Chapter 1
Italics – Thoughts
1865, in the forests just at the outskirts of the Kyoto Domain.
She pulled her long dark hair back in a casual ponytail before refitting her straw hat back on. Readjusting her dark blue Haori, she tucked her sheathed katana in her waist belt and slung her small cloth bag over her shoulders. She heard a cacophony of loud cawing in the direction she was headed towards and shook her head. She supposed bandits were at it again. Along the way, she had managed to dispatch a few; that plus a few severed torsos of their comrades gave them a good enough reason to avoid her altogether. Silently, she made her way through the dense foliage towards the source of the ruckus.
As she approached the familiar clash of steel, she heard a loud bellow, "HAAAAH!" She raised her eyebrows in slight amusement at the obnoxiously loud battle cry – it wasn't a wonder why the birds got startled. Shrouding herself in the thicket, she watched the fight unfold before her.
An elaborate carriage was in the midst of the battle; together with a convoy of soldiers encircling and guarding it fiercely, it was no wonder the bandits attacked in full force. She could bet that it belonged to nobility of some sort. A few bandits had reached the carriage doors and flung it open, revealing two young women in the carriage. A bespectacled girl was clutching onto a small wooden chest as her companion, who was wielding a naginata, fended the intruders off. She easily gained her upper hand and joined the troops in battle.
Her moves were precise and graceful, a stark contrast to the loud girl who was wildly slashing her axe at her foes. It was clear that she had received training of some sort. Probably a samurai family, Natsuki mused, she sure looks like she can defend herself and her family if anything happens. Natsuki caught a sudden glint from the corner of her eye. A man was on her right, not far from where she was hiding, with a spear in hand. He poised himself, ready to release his spear at the unsuspecting woman engaged in combat.
She frowned and moved over swiftly to close the distance between the bandit and herself. As he gurgled frantically from his open throat, Natsuki stepped back, unwilling to soil her clothes as she was already so close to Kyoto. Walking into town with bloodied clothes would attract unnecessary attention. The bandit collapsed, spear still in hand.
The movement alerted the tawny haired woman and she glanced at the figure clad in blue and grey. She tried searching for a face, but it was hidden behind the large straw hat. Natsuki looked up as she felt eyes on her. In that brief moment, their eyes met and they were both surprised at the distinct vivid viridians and the crimson reds in each other's eyes. Their eye contact was broken when a large axe came cleaving at the stranger clad in dark blue.
Natsuki easily side-stepped the attack, using her opponent's back to spin behind her and took a defensive stance, hand on her katana.
"Haruka! Wait!" the crimson eyed girl cried, causing her companion to swivel around in confusion.
"There's just this one left!" Haruka yelled back.
Using the distraction, Natsuki spared the red-eyed girl a brief nod and disappeared into the depths of the forest.
She watched as the navy haired girl spun around, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared. She sighed softly in disappointment – she didn't get a chance to thank the mysterious swordsman.
"Shizuru!" a loud bellow snapped her back to reality. "Why didn't you let me get that rebel! I'll show them! Thinking that they could steal from us!"
"Ara, Haruka, that stranger helped me." Shizuru pointed to the slain man lying in the thicket, blood trailing from his open throat. "He was about to send a spear through my head, but stranger-han took care of him before he could."
Haruka snorted as she strode to the carriage, "Let's just get to Kyoto. Just our luck to get attacked on the last stretch of the way." She frowned as she saw the small girl clutching a box tightly, apparently disorientated as her spectacles were nowhere to be found. "Yukino! Are you alright?"
"Y-yes Haruka-chan. But I think I dropped my spectacles in the scuffle."
Haruka rummaged in her small pouch by her side and pulled out a spare. She carefully placed it on the bridge of Yukino's nose and smiled brightly. "There."
Yukino blushed slightly while whispering, "Arigato, Haruka-chan. Thankfully they did not manage to get anything."
