The only character in this fic that actually belongs to me is the horse, Yume. I'm just borrowing the others from Watashi Yuu and Pioneer for a while. I promise I won't hurt them.

Divergence
Prologue

A young girl lay peacefully asleep, long red hair spread out around her in a tangled net, a slight smile playing across her lips as she entered a pleasant dream.
"Kaen!" an urgent voice broke through her slumber, and she woke to find a middle-aged woman, her mother, shaking her.
"Momma?" She groggily whispered, voice thick with sleep as she tried to get her tired eyes to focus on the face above her.
"Kaen, you have to get up. It's important."
There were tears running down the older woman's face and a tremor in her voice. Kaen noticed this and sat bolt upright in bed, suddenly terrified that something horrible had happened. "Momma, what is it?" she asked, voice tight with fear. "Did something happen to Daddy, or Shion?"
"No Kaen. Your father and brother are fine, but... " The woman took a deep breath, seeming to steel her nerves, and when she spoke again her voice was steady, "Kaen, you have to leave."
"Leave? Momma, what are you talking about? Why would I want to leave? Where would I go?" This place had been Kaen's home her entire life, she couldn't understand what her mother meant. There was no place for her other than here.
"Oh Kaen, oh my sweet one." Her mother said, pulling the child into her arms, "Your father has done a terrible thing darling, and I can't allow the evil he has committed to take you. So instead I'll give you up freely rather then have you torn from my arms."
Kaen stared up at the woman, now completely confused. What she was saying made no sense. Her father had done many things that might not be considered good, but never anything that could be called evil. "Momma, what do you mean?"
"Kaen, your father sold you to a brothel."
"What?" Kaen stared up at the woman, thinking of the women, and men, she had only seen a few times in the past. The people with faces heavily made up into what others would consider beauty. The people with the lifeless eyes behind their smiles and beautiful clothing. The people her mother had just told her she was supposed to join.
"He was offered a good price for you, and took the money. They will come to take you in the morning. I would have gotten you out of here sooner but he only told me today. I don't know what he's going to tell your brother."
"Momma, where could I go? I don't know anyone I could stay with."
"I know that darling. By Seiryuu, I would give anything to keep you here, or at least to send you to someone I know I could trust, but there is no one. You're so young Kaen, so very young, but you'll have to go out and live life on your own now." She reached out and wrapped Kaen's hair around her hand. The girl noticed the knife glinting in the woman's hand for the first time just as it came up and sliced straight through her thick hair, leaving the once long locks so short that they just brushed her neck under her ears.
She reached up and touched the bare skin of her neck, shocked. For as long as she could remember her hair had been long, a heavy weight against her back, and now it was gone. She was amazed at how light her head suddenly felt, but at the same time couldn't understand why her mother had done this. "Momma, what am I supposed to do after that?"
The woman held out a handful of cloth, which Kaen recognized as some of her brother Shion's old clothes that he had grown out of. Still not understanding she allowed her mother to help her into the unfamiliar feeling clothing. When her mother began speaking again she was shocked as she suddenly realized what was expected of her.
"You will live as a boy." The woman ignored Kaen's shocked gasp as she sheathed the knife she had used to cut the girl's hair and continued speaking. "It is much less likely you'll be assaulted if people believe you are male, and you will be able to get respectable work. It will be hard to find people who will give work to a nine-year-old, but there are always things you can do, like helping merchants unpack their ware or other small jobs. Not anything which will get much money, but hopefully enough so that you can live." She handed the girl- who now with her short hair and brother's clothing really did look like a boy- the sheathed knife. It was a surprisingly fine weapon, with scales etched on the handle, ending in gold dragon's head with saphirre eyes. "This knife is a family keepsake. One of my ancestors was given it after performing a service to the emperor. Your father never found out about it or he would have taken it, but now I give it to you. It may look as though it's just decorative, but despite its handle it was made to be a weapon, and that's how you will use it. Wear it under your clothing so the gold will not be seen by thieves, and learn to wield it at night when you won't be seen. I would not send you out into the world unprotected."
The girl tucked the knife into her pants and covered it with her shirt, then was almost roughly pulled to her feet by her mother, who was looking anxiously toward the window. "We have to go quickly dear heart." The woman said, "It is already deep into the night, and we'll need all the time we can get to make sure you get away safely. Now come, I have one more gift for you."
They ran through the house together, the girl completely silent, trusting her mother to keep her safe yet at the same time incredibly afraid since she realized that this would be the last night she would have that safety. They were leaving the house, and the girl's eyes widened as she took in the sight of two beautiful light gray dappled horses, who almost seemed to glow under the moonlight. In contrast to the beauty of the animals, their saddles were very old and worn, and they weren't wearing bridles at all, but the girl didn't notice this. Kaen ran forward and hugged the nearest one, a mare, while her mother smiled softly behind her. "Momma, where did you get them? They're so beautiful."
