Nothing but faintly rustling ginko trees in the zen garden. The evening was chilly in late autumn, long gone from the sound of crickets. Paper lanterns swayed in the breeze and cast twisting shadows across wooden pavilions and panels. Dusk was settling in over the Kosennoki castle, coating its walls in a brilliant indigo hue. It ticked Natsume off when she thought about it. Every day, the sun rolled past, first coloring the white walls in red and then blue light. Like the skies were mocking her. With her tail swishing under the hakama, the white-furred mouse stared out of a round window. There, on the other side of the lake, was the Shirai castle. Of course, what separated these two warring clans wasn't only the lake. There was a city inbetween, as well. Always at the risk of getting caught up in the mess. Poor civilians.

Natsume didn't particularly like night. It always reminded her of what had already passed, flames licking the sky in a devious maneuver to end the Kosennoki clan. They almost succeeded. Unwittingly, the female samurai held her sword with a dead grip, safely in its lacquered sheath. With an elegant movement, Natsume rose to her paws and strode out of the room. Slashing at something was always helpful. There was en ever-growing knot in the female mouse's stomach. She was overthinking again. So badly, that she nearly walked into another mouse passing through. The red fabric was unmistakable and instantly gave away the identity.

"Oh, Shogun! I apologize." Oki snapped around and bowed his head to Natsume, who in turn waved her hands.

"No, no no. It's alright. I walked into you." The white-haired mouse sighed and took a step backwards. "Now, remind me, Kameyama. Weren't you supposed to be tutoring Suzumura?"

"I was! We just finished. We're heading for tea." the armsmaster smiled and took off his hat. "Shogun, you should join us. Because I think Nakamura has picked up some... curious information. I needn't say on who." this nudged Natsume's interest. She nodded and followed the dual-colored mouse through the castle's winding corridors until they eventually came out to a covered terrace.

Surrounded by paper-screen doors was a large terrace in polished wood. There was a low table centered toward the side opposite to the door, seated on top of a red mat. Paper lanterns stood along the ground and banners with the Kosennoki crest hung around the room. At the table sat a dark-haired, grey mouse dressed in some kind of cross between miko and onmyoji attire. Opposite to her sat a pale mouse girl, reminiscent of a maiko. Her umbrella was folded neatly next to her. The kimono she donned was silky, shiny and intricately embroidered with pink sakura blossoms. The two girls turned their heads to Natsume and bowed to welcome their shogun. She waved off the gesture and proceeded to the table, sitting down at one of its ends.

"So, Kameyama told me you had news." Natsume brought her eyes to the elaborately-dressed mouse girl to her right, Nakamura Akira. She was the resident spy. A good one, at that. Akira put down the teacup she was clutching in her paws and nodded.

"I do. The Shirai clan has been picking up members."

"They have?" Natsume squinted as a nearby servant poured her some fragrant tea. "How many?"

"About... five, perhaps? One or two is most definitely certain." Akira paused, looking thoughtful. She then produced a neatly-folded paper from the inside of her kimono lapel, pushing it across the table to the other white-furred mouse. "Have a look, shogun." Natsume unfolded the message and scanned it with an alarming accuracy. It was a list of recently drafted staff - she was about to ask how the maiko got her paws on it but refrained from it. Everybody has secrets of the trade. Natsume's tail swished as she folded the parchment and stuffed it inside her own kimono.

"I'll keep this until further notice. Anything else?" She said, picking up the porcelain teacup and bringing it to her lips. Akira cast around her brain for more information. She was silent for a bit, calmly sipping the tea that was still in her cup.

"Yes. Their ninja has been nosing around the city." The mouse continued with her quiet, monotone voice. "With all due respect, shogun, you should be cautious."

"The nightingale floors should keep 'em out." Oki finally spoke up, he had been sitting silent through the whole conversation up until now. "I got them checked yesterday. In prime condition." He was twirling a bare dango skewer between his claws. "If the Shirai come to us, I'll be sure to end them." He snapped the delicate wooden piece in his paw. Everybody but Natsume nodded to support the statement. The bugeisha raised her paw in an attempt to silence her subordinates. She then clapped her paws together to signal the servants.

"Sake!"

---

The moon's white disc hung high over a partially sleepy town. Most of the regular citizenry was soundly asleep in their homes, but the red light district was bustling. As per usual.It was a dark place to get involved in, controlled by varying outlaw mice. There was yakuza, political defectors, you name it, this district has it. Nevertheless a strange place to meet a contact.
Fuji had always been remarked to have a fair share of strange contacts, but all the better for his boss. Shogun Shirai wouldn’t have any less than every piece of information, and the black-furred mouse had all ears to the earth. One of them just so happened to be here. Fuji slipped inside the decorated wooden building, softly padding toward a sliding door. There were no voices inside, but the ninja knew the room wasn’t empty.
Sliding open the paper screen, a scene he was used to met his bright blue eyes. Dimmed lights, draped silk and a dozen or so musical instruments strewn around the room. Eccentric, that’s what this mouse was for sure. Fuji kind of branded all kabuki actors as that, but this guy was really out there. In the midst of all the silk sat a male mouse dressed in an elaborately embroidered, emerald green kimono. Cranes and creatures of myth pictured with gold thread shimmered in the faint lantern light. Was that the Shaman goddess? Fuji had no time to fully scan the pattern before the grey-furred mouse turned around.