"Not while I'm around!" Haruka nodded vehemently, "We need this money to reach Kyoto safely, for the sake of the joint collaboration between the Shogunate and Dutch-Nippon Investments! Let's go before it gets dark!"
Shizuru shook her head at the antics of her brash companion and stepped into the carriage as the convoy headed off for Kyoto.
XXX
1865, At Mai's shop.
"Mai, usual, please."
"Nat-chan! You're back from Nagasaki!"
She growled in protest. She really hated that term of endearment; it just reminded her of the past.
"Hai, hai. No Nat-chan," Mai asked while clearing a table, "How was Nagasaki? Did you manage to find any leads?"
A grunt. Mai knew her friend better then to probe further from that response.
"Anyway," Mai said as she hustled to the counter before returning with a pouch, "These are the profits for the last six months."
"I told you before, keep it and let it roll." Natsuki murmured.
"But, you started this place… Don't you need the money for your travels?"
"Well, I'm going to be back for a while now. Just feed me, eh?" Natsuki offered a rare grin to her old friend.
Mai chuckled, "Alright. Your usual, coming up!" She called as she trotted off to the kitchen.
Natsuki settled down, glancing around at the restaurant that she had left six months ago for Nagasaki. She had missed it and its exuberant chefs, Mai and Takumi. She had travelled to Nagasaki when she obtained information that she could find out more on her mother's execution. She let out a soft sigh. It had been seven years since her mother had been executed by the Shogunate for harboring a foreigner.
XXX
Flashback
1849, At a small hillside village located somewhere in Hokkaido Domain.
Saeko had been living alone in a small hillside village since her parents had died, making a comfortable living from working at the store and by teaching the local children the way of the sword, which had been imparted to her from her father – the Okami swordstyle – which took its form from the wolves prowling the hills just beyond the village.
According to her mother, their family had been living in the mountainous regions with the wild beasts before Saeko decided to move down to earn extra money to support a young Natsuki as her husband had never returned after participating in a war. Natsuki didn't doubt her words. She herself had multiple encounters with the fierce and proud beasts when she was a child, it was a strange connection that she couldn't understand.
Saeko had just finished a night lesson at a student's place and she was walking past the waterbanks on her way home. She noticed a figured crumpled on the bank and approached him, startled by the golden locks he sported. Throwing caution to the wind, she half-dragged the exhausted man home, knowing he would be immediately arrested once morning arrived as foreigners were not allowed in Feudal Japan unless carrying a special permit issued by the Shogun. He was of German descent and he was crossing the seas, bound for China before pirates had captured the ship, throwing him and his crew members overboard.
1849, At the Kuga Household.
A curious five year old Natsuki had poked her head past the sliding doors to sneak a peek at the strange, pale man who had just roused from his three day long slumber. Saeko bid her in and she reluctantly pushed her tray she was carrying over. "Onigiri," she muttered, staring defiantly into his light blue eyes.
It wasn't long before she found herself looking up to him as a father for the one she had lost; and he grew steadily attached to the defiant rascal whom he treated like his own daughter. Saeko merely smiled at the interaction between her two loves, glad that her family was complete once again. He and Natsuki would spend their days tending to their small patch of potatoes and yams hidden from the main streets, hidden under the large straw hats as an added precaution. As Saeko went off daily at her job at the general store, they would stay home and finish up on the household chores. With the money Saeko made from her job and with the additional funds from the lessons she conducted, they were able to make ends meet. They could even splurge on salmon or eel occasionally and life was good.
1850, At the Kuga Household.
On her sixth birthday, he presented his little girl a set of pistols from Germany. He was a top engineer back home and he had tucked away the weapons he had brought along with him, secretly restoring it. He taught her how to create and mix gunpowder from the trees and they practiced her aim deep in the depths of the mountainous caverns, far from nosy wanderers. Saeko had given her a traditional Japanese Katana that had been handed down through her family. That also officially began her training with her mother on their family's swordstyle.
