Matsumoto/Kobayashi Plot

[Sadist]

(I'll be updating this with the current plot for the family, and each section will have it's own excerpt containing spoilers for the next section.)

Moment of Silence

This is the point at which the forum currently finds the Matsumoto Family. Recovering from the loss of both the future Matriarch and the Head of the family, those now in power are hiding secrets from more than just the outside world. The inner workings of the family are hidden even from certain key figures in an attempt to entrap those suspected of treasonous intentions.

[Sadist]

"FOOLS," SAID I, "YOU DO NOT KNOW.
SILENCE LIKE A CANCER GROWS.
HEAR MY WORDS THAT I MIGHT TEACH YOU.
TAKE MY ARMS THAT I MIGHT REACH YOU."

Words Spoken in Silence

READ THE NOTES BEFORE YOU READ THIS EXCERPT!!!










The young man paced restlessly, shooting impatient looks in his grandfather’s direction as the Patriarch spoke in what he probably thought was a soothing tone. Every word grated against Takumi’s mind, enraging the part of his grief-stricken mind that had clung to that one spark of innocence in this mire of politics and scheming as though she were a lifeline to keep him sane. "Enough, Takehiro. I heard you the first hundred times you’ve asked this of me, but you seem to be deaf to my question. Why must we lie to her? Why would you ever ask me to keep the Heir in ignorance of her role, the way I was? When you know how that turned out!" He’d been trying to keep his voice reasonable, but the anger burst forth in the end. He winced and stopped pacing long enough to take a sip of water, the cry having been abrupt enough to cause discomfort. Not for the first time since Takehiro’s arrival, he was grateful to Rei for having all the House Fighters spell this room in such a manner as to prevent eavesdropping. Their talks had definitely not been for public consumption.

"Takumi…I know you’re fond of the girl, and you’d fear for her if you were capable…" The Tyranny Fighter sighed, running a gnarled hand through his hair. "This plan has been in place since the girl was born. You were just a child yourself, or you would have seen that woman’s ambition. When the Sacrifice of her husband gave birth to a child, and she herself was barren, the anger in her eyes was a terrible thing. She knew she would never have gotten into our family if we had known the location of Cho-san before the wedding, and for Cho-san to produce a child within months of being brought to our home, when Juri had been failing for years? If the child had not been fathered by a member of our family, I would have sent them away then and there, to safeguard them. As it was…we had to keep the child close, see what she would become."

He would have spat, if he hadn’t known it would derail the conversation. "You kept her close, despite knowing how prejudiced those pricks are."

"Language, child." The old man gave a long-suffering sigh, the admonishment more token now than it had once been. He’d long since given up controlling the substance of the young Head’s speech. "You had shown no signs of what you were to become. For all we knew, the girl could have been Rei’s Heir, not yours. We had no choice, and by the time another choice presented itself, the damage was done. The girl will always believe she is a burden, when she is a blessing to us."

"A pawn, you mean." He stalked over to his grandfather, standing inches from him. "You don’t give a damn about her, and you sure as Hell don’t give a damn about me. You’re just stocking up on pawns because you think the other guy’s Queen is going to go for checkmate." When Takehiro opened his mouth to respond, Takumi spit into it, causing the old man to grimace in the same disgust the Fearless Sacrifice felt. "Don’t lie. I’m sick of you lying to me, hiding things. I’ve about had it with you, old man!" His last words ended on a yell, forcing the Fighter to take a few steps back as he went back to pacing like the caged predator he’d become.

"Call it what you like. The fact of the matter is, without that girl, Juri’s plans would have succeeded years ago. She poisoned the girl’s mother to claim what she thought was the first potential Heir Cho-san had produced as her own flesh and blood." Those words stopped Takumi in his tracks as he looked at his grandfather questioningly. "I thought she died in childbirth?" The Patriarch sighed sadly and shook his head, gesturing for his student to take a seat while he explained. Takumi chose to remain standing. "Her pregnancy was without complications. She was doing fine afterward, until she ate the meal Juri had brought for her. We had no proof, the autopsy didn’t show any signs of poisoning, so we were forced to allow the official explanation to stand. It was easier to keep the girl calm that way than to tell her someone had wanted her mother dead."

Takumi’s heart ached, and he turned his head away. The loss of her mother had broken his cousin’s heart. For her to know it had been murder, instead of a tragic accident? He couldn’t imagine her being able to recover from a blow like that. "Juri doesn’t know she’s the Heir, does she?" If she did, he would have to get rid of her sooner rather than later, and damn the consequences if he wasn’t able to find proof of her treachery before then.

"None of them do." The words, their flat delivery, shocked Takumi into looking at his grandfather with wide eyes. "It’s not like it was with you, boy. The rules that make her your Heir are so old and obscure that it took me years of study to realize how best to use her-yes, as a pawn-in this dangerous game. You and I are the only ones who know. So long as neither of us wishes her harm, the girl is safe. But she has no guile, Takumi. If we tell her, she won’t be able to hide the truth, and that will place her in harm’s way."

Takumi sighed, satisfied that he finally had the answer he’d been trying to get out of the old man for days. "Alright, then. We keep it to ourselves, but only until she’s strong enough to stand on her own. Or until we’ve eliminated the threat, whichever comes first. Understood?" He waited for the old man to nod his assent before sitting down opposite him. "Moving on. The funeral is tomorrow.” He paused, but when his grandfather said nothing, he was forced to prod further. "I read the email you sent out. You said you’d introduce them to the Matsumoto Heir, not Rei’s Heir. You weren’t talking about me, were you?"

Takehiro shrugged. "They will think I was, and that is what we require. I will, of course, be introducing you as well. But we need to figure out how to…subtly introduce the girl. We cannot reveal her, but without making the introductions, her claim will be easily undermined, if it comes to the point were we have to reveal her prematurely."

The younger man leaned back in his seat, thinking. "…Have her babysit Juri. If the woman is half as vile as I’ve heard, she’ll upset the girl early in the evening. To the point she won’t be able to contain her ring, which would be quite inappropriate at a funeral gathering and give us an excuse to have Juri removed before she sinks her claws into another Head. It would also allow me to have the girl brought to my side, to apologize for her outburst. Easy enough to keep her there the rest of the evening, and just introduce her because she 'happens' to be with me."

Takehiro considered this plan, weighing its merit before agreeing. "Your idea is not without merit, however, we must come up with something to…expedite her outburst, should it take longer than the time it takes to introduce you to the first Head of the evening." Takumi shrugged. "I’ll leave the back-up plan to you, plausible deniability and all that jazz. But, once I have her on my arm, I want you to leave, mourn your wife properly." Such he said, but truth was that he wanted out of that hideous mofuku as soon as possible, and getting rid of the old man would be a brilliant opening. Takumi stood, bowed respectfully, and left the old man to plot the one part of the night he did not want to be involved in.

outfit
Tag: king fire
Notes: "Words spoken in silence fall on deaf ears." This conversation happens the day before the funeral and contains some major spoilers to the Matsumoto plot.

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