Her mother smiled slightly, pleased at the reaction her daughter was showing. "They're from the shogun. He owes me a debt, which he is paying tonight. I never thought of anything to ask of him until now. Whichever of the horses you want you may keep, the other is mine to borrow for the night and then return."
Kaen smiled widely and flung her arms around the mare's neck, smiling brightly. "My own horse," she sighed. "Thank you so much mama!"
"You're welcome sweetheart," the woman said, at the same time pulling the girl away from the horse, to boost her into the saddle, "There is also a small pouch of money in your saddlebag, along with some spare clothing. Don't spend it unless it's an emergency. One final piece of advice dear heart, grow out that horses hair and don't wash it. Try to teach it to walk slowly, with its head down. It's trained to fight if someone tries to steal it, but it's better that they don't try at all. That's less likely to happen if it looks old and beaten."
Kaen looked at the horses, wondering how that could ever be made to look old. She didn't voice her thoughts though, instead silently waiting for her mother to mount. They set out without another word, heading toward Konan and Kaen's freedom.
They rode quickly, leaving the roads behind after a short while to travel through the woods almost due south. They continued to stay silent, neither knowing how to break the silence which lay between them. Her mother guided Kaen with small gestures, and the girl found it easy enough to follow her. She quickly lost track of time; the moon and stars weren't visible through the thick foliage to see how they moved. Finally, after a long ride, they stopped at the banks of a river.
Her mother sighed softly, and at the same time smiled with relief. "Kaen, this section of the river marks part of the boundary between Kutou and Konan. Thank god they still don't post guards here. All you have to do is swim across and you'll be home free."
Kaen stared at the water, eyes wide, "But it's so deep! And it looks like there's a fast current. Momma, I'm scared."
"Don't worry. You can actually walk across most of it; the water in the center is actually only a few inches deeper then the bottoms of your feet. I grew up near here, and we used to use it as a swimming hole in the summers. The water looks deep and fast so strangers don't think you can get past it, and that's why no one ever bothers with guarding it when there's an obvious ford just a half mile downstream." She helped the girl down from the horse and began stripping her down. "I'll tie your clothes to the saddle, they shouldn't get too wet there. Get dressed as soon as you've crossed, I don't want you wandering around naked and catching a chill. After that you should be home free." The mother closed her eyes, and pulled her daughter tightly to her. "Kaen, I love you so much. Stay safe. One day, when you're older, come back here alright? Let me know you're still alive."
"Momma," Kaen whispered, returning the embrace, "Do I have to do this? Isn't there any other way?"
"No. I've tried to convince your father not to go through with this, but I couldn't. Just take care of yourself. I'm sure every thing will be alright." She pushed Kaen away, and into the river, "Now go!" She handed the girl a handful of the horse's mane, and pushed her again, "Don't be afraid, you'll be there before you know it!"
Kaen began walking forward at these words, keeping the opposite bank in view as she slowly made her way forward, the horse obediently following. She soon realized that this way was far to slow, and she pushed off and began swimming, glad that her brother had taken the time to teach her the past few summers. The water was cold, but not too bad. She was lucky it was summer, even if it had been a cold one that year. She ignored the chill, concentrating on moving her arms and legs in a steady rhythm, glad to hear from the splashing behind her that the horse still was behind her. She tried her best to keep a straight course, but the water in her eyes and the darkness of the night combined to make it impossible to see the bank now even when she tried, so she was going completely on instinct.
Finally she reached the other side. She hadn't even realized how close she'd gotten until her fingers brushed the rocky floor of the river, and then she rolled onto her back and stood up, grabbing hold of the horse once more. She trembled as she took her first few steps out of the water and onto dry land, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from her body during the long crossing. She stopped once she actually reached the shore, leaning heavily against the horse for support as she regained her strength. Finally she really noticed how cold she was, and got moving again. She quickly untied her new clothing from the horse, grimacing when she realized that one of her shirtsleeves had fallen from the bundle and the end was soaking wet. She debated whether or not to get another shirt out of her saddlebags, then decided against it. It was better to wear the damp shirt then to put it in the saddlebag and get her other clothing damp as well.
Once dressed she looked across the river, to where she could dimly make out the shape of her mother. She waved once then mounted the horse, turning and setting off into the woods. She rode for almost another hour, and then finally exhaustion overwhelmed her and she left the horse, collapsing into a boneless heap onto the leaves covering the forest floor. There she slept deeply, well into the day.