Less than a year after Natsuki's sixth birthday, Alyssa was born. Natsuki had adored her little sister, hustling around to assist her mother in any way she could. Faking the excuse that her mother had fell terribly ill for the nine months; she beseeched the general store owner to let her run deliveries to lessen the financial burden. They resumed their trainings soon after Alyssa turned one. By the time she was twelve, she had become an expert marksman and an equally skilled swordsman.
XXX
Summer 1856, At the mountains behind the Kuga Household.
"Onee-san," Alyssa pouted, clinging onto her sister's back as they trekked up the mountains to head to a secret waterfall Natsuki had found while wandering. "How long more till we reach this place of yours?"
Alyssa had tied a large cloth over her head to cover her blonde hair she had acquired from her father. Natsuki had swept her hair into a casual ponytail, her favorite katana tucked in her waist belt and her pistols hidden in the folds of her attire.
"We're almost there, Alyssa. And why are you complaining when I'm the one walking," Natsuki turned her head slightly to face her younger sister with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, we'll have fun. Dad and mum gave us the day off since it's your sixth birthday."
Alyssa jiggled the cloth bag tied to her shoulders and grinned at her beloved sister, "I made the bentos with what you and mum brought home from the market. You have to finish it all, okay? I worked hard on it!"
"Of course, Alyssa. You know I never pass up on a meal you made." Natsuki grinned at her younger sister.
They arrived at the small clearing after a while and Alyssa gaped at the magnificent waterfall before them. The afternoon sun made the water sparkle and at the edge of the pool, there was a small cliff, perfect for leaping into the water to cool off from the afternoon heat. Natsuki set her down and she joyfully scampered to the edge of the water, eyes glistening in excitement. They spent the rest of the day enjoying each other's company and gobbling the delicious bentos Alyssa made.
"Alyssa, I have something for you." Natsuki said in between mouthfuls. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out two silver hairpins shaped like a lightning bolt.
Alyssa squealed in delight, "Arigato Onee-san! Are those matching pairs?" she asked as Natsuki helped her to clip it between her golden locks.
"Yeah, I managed to get a big tip on the last delivery and I saw this at the store," she replied as she clipped up her fringe. "You like it?"
"Of course! I will never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever take it off!" Alyssa gave a solemn face, before she broke into a giggle as she tackled her sister in delight.
XXX
Summer, 1859, At the Kuga Household.
"Okaa-san! I'm headed off to the next town for deliveries now. Yoshi-san promised me a big bonus for this trip!" the fifteen year old Natsuki called as she packed a spare set of clothes for her trip.
"Wait, Nat-chan!" Her mother replied, before she rushed into the room with a small pouch. "Take this extra cash. I don't want you to worry about money when you're away from home."
Natsuki peered in, "That's too much! I'm not taking that, you need it more than me."
"Nat-chan, just listen to your mother. We will be fine." Her father slid the doors open, with a basket full of potatoes.
"Yeah, onee-san. Don't worry about us. We're all safe here." Alyssa added.
Natsuki sighed in mock defeat. "Hai, everyone wins except me," earning herself a playful nudge from her mother, "Well, I'm off! Can't be late!"
"Waaaait! Onee-san! You forgot the food I packed for you!" Alyssa cried as her sister dashed out of the gates.
"Ahhh right!" Natsuki rushed back and grabbed the bag in Alyssa's hands before giving her sister a peck on the forehead. "I'll be back soon, otou-san, okaa-san!" she yelled as she sprinted off.
XXX
She returned to her village five days after she left. It was close to midnight and she had arrived home to find the gates slightly ajar, sparking alarm bells to go off in her head. She spotted a red notice tagged on the gate and she dropped the note in horror. The Shogunate's men had been here. They had found out about her dad and Alyssa.
