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From Lady Yukiko's Journal, 7/7 - 7/8: Smoke and Mirrors

7/7/1583
at sea, western coast of Hokkaido

We've set a course south, but when I asked Funitsu where we were ultimately going, his answer was just to shake his head and mutter, "We're going to be late."

The Scorpion has been acting odd, and I could almost imagine that he's in over his head with his new clan responsibilities, but until he asks for help I really can't render much aid. If I cornered him and ordered him to tell me what's troubling him, it might work or it might only make him resent me. I think I'm going to stick with subtle hints about the fact that we can't help problems we know nothing of.

I do have to admit that knowing that there are things going on that I know little of itches at my mind. I fear I may need to do something somewhat rash if that itch isn't scratched soon.

But the "we're going to be late" comment prompted me to ask, "Late for what?"

Evidently, Funitsu had been sent a package that contained a love letter written a few centuries ago by one Soshi Badayushi. At least, the rather amusing love letter was all I could read. Woven in with the letter was a prophecy, a very specific one, concerning Funitsu, that only he and the librarian could read. I wonder how closely the librarian and Funitsu are related, anyway? The librarian has never said a thing about his origins.

I'll copy the letter here, with the parts that I could not read but had Funitsu read aloud to me.

Anmari, my love

It is with a great sadness that I write to you of my impending betrothal to the Clan Crane Witch, Isada. In 1583 a new Lord Soshi will be named in a time when all of Japan is changing. Oh my love, I am so unfortunate to have a crane wife that is so ugly. Later in that year, he will be forced to abdicate the throne as his mind will be corrupted like his fathers. At least by marrying her, she will become a scorpion and be forced to wear the mask of the Scorpions and thereby forcing none to look upon the visage. The Crane will push them over the edge, only the 2nd son, whose alliance with the crane will keep him safe. I fear greatly what is underneath, that mu-mu that she wears as well. Three who work for the crane, will meet, but not the leader, in the shadow of the scorpion, the beginning of the second week of July 1583. I fear the need for opium will be strong that night, just to wash away the images that I will have to take to my grave. The crane will be wounded by the Scorpion, not enough to fall but the blood that it sheds will make the Scorpion stronger.

There is perchance a happy ending that could be accomplished by this marriage. The dragon stands in the same position but it will not know its fate until too late. It would be easy my love to rid ourselves of Isada and replace her with you. Avoid the war with the crab by calling in a friend. You would have to wear some very unflattering clothing for a time and a mask but it could be done my love. The phoenix will strike upon is rebirth, its rebirth a direction pointed to by the scorpion. Please reply to me as soon as you can, as inspiration has struck and I would love to find you on my are as Isada than Isada herself.

Sometime in the year a third Soshi will be named to Clan Scorpion.

Your loving, devoted, hopefully soon to be husband,

Soshi Badyushi

April 26th, 1206

You can imagine the hubbub that erupted after Funitsu read this letter aloud to us. The Shadow of the Scorpion, I knew could mean one of two things --a beach near the Scorpion ancestral home in Miyazaki, or a system of caves named for the odd overhand over the entrance. Funitsu coughed and gave a significant look Panda's way. "There is another possibility, Lady, but..."

Panda said, "This is one of those conversations that I probably shouldn't listen to, right? I'll be outside." She left, closing the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Funitsu said that the other possibility was that the prophecy was referring to a boat called The Shadow of the Scorpion, a ship run by the Black Hand. "But there's no telling where the ship is, and according to this prophecy, the latest that this meeting could take place is tomorrow. Miyazaki is at least ten days away. We should go there anyway--there's a lot of Crane activity in the town, and there's a schism within the Black Hand threatening--but there's no way, if it's referring to the beach, that we can be there by tomorrow."

Reiko looked up from where she was playing with a little white ball. "If it's truly prophecy, it'll happen no matter what. That's what prophecy is. Don't worry about it."

We decided, in the end, to head down the eastern coast, stopping in Aomori on the way. Just in case, you understand.

7/8
Aomori

What a thoroughly unpleasant town. It's a Unicorn-controlled town, and though I've been through several times my father never let any of us get off the ship here. Walking down the docks, I could see why. People in various states of dying and decomposition hung from poles spaced evenly along the docks and, as far as I could see, farther up into the town. We stopped someone who looked like they belonged and asked what the bodies were about. He said that anyone who acted strangely was strung up; a crude yet effective means of combating the mind control that the Crane have been so successful with elsewhere.

We noted that there were many Cranes strung up, obvious with their white hair and blue and white clothing. Our helpful informant told us that the Cranes had been caught trying to kill the leaders of the Unicorn clan, so they were being hung up on mere principle.

Panda, at this, began to look rather nervous. So did the shaman, for the matter--I saw her step closer to the gryphon. Two different and equally valid reasons for nervousness--Panda because with her hair she can be easily mistaken for a Crane, and Reiko I assume because "acting normally" is something of a strain on her acting abilities. Panda at that point said she was going back to the ship, and asked if I would come with her.

