From Lady Yukiko's Journal
June 1st, 1583There are times, in even a woman's life, where Fate intervenes and causes one's life to take a decided turn. Thus has my life been turned inside out recently; from victory to the greatest defeat in less than two weeks.
Last night, Akechi came to me, taking my face in my hands and staring into my eyes for a long moment. He said, "Yukiko. I have not always been a good husband to you. I always thought I would have time to correct my errors, but now..."
"Your duties often took you away," I protested. "Truly, I knew what to expect when I married you; I chose you, after all. But why do you think you've run out of time?"
"Hideyoshi is up to something. He will move tomorrow during the coronation, I believe. I may not survive; but it is imperative that you and our child live."
"What? Husband--"
"Sssh." He silenced me with a kiss. "You know what I do about Hideyoshi and his plans. But I have been surrounding you with those who you'll need to survive the coming storm. I think that these people--Panda and Haku and the others--are the only ones that will be able to keep you safe."
"I can see Panda and Haku, and Funitsu. But...Reiko? Your archivist? Tadaki? Why them?"
"You'll see. Each of them has a role to play, and together they will keep you and our child as safe as they can."
"But--"
"Hush." He kissed me again. "Trust me, Yukiko. Heaven is with us, this I still believe."
I did not express my doubts.
And so it came that the next morning, before the coronation, I was in a room with the people that my lord husband had picked to protect me. I shall describe them as they are now so that I may remember, later.
Panda is not her real name, but I can neither pronounce nor spell her real name, so Panda it is. She is Spirit Folk, I know, a spirit of the bamboo made flesh. She is a samurai, one of Akechi's most trusted, and she rarely displays much emotion. Her hair is as white as the snows of my native land, though she looks quite young.
Haku is, though not a samurai, also one of my husband's favored warriors. He sends Panda when he wishes to kill someone and Haku when he wishes them captured. He is a man of unremarkable looks and a calm temperament. Sometimes, I can sense a stillness in him, a place of utter silence. He and Panda are well-matched as a fighting pair.
Funitsu is one of Akechi's closest friends and one of mine, as well. He is quick-witted and quick-tempered, every inch the noble he was born to be. He is a shugenja, a divine spellcaster, and often has he displayed his talents for my husband.
Reiko is...other. She is tiny and very pretty, but her semblance of normality only lasts until she opens her mouth. She is spirit-ridden, and unless I miss my guess not too bright. She is my husband's soothsayer, though, and he trusts her to tell him the truth, no matter what. She most often seems to be standing with one foot in this world and one in the spirit realm, which makes her frustrating to talk to.
Tadaki I've only come to know recently, as I've been taking my lessons from Arenro and Tadaki is one of his students. He is slight and nervous; having seen how Arenro treats him, I don't blame him for being nervous. A few days ago, when Tadaki was working with a fragile glass ball as a focus, I saw Arenro jostle him, making him drop the ball. When Tadaki knelt to pick up the pieces, Arenro shouted at him for being stupid and kicked him so he sprawled face first down in the broken glass. And this, evidently, has been going on ever since Tadaki became Arenro's student.
The librarian--why can I never remember his name?--is someone I don't know well, one of Akechi's advisors. He's an archivist and an educated man, and he's often sent away for several weeks at a time, doing research, it's assumed. He is a graceful, compact man with an educated hand.
And, oddly enough, the little griffon that we captured a few days ago was in the room with us. It is an entertaining little creature, though I have not yet summoned the courage to try and pet it. It looks so soft.
It seems that all of us have been having a visitor in the night--all of us have been having a sore arm in the morning, and this morning all of us had small marks on our arms, as if we had been poked with a needle. Panda, especially, seemed troubled by this, saying something about how she didn't understand how someone could sneak up on her even while she was sleeping.
Funitsu and Reiko left to go talk to Akechi. When they returned, both of their faces were grave. Funitsu said, "It looks like there's going to be an armed coup soon. We need to get Lady Yukiko out of the palace now. I know there's a secret door here down to the docks."
The librarian said, "I recall there is also another way out of here, but we'll have to go up to the roof. It's a zipline, and it leads right to General Hideyoshi's quarters."
"Why don't we start down to the docks, and we can try the other route if that's blocked?" Panda was feeling around one of the panels of the room, pressing a near-invisible catch, the panel swinging silently inward.
Panda went first, I followed her and Haku followed me, the rest coming behind. Halfway down the corridor, Panda held up her hand and halted us, and whispered "Someone is coming, go back!" The zipline it was.
We made our way through the corridors and up to the roof, the librarian staying behind for a bit, claiming that he knew how to block the door to delay those coming up from the docks. The people who were trying to break into the room shouted for us to stop, and I could *feel* the command in my mind. It didn't affect me at all, and I could feel the child in my womb kick in response. We kept running.
