The Heist to Reinstatement part 4

Queen of the Night

Several hundred years ago...

Young Toga was actually quite excited about receiving an invitation to the most glamorous and historical social event of the House of Inu. Really, his whole family had been invited by the inu king himself! He didn't understand everything entirely, but one of the king's messengers said that the reason for this hand-selected opportunity was to acknowledge Toga's success at the Shuji Toboe dojo. For tonight, the king had decided to be civil and celebratory. It was quite an achievement. Toga and his father, Hikozaemon II, were getting dressed together in the family dressing room. Hikozaemon II was straightening his excited child's clothes and braiding his hair quite cleanly while his beloved wife scuttled in to kiss his cheek and stroke Toga's jaw affectionately. Toga let out a small chuckle before twirling around for his parents' approval of his party attire. He wore a festive light blue kimono with blooming moonflowers in its pattern and a deep indigo sash going across his upper hips. The trademark Okuri-inu shawl laid softly on his shoulders and different pieces of jewelry were placed on his ankle, wrist, and neck. He opted for a simple shoe rather than boots. His beautiful mother covered her lips to stop a sob from escaping while Hikozaemon II nodded quietly and led the way to the grand ball.

Dansukādo. One of the biggest annual events known to inu and allies of them! The number of beautiful women walking around was enough to make Toga dizzy, and some of the men were especially fashionable on this night. He almost regretted not wearing his armor, but none of his family wore their armor. They opted for the casual nature of a party. Just as Toga was talking to a classmate, he caught the smell of someone's perfume practically calling out to him. A young, petite girl with snow white hair like his and a bored expression on her face was walking inside of a palace building before someone had called her name. Attention gained, she turned around and made Toga's eyes widen. She was gorgeous! Surrounded by other beauties, the girl of interest spoke to her comrades for a moment before she was gifted with a fan. Unimpressed by the item, she shook her head and laughed at her peers as they scuttled about with their own fans in hand. The girl then closed the fan, tucked it away in a pocket of her lovely kimono, and continued inside of the palace.

Who was she? Toga's older brother had called him to tease him about his mouth opening wide enough for drool to come out, but young Toga was already trying to find ways to talk to the girl with the snow-white hair. He made his rounds in talking to others. His mother taught him well on being a social butterfly, and his father made sure he displayed excellent manners. Toga drew a lot of attention with his natural charm and grace. A lot of girls invited him to either a dance or a drink or even an appetizer. He was quite humbled by the attention, but he didn't see the girl with the snow-white hair outside yet. To his surprise, Hikozaemon II was actually getting a lot of attention himself despite his wife standing right next to him.

"My darling is still a bachelor in the eyes of these women," Toga's mother said with a proud laugh. "Such flattery!"

"Maybe it's dad's outfit?" Toga's sister suggested with a bright smile. "He looks like a prince!"

"This was for one woman's eyes," Hikozaemon II replied, unmoved by the many gifts or compliments he was being showered with.

"She noticed," Toga's mother said, placing a hand on Hikozaemon's chest and smirking. "Where are our men? I don't see the wives here."

"They are spread out, my love. A few of them are in the gardens near the palace. We can start over there if you prefer," Hikozaemon II answered, nodding to the area in question.

"Our little ones have friends about. They should see them," Hikozaemon's wife responded, granting their children permission to roam. Toga's brother and sister wasted no time in speaking to their few friends, but Toga took a moment to watch his parents before deciding to find the girl with snow-white hair. His mother took her husband's hands into her own, turned him to her, and asked, "Might I have this dance with you, my darling?"

"Always," Hikozaemon II accepted, using a singular finger to lift his wife's chin.

Swooning with hope that he would one day be like his parents, Toga went on his journey inside of the building next to the gardens. The shrubs were especially full of leaves and color. Azaleas were making statements! As he observed paintings, tapestries, and chandeliers, Toga was thoroughly impressed with the presentation. A server walked up to him to offer a drink and hors d'oeuvres, but Toga respectfully declined the beverage. The meat cutlets were enough. With no luck near the front door, Toga pushed on in another hallway that was dimly lit with only a few candles here and there. Not as many things to look at anyway. The view of the moon was quite lovely from the windows, though. He gazed at the celestial body for a while. Suddenly, the smell of that enticing perfume caught him again. He followed it down the hallway until a terrace appeared with a much more impressive and panoramic view of the moon and gardens. From there, he saw his mother dancing for his father and inviting him to another dance. They're so cringey! But... he admired it. A love like theirs was hard to come by for their kind.

The sound of a bell caught his immediate attention. Behind him stood the girl with snow-white hair, crossing her legs in a way that pronounced her sensuous hips. She tilted her head at Toga, not saying a word and making Toga's throat dry up. He took a gulp, blushed, and then snapped back to his parents. While she didn't scare him, Toga didn't expect her to just manifest like that! He hadn't prepared anything to say to her.