Not wanting to either cause a scene by arguing with the samurai or continue seeing the macabre corpses that swung in the breeze above our heads, I assented.

About half an hour later, the rest returned to the ship with a girl in tow. Young enough that the usual reedy Crane body still read as gawkiness rather than elegance, she was quite obviously a bit frightened. (Though, truly, I saw her throw a canny look Tadaki's way when she thought none were looking. Perhaps she was not as frightened as all that.) She said her name was Kakita Reina--her family one of the more minor in the Crane. Haku bound her securely, and while he was doing so, noted to the rest of us that she had an odd tattoo on her leg--a wakizashi, full-sized. Funitsu explained to Panda and I what had happened--evidently, the girl had run into a Unicorn mob, and our group had asked for custody of her for questioning. Because Storming Bear, the Unicorn Samurai we'd helped the other day, was there, he let us have her.

Funitsu said that the Shadow of the Scorpion was in port here; there had been a hung-up Scorpion who had said that they had been caught stealing supplies for it. This girl, likely, was the key to that meeting that the prophecy had mentioned. He showed us a mirror Bear had taken from the girl and given to him, and said, "She was guarding this with her life. And she asked us to take her with us, because she could show us where the other mirrors are. I'm not sure what the other mirrors are or even what this does, but it sounded interesting enough to at least question her."

The girl sighed, and said, "Fine. Look, you folks seem like good people--and I recognize my Lord's daughter, over there." She indicated Tomika with her chin. "This mirror leads into a pocket dimension, and inside is a mansion of sorts, with all of the creature comforts one could want. Currently, it contains several of the leaders of our clan. I was assigned to take them to a meeting, and I got caught by the Unicorns. Bad luck for me, that the Cranes are currently Clan non grata here."

"Your people are trying to take over the clans, you know."

"That's Arenro. Let's just say that the Crane is only unified out of terror of him, not because all of us agree with his goals. But people who ignore his orders tend to be used as subjects for his experiments."

Reiko as still playing with that little white ball, and at this point she wandered over and looked down at the bound Crane girl. "Who's in the mirror, anyway?"

"Lord Akazawa Tsuneyasu. And two of his attaches, both powerful within the clan of their own right."

Tomika blinked. "My father! You have my father in your mirror?"

The Crane shrugged as best she could with her elbows tied behind her back. "I was going to tell you, but you interrupted me."

"So how do we get into the mirror?"

"Just touch the surface. You'll get pulled inside. Inside, there's a mirror back out--two, actually. One of them leads into the heart of the Crane lands, the other to this mirror here. You'll probably want to avoid using the other mirror. They tend to shoot people who don't wear Crane badges on sight."

We asked her about her statement that she could find the other mirrors, and she showed us a tattoo on her chest that changed, the mirror locations seeming to change randomly. (It's a good thing she was so flat-chested, otherwise the map would have been quite distorted.) "There are mirrors for many things, it's a major Crane magic specialty. They all do different things."

Everyone except Haku and I went into the mirror. Reiko later related what went on, and I'll write down her account here.

We appeared in a palatial mansion, in a corridor with the other mirror that led to Crane territory. The place is really nice. I could have stayed there all day. We searched through the rooms and finally found Tomika's father, who was sitting in the library, reading. He looked up and said, "Who are you? What are you doing here, daughter?"

Funitsu, who was standing next to Tomika, bowed and said, "Soshi Funitsu, sir. Your son-in-law."

"Ah, I finally meet the man who's allied our Clans." He gave Funitsu a long look, up and down. I couldn't tell whether or not he approved; I think he hasn't made up his mind yet. I mean, really, your daughter sends you a message that she's marrying a member of the traditional enemy of your clan. She's obviously not marrying for love, and all you can hope is that her husband will treat her well. Well, at the very least, that he won't beat her.

Reiko. The story, without editorializing, if you please?

Sorry. Where was I? Oh, yes, Tomika's father. He said, "My daughter looks well enough. Try and make sure she stays that way. So what are you doing here?"

We explained that the Crane girl had been captured through no fault of her own, and had told us about the meeting--which we knew about because of that very silly love letter that what's his face, the Soshi, had written.

"This meeting was not, shall we say, quite above the board. I'm convinced that Arenro's ambition is going to destroy all of us if we don't do something. I was hoping to make an alliance with the Black Hand. I knew that this meeting was very likely a trap, but it was a chance for us to make an alliance that will mean our survival. That chance, however slim, is what brought us here." At this point, Panda coughed left the room. Again! Silly samurai and their honor. Er. Begging your pardon, Lady Yukiko. And--hey! Darnit, sorry, Setto, too. Sheesh, you'd think that after five centuries you'd be used to me calling samurai silly. Er. Anyway!

Funitsu replied, "It evidently wasn't quite above the board within the Black Hand, either. There are...factions. The faction you were meeting with is likely controlled by Arenro. Which means that you've been set up, Lord."