The zipline ride was brief but thrilling. Panda had hold of the griffon, who couldn't grip well enough to keep his paws on the rope. Through Hideyoshi's quarters and down to the docks we went.
Reiko and the librarian went to scout the docs. Reiko went into the mode she always does when she wants something--vague and charming. She distracted the guards well enough to let the librarian sneak by, and when went out onto the docks herself.
Both Reiko and the librarian came back after a few minutes. The librarian said that there was a fast ship captained by a friend of his that we could escape on. Reiko said that another of Akechi's generals, Yasahiro, appeared to be searching Lord Akechi's barge. She also said that the guards seemed to be altered somehow--something about a "waking death". Nobody paid much attention to her, as she immediately turned her attention to telling someone none of the rest of us could see to shut up. "Gaijin spirits who can't speak a civilized tongue, humph." Her voice was frustrated and a little disgusted.
We went past the guards and onto the dock. Someone on the barge saw us and shouted, and Yasahiro and his men ran towards us. Haku told me to stay where I was and he and Panda ran forward.
Yasahiro's eyes suddenly started glowing red. "Demon!" I whispered, partially to myself.
Reiko had heard me and shook her head. "Possesion, I think. But--"
The general told us to stand down, and yet again I felt the command in my mind, and again it had no power over me. And again I could feel the babe within me kick, this time strongly enough to make me jump and yelp a little. Fortunately, none seemed to notice my brief discomposure.
The griffin leaped at the closest person to him and bit the warrior--and nearly tore his leg off. Panda grabbed the general by the neck and lifted him in the air, choking him as he kicked. I have never seen her do such a feat of strength before.
She tore something from his neck--it looked like a crystal--and threw it to the ground, where it shattered. Funitsu frowned, looking to the air above the crystal, muttering, "Crane, going back to the palace." And then he spoke the words of a spell...and everyone before him fell down, sound asleep.
He looked around and raised an eyebrow. "All right, Librarian, which boat's your friend on?" The librarian pointed in response, and we walked up the gangplank and onto the ship.
As the sailors made the ship ready to depart, Haku gave orders to the rest of the captains moored at the dock to sail away in different directions. I gather it was an attempt at misdirection, or to slow down our pursuit.
We settled on the deck as the sails belled with wind and we began to move away from the dock. "So, where are we going?" the captain asked. He introduced himself as Masumoto, a merchant sailor who did much trade with China.
There was some discussion about where we were going, Funitsu saying that Akechi had told us to take me to my family in Hokkaido. Reiko wasn't paying attention to the discussion, crouched by the railing, holding her head. "Are you all right?" I asked.
She looked up at me, a pained expression on her face. "One of my spirits, Zhane, is screaming at me. But she doesn't speak a civilized tongue and I can't understand what she's trying to say. It sounds like Doom, Point Doom. But I don't know what it means and I can't tell her that I don't know."
Masumoto had overheard us. "Pardon me for intruding, but Point Doom? That's what some of the gaijin I know call Mt. Fuji. And if she speaks English, her name is probably Jane, not Zhane. It's a common name among the English."
"You speak English?"
He shrugged. "I'm a trader. The English are mad for tea and silk. I provide them with both."
Reiko asked warily, "Where is Mount Fuji from here?"
"South, approximately."
"Is south that way?" Reiko pointed.
"Yes. Why?"
"I think Zhane--Jane--wants me to go to Mt. Fuji. That's the way she's pointing."
"It's an idea." Haku's voice was thoughtful. "Hideyoshi's men will probably be looking all over Hokkaido for Lady Yukiko. They won't be expecting us to take her to the volcano."
"Akechi told us to take her to her family." Panda set her mouth stubbornly. "We should do what our lord has requested."
"He told us to keep her safe. It's not safe to take her into the arms of Hideyoshi's men." The librarian was evidently siding with Reiko. "We have a shaman along with us for a reason. If her spirits tell us to do something, we should at least listen."
Funitsu frowned. "They didn't tell her about the conspiracy or the fact that we were going to have to leave the palace today. Akechi told us that. He knew things she didn't. Some soothsayer she is." Reiko's only response was a miserable look and to go back to holding her head.
Much discussion ensued. Heading towards Mount Fuji won by a slim margin, which seemed to cheer Reiko up a little bit. Masumoto told Reiko that if she wanted to learn a little English, he'd teach her, and he could probably translate a bit if Reiko would sound out for him what Jane was saying.
The suggestion was put forth that Funitsu pose as my husband for the moment, to make us a little less obvious; I am not certian how I feel about the idea but I'll do what I must.
I spent some time just shaking, the fear I'd refused to feel before washing over me. And the grief, as well, for I am almost certianly a widow, and have today lost my husband, my home, and my place in the world. But I still have my child. That is all that matters to me.
And south we're sailing, towards the volcano.
Into the fire.
Best quote:
"What are you doing this round?"
"I'm a first level wu jen. I run away!"