“I’m asking you one last time. Why the hell do you hang around a brothel? Don’t you have money to stay away from this?” This was Fuji’s usual greeting to his contact. The ninja never understood the actor, and honestly didn’t bother to. The grey-furred mouse smiled, revealing to be in the process of removing powder from his nose.

“I suppose I just enjoy the predicament. They struggle a lot. With debts. Lost honor. It’s… entertaining, if you will.”

“Sadist. So, what do you have?”

“To get back to… a thing, a certain maiko stole your recent notes of drafted members. She’s all pastel, you won’t miss her. A little bowknot on her tail, too. Ah,” he paused, putting his paw over his mouth. “I think the Kosennoki clan might be planning something. So, therefore… beware of vases.”

“Vases? None of your riddle crap again.” Fuji clapped his arms over his chest, tail flicking in annoyance. “What the hell’s shogun supposed to do with that?”

“He’s a clever mouse. He’ll figure it out.” The actor smirked and continued brushing white powder off of his snout. “Now go before someone mistakes you for an admirer. I don’t want bloodstains on my kimono.” At this, Fuji rolled his eyes. Sure, this grey-furred, long-haired mouse with a superiority complex was annoying, but he had good intel. Most of the time, shogun Shirai managed to figure out the riddles, and if he didn’t, the scribe Yamamoto would. And if he didn’t, they had to turn to the Himura girl as a last resort. Fuji dissolved into the shadows, brooding over the actor’s words. Vases? Really? However, the ninja resolved to not think too hard about all of this. Not until he handed it over to the shogun, anyway. If the actor was right, he would figure it out.

Well on the way back, clouds had hidden the endless and empty expanse of space in which the moon floated. It shone through meekly, without effort, like watered-down paint. Everything else was an inky black, save for the occasional paper lantern. A distant sound of bamboo rustling somewhere far, far away. The Shirai clan’s castle had a distinct silhouette against the dark sky, and Fuji could see glimmering lights in the windows. Some were still awake, the shogun most definitely, which gave the ninja mouse hope. He wanted to pass on the information while it was still fresh in his mind. It would be useless otherwise.
Leaping over rooftops was a past-time more than anything, but the black-furred mouse enjoyed it. Skidding over beams and leaping over ornate shachihoko sculptures, all this brought a sense of freedom to Fuji.

The inside of the castle was notably warmer than the outside. Warm light spread through the halls and painted the blue bannisters a softer color. The shogun’s quarters were on the top floor. Fuji wondered how spoiled one could get while ascending a flight of wooden stairs, painted black. Red paint was positively despised here. Guards were stationed on top of the staircase, looking somewhat sleepy. It must’ve been a long shift. They let the dark-furred ninja in without a word.
The top floor was… dark. Darker than the actor’s room. Fuji appreciated darkness while at work, but didn’t understand it otherwise. What for? The thought that the shogun might be asleep crossed his mind, but then the guards wouldn’t have let him in. The shadows were thick enough to choke as the ninja snuck across the floorboards, careful to not potentially disturb anybody. Gods, the shogun was a morbid mouse in his own right. The ninja continued to the one door he recognized as the shogun’s study. If he wasn’t there, Fuji would have to try the sleeping quarters. The idea didn’t particularly appeal to him.

As if the gods heard Fuji, the Shirai shogun was in his study. A few lanterns were lit to provide light for his work, mostly writing and artistic calligraphy. Shelves, big enough to cover whole walls were filled with coiled scrolls and maps. A decorative vase stood to the left corner, by the window.

“Shogun.”

“Ah, back already?”

“Yes. As expected, the information we got wasn’t much and well… a riddle, as usual.” the shogun nodded as a sign for Fuji to carry on. “A certain maiko stole our drafting documents. She apparently wears all pastel with a bowknot on her tail. He also said that, the Kosennoki are planning something.”

“And the riddle?”

“More of a hint. Beware of vases.” At this, the shogun sneered. He stood up, picking up the sheathed katana by his side. As Fuji expected, he stepped over to the decorative vase in his office. Unsheathing the sword, the white-furred mouse brought it down to the porcelain and shattered this intricate piece of craftsmanship in seconds.

“Get rid of all vases in the castle. I’ll heed his warning.”