Not knowing if the authorities were still around, she quietly snuck into the house to search for her family. What she saw in the main hall turned her whole life around – laying there on the polished wooden floor was her mother's decapitated body. "Hhhh." She sucked in her breath before collapsing on the ground. Ignoring the blood-caked floors, she crawled through the pooling blood and rested her head on her mother's bosom, soft sobs racking her chest. She lay there for hours and her crying soon subsided. She didn't have any tears left in her and she felt nothing but numbness as she wrapped her arms around herself, rocking back and forth.
The sun had begun to rise and she opened her eyes when she heard loud voices drifting in from the yard.
"You think the kid will be back today?"
"I guess so. She just went to the neighboring town. It's about a week's journey."
A sigh, "What a troublesome family. The little bitch kid kicked my shin, damn fucking gaijins. And now we have to wait here all day till the brat shows."
"Well, the woman was no trouble. Smith had no problems carrying out the execution. I have to give it to her though; she has the guts of a samurai. The reports from First District were that this family had a great sword style that was carried down, seems it's true."
"Hah. A samurai would never illegally hide a foreigner in her home," the first voice snorted in contempt before continuing, "Of course the reports are accurate. I heard that this case had been prioritized by First District. Someone was really going all out to get them."
"Yeah, I mean, they're staying a long way from the main street. The neighbors didn't even know about the gaijins. All they ever saw coming in and out of the house were the mother and the girl." He paused to slid open the main doors to the hall. "Well, whatever, I'm just following the Shogun's orders. How First District got the information on them isn't my problem."
"Hey! It's the kid!" the bearded man yelled as he pushed open the doors and stepped into the hall, noticing the dark-haired figure hunched over the corpse. "Get up!" He barked as he brandished his sword, motioning for his fellow samurai to get behind the girl.
"We're acting on behalf of the Shogun. Turn around and throw your swords on the ground!" the taller samurai shouted at the motionless girl who was covered in blood.
She turned her head to face the tall man, "First District, you said? They told the Shogunate otou-san's location?"
"That's none of your business. Throw your swords on the ground!" the bearded man behind her commanded. "You have three seconds! Move! Now!"
She smirked sadistically, "So do you. Answer me," she replied, still looking at the tall man.
He swallowed. This girl was confident, despite her young age. He could see it in her eyes. He knew how the greatest swordsmen were made. Swordsmanship was the art of killing – this was the perfect catalyst to creating a deadly swordsman – he knew she wouldn't hesitate to kill now. With her family executed, the girl had nothing else left to lose.
"Damn it, just die! You're just a fucking kid!" the brash, bearded man screamed, dashing forward and drew his sword.
The older samurai watch in astounded horror as the girl easily parried the blade, deflecting it with a long pull before swiveling around on the balls of her feet and used the momentum to leave a gaping slash in his back. She walked over to his twitching figure, picked up his sword and kicked him over. "I'm talking," she murmured softly before stabbing the blade down through his gaping mouth and sheathed her sword.
"Answer me," she said as she looked down at her handiwork without hint of emotion on her face.
"Y-yes. The Shogunate enforcement sent us here on First District's information."
"Smith."
He gulped, "Smith is a representative of First District. He came with the information on your family to the Shogun."
"My father and sister."
"They were taken by the First District," he replied slowly as he watched her. She was extremely hard to read and he doubted her sanity. Finding her mother in this state could break anyone. He didn't want to fan the flames, but the look on her face got him talking. "Nagasaki, but…"
"But they're probably dead," she replied coldly as she glared at him.
He didn't respond.
"Fight me." She motioned.
He hesitated and his hand that was grasping onto the base of his sword twitched. He didn't realize that he had unconsciously placed it there, ready to draw.
"Fight me as a samurai." She repeated in monotone.
Sensing no room for negotiation, he drew his sword and assumed his starting stance. Neither moved for a full minute. Breaking the stalemate, he inhaled and charged. The last thing he saw was a dark haired figure coming at him from all directions. He let out a short gasp and the last thing on his mind was gratitude that he was granted a quick and painless death.