Lord Tsuneyasu shrugged. "Wouldn't you take the same chance if there was even the slimmest of hope of an alliance? Arenro doesn't care whose blood he spills on his way to destroying the clans, and the things he orders..." He closed his eyes briefly. "Those who he forces into the darker ways of magic go mad. If they do not go mad, their souls become so twisted that they are barely recognizable."

Funitsu glanced briefly at Tomika and said, "Why don't we continue this conversation with our entire group present? I think there is a solution, but it may be somewhat bloody."

I went and found Kittycat. He had been gorging himself in the cold room that had meat in it. Silly thing. Remind me to get more pickled eggs.

Thank you, shaman, that's enough.

Any time! I like telling stories.

They came out of the mirror and briefed Haku and I about the preceding. "So, basically, it's a trap. We know it's a trap, which is an advantage, but it's still a trap. If can somehow circumvent this..."

The librarian said, "I know Chikako is on the ship--she's my direct superior. I can ask for a meeting with her, and we can spring a trap of our own." The librarian explained that his three superiors in the hand were named Chikako, Takako, and Minaku. None of them, he said, could be trusted, and all were probably aligned with Arenro.

The rest of us liked the plan of the librarian's, and with a few more details added, we were ready to go. I saw Tomika's father, after determining who Tadaki was, hand him an orb that was identical to the ones that Tadaki and Panda carry. We now have the full set of three orbs--and that alone would make us hunted relentlessly, if our enemies knew.

The librarian carried the mirror into Chikako's meeting room aboard the ship, evidently without incident. When he gave the signal to us, my retinue came out of the mirror, one by one, leaving me and Karasuko behind. The Thrykeen were to hold off the rest of the people on the ship, while my retinue attempted to kill Chikako. When the smoke cleared and Panda called me out, I found my retinue more or less in one piece. Reiko was unconscious, but a quick inspection revealed that she'd merely been knocked out, rather than wounded so badly that she was bleeding to death. Tadaki had been stunned, and was sitting with his back propped against the wall, rubbing his head.

There was also a metal warrior, sitting down, seemingly deactivated now that its master was dead. The Thrykeen stood aside and let a few people into the room. Funitsu said, "Chikako was a traitor. Does anyone else feel like traitors today?"

With glances at the bloody body of their former commander, the Hand members shook their heads and murmured, "No, Lord."

The Scorpion asked for an accounting of what the shadow of the Scorpion had been doing, and they'd replied that a few days ago they had been sent to escort a ship full of Thrykeen warriors south, and today they had been assigned to guard a meeting Chikako had with the Crane. She had evidently been worried that it was a trap and the Crane were going to attack her.

If we didn't know that Arenro was probably behind the meeting, and that Chikako was probably planning to attack the Cranes, I'd feel a bit guilty about turning the tables against her.

The Crane girl, after we untied her, touched her leg and the tattoo of the wakizashi transformed into a real sword, coming away from her leg in her hand. She turned and with a fluid motion that I wouldn't expect from someone as gawky as she is, slapped the sword against Tadaki's leg. The sword disappeared, and as he pulled up his leggings to look, the tattoo that had been on her leg was now on his. The look of astonishment on his face was amusing to watch.

The girl grinned at him. "You look a likely type, wu jen. With this, you'll never be without a weapon. And it's a brother to the sword your Scorpion carries--with the two together, the passage it cuts through reality will go twice as far. There are three more of them, by the way."

At the moment as I write, the librarian, Funitsu, and Tomika's father are negotiating an agreement between themselves and the Crane who aren't sympathetic to Arenro. When I finish here, I'll go add my voice to the proceedings.

I believe we're going to try to find another piece of that key next, which might occasion a trip to Funitsu's home in Miyazaki. We'll see what happens, I'll discuss next moves with my retinue. I believe the librarian needs to find some backup for himself within the Hand, and there are some of his superiors that need to be eliminated to take care of the schism inside the organization. I don't pretend to understand the politics of the Hand, but I have a feeling I might need to before we're done. The librarian and I are due for a long talk, indeed. There's too much I don't know, and what I don't know may in fact harm us.

As are Funitsu and I, but I'm going to need to wait until the Scorpion is ready to talk. I worry that he's in over his head and is trying to handle everything himself. I hope, at least, he's recruited Tomika to help.

Miu's come to sit and bat at the end of my brush. I believe that's my cue to join the others in a discussion of our next move.

Quotes:

"Reiko is such an anime chick."
(Laura)

"Why don't we go in and play it by ear?"
"Isn't that what all of our plans end up being anyway?"
(Reiko and Haku)

"I was like, what, I can't go on a nine?"
"Nine's been cancelled today due to lack of interest."
(Laura and Bryan)

"Chiaku was a traitor. Anyone else feel like traitors today?"
"No, Lord."
(Funitsu, various ninjas)

"Did you say 'my brains are so useful?'"
(Laura)

(play date: 6/27/2004)