro Mae felt her evening had been well spent. She returne to a non-descript house in the merchant quarter and slipped invisibly down off the rooftops. “My sensei, I have much to report…”