"That's not how you were talking to the ladies before," she said, raising a brow at Toga. "Does your confidence always escape you so easily around particular women?"

"I'm allowed to be off my guard... right?" Toga questioned, turning to the girl.

"If you're just going to be one of the king's guards then I guess so. It's a bit weird, though," the girl said.

"Weird?" Toga questioned.

"You're an Okuri-inu from legacy," the girl said, nodding to Hikozaemon II and his wife. "You should be one of the assassins, yes?"

"Oh! It's that obvious, huh?" Toga questioned, laughing bashfully. "Well, if I had to be honest, my brother and sister and I aren't really like my dad. I mean we're not assassins! Not that we don't share certain quirks!"

"You're too cute to be an assassin," the girl complimented, huffing briefly with a soft smile before her bored expression returned. "Your charm works best as a soldier. You're in the right direction."

"Thanks," Toga said, smiling warmly. "What about you? I've never seen you at the dojo. Are you training to be a soldier or something?"

"No. I'm with the Okuri-inu. My mom trained me in secret," the girl replied, taking a bottle of wine and pouring some in a glass. Toga didn't even notice the setup the girl had. She must've snuck back here during the little bit of commotion. Definitely assassin material. "You can say I'm a rogue. Unlike you, I have to remain on my guard at these kinds of things. One, I hate them. Two, being surprised is not an option in this game of life and death."

"What's wrong with parties?" Toga asked, a bit hurt that the girl didn't like them. Parties were fun!

"They bore me," the girl said, sipping her wine and meeting Toga's gaze. "You have some girls waiting for you, son of Hikozaemon II. They're waiting for a dance with you. That charm of yours did you in!"

"Well, um, I was, uh..." Toga stuttered, blushing. He scratched his cheek cutely then mumbled, "I was hoping to dance... with you. But... if it's too boring, I'll - "

Before Toga could utter another word, the girl was already in his space and moving his arms and hands in position. She remained still, poise, and professional while Toga practically melted in a puddle. That perfume! Stiffly, Toga started to move carefully. He didn't want to hurt the girl or mess up her kimono or do anything wrong in any way around her. One would think that taking lives would ignite fear and trauma, but this young lady was a threat to his entire being. How? Seeing the expression on her face hadn't changed, Toga decided that slow dancing wasn't going to work. He needed something that would captivate her... the way she... well, captivated him. The odds had to be even. Eh, so to speak. Taking a deep breath, he employed more passionate moves that weren't of the typical Japanese folk dance. This startled the girl at first when she was spun out. She was about to protest, but the confidence in Toga's form and the raised brow silenced her. Competitively, she tried to keep up with him in this faster pace couple dance. Part of the beauty of the dance was the proximity of their bodies. The man molding the woman's body to the rugged terrain of his torso while the woman scantily ignited the fires of instinct within him. The breathiness of the young girl was provocative but also endearing. To see someone so cold and unmoved suddenly be enraptured in the throes of passion without it being sexual made Toga raise the bar. In truth, he was losing a bit of his own breath but was focused on the competitiveness that the girl was exhibiting. It wasn't a rivalry battle in the traditional sense nor a battle of wits in the academic sense. One could say this was a test of wills, but... it was deeper than that. The air was heavier, the risks were greater. They were taking chances - bold ones now. She was less bored now, and Toga was growing more attracted to her.

Toga swiftly twirled the girl around again and pushed her torso back to perform a perfect dip and roll while he held her hips in place. That sparked a soft moan of surprise from her, and he said huskily, "For such a skilled assassin, your guard can be quite easily shaken with mere dance."

"For an assassin reject, you've chosen an awkward method to be less boring," the girl challenged, keeping her eyes locked on him.

Having her attention so focused on him felt good. So, he returned the challenge, "Not all parties are boring, army reject. They need a quicker pacing for your enjoyment."

"Or... just someone who knows how to pace himself," she said, smirking. Though to Toga, it sounded seductive. "You've other ladies interested in your dance, though, soldier. This is a grand ball, after all."

"If you're really an assassin..." Toga started, looking away for a moment before returning with a powerfully seductive tone, "you should be capable of being more than one woman. The same way a soldier should be capable of charming each one."

"Hmph!" the young girl huffed with a smirk. She backed slowly, making Toga realize that her kimono was far more form-fitting and showing off her lovely body shape quite well. "Impress me then, soldier. Draw this warrior of the night out of her shadows... and I may reward you with something."

"Oh? With what?" Toga questioned, raising his brow and smirking at the challenge.

"I'll think of something that isn't boring."