Poisoned Sakura - Prologue
It was a bright sunny day in feudal Japan, the old capital of Kyoto bustling with the dawning of a new morning. A young woman with a plump figure hurried out of the blue shop front for Absolute Victory Restaurant. "I'll hurry back!" she called out as she quickly left the small restaurant into the busy Japanese streets. She struggled to keep her pink kimono skirts up with one hand as the other tightly held onto a parcel of food tied in a kerchief.
She called out to her shop neighbors, "Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Sako!" The older gentleman bowed and his wife smiled sweetly.
"Have you heard the news, Asuma?" Mrs. Sako asked as the girl passed by.
"I have not," she replied, drawing in closer.
"I heard from a peddler this morning that had gone to Owari that Lord Nobunaga is about to start a huge war!"
Asuma's hand flew to her mouth in surprise, "How horrible!"
"I know, dear. Such a tragedy. Be safe, your family is in my thoughts."
"Same to you Mrs. Sako"
Asuma hurried along, her curly brown hair bouncing with each step and her green eyes wide with worry. Five years ago Asuma's father had left for war, only never to return. His death broke her heart and she still mourned his passing. Asuma didn't wish to lose more family and friends in the same way, and this news brought her no comfort to assuage this fear.
The woman took a deep breath, touching the hairpin nestled in her curls, and calmed down. Asuma scrunched up her nose and thought to herself that no customer would buy food from a sullen face and that she needed to straighten herself up and smile. All Asuma knew for certain was today. A smile crossed her beautiful round face and she continued her brisk journey through the stony streets.
As Asuma was on her way, a young black haired boy suddenly ran out in front of her, dashing through the street playing with his pinwheel. Not realizing where he was going, he ran into a stumbling, grey-haired drunkard. "Watch it, ya brat!" The hulking man barked, struggling to keep his balance as the little boy lay on the street, tears running down his face. The child tried to whimper out an apology as the old drunk raised a hand to smack him. The breath caught in Asuma's chest, not wanting to see the child hurt but unable to stop the man as she was too far away.
A deep voice reverberated from the crowd, "Enough!" Asuma turned towards the voice and saw a man on horseback surrounded by soldiers. He wore thick red robes, sported dark auburn hair, and carried his head high with authority. Someone amongst the crowd exclaimed, "The crests on their clothing… Owari… that must be Lord Nobunaga!" Asuma gulped with worry as she wondered if he had come to the capitol on business or for battle.
Lord Nobunaga spoke again, "A grown man who raises his hand to a child? You are a disgrace." The drunk fell to the ground, his head pressed against the dirt as his lips trembled with apologies and begged for mercy. The lord ignored him and called out without a moment's hesitation, "Mitsuhide! Take care of him." Lord Nobunaga spurred his horse forward, his men following in practiced marching behind him.
A younger samurai dressed in dull blue robes with short, mousey, brown hair walked coolly towards the drunk. Asuma watched in fear, thinking that must be Mitsuhide. Was he really going to execute this man in the middle of the street? Asuma froze until Mitsuhide spoke with an odd calmness to his voice. "As you were, sir. Please." The drunk looked up, confused and mouth agape. Mitsuhide continued, "You are to leave this place, and you will not return until tomorrow, understood?"
The drunk stammered out, "Y-yes, milord… until tomorrow!"
"You will not find such fortune on your side again."
The old man struggled to his feet, nodding his head vigorously, and tripped over himself hurrying to get out of the city. Mitsuhide drew closer to the young boy who was knocked over, and retrieved the pinwheel from the ground. He handed it back, and the boy took it with a huge smile, thanking Mitsuhide many times over. The child, along with the rest of the crowd, watched in awe as Mitsuhide walked away smiling, headed in the same direction his Lord went. A wave of relief washed over Asuma and as the citizens began crowding the streets once more, she dove into the commotion, zig zagging through the bustle to reach her destination.
Soon she arrived at a restaurant with a red paneled front and a sign that read "Ming's Red Lotus Restaurant." Asuma circled around back into the kitchen, greeting everyone with a jolly, "Delivery! Thank-you for waiting so long." The smile suddenly vanished and a look of curiosity replaced it as she looked around at the fiery ovens and boiling pots. In her many times of delivering to this restaurant, Asuma had never seen the cooking staff so busy.
"What's going on around here? Why the rush?" She asked one of the familiar waitresses, Mei, passing by. Mei looked at her wide eyed and replied, "I don't know who it is but I've heard that one of the most notorious warlords is coming here… to our restaurant!" Asuma nodded in understanding, wondering who it was that was visiting. "Perhaps more of Lord Nobunaga's men?" She exclaimed and Mei shrugged her shoulders, hurrying off to her duties.
Asuma untied the red kerchief package she had carried and opened the bamboo box, letting a sweet smell waft into the air. The box was filled with dorayaki, desserts consisting of a castella pancake folded over with sweet azuki bean paste in the middle, and Asuma's stomach growled. The dessert looked so delectable and the young woman hurried to get the box situated so she could leave the temptation behind.
The hostess of the restaurant, none other than Ming herself, spotted Asuma as she was unwrapping the kerchief on one of the kitchen counters. "Oh, Asuma! Perfect timing!" She called out, weaving her way amongst the cooks and waitresses. She gratefully grabbed Asuma's hand when she neared and asked, "We have special guests coming and not nearly enough hands to properly serve them. Would you be willing to lend us yours?" Asuma thought of how Ming's restaurant had kept Absolute Victory in business for so long and knew it would be dishonorable to refuse. "I'll gladly help! Tell me where to go and what to do!" Asuma had suddenly jumped from delivery girl status to waiting on a notorious warlord.
As Asuma scurried through the kitchen, bringing out tray after tray filled with plates of food into the large restaurant, a kind looking man called her from the hallway as she brought in another serving dish. "Is that food for this room?" he asked sweetly. Asuma nodded, replying, "Yes it is!" and the gentleman smirked at her enthusiasm. He had golden hair that matched his golden robes and his smile lit up the whole room. "Perfect! Would you mind taking a bite of this?" He questioned as he grabbed a seasoned shrimp from Asuma's tray, holding it to her lips. A blush flushed her cheeks and she was dumbstruck at what to do, unable to refuse with her hands because of the tray. "Come on, open up! " the man chuckled, still urging her to eat the morsel. Asuma saw no other way of resolving the situation besides eating the food and began to open her mouth.
A light brown haired man with large ears and a pleasant face emerged beside the golden haired one, taking the shrimp and eating it himself. The golden haired gentleman asked "Hideyoshi?", and the other looked back at him displeased. Suddenly, Hideyoshi, who had taken the food, perked up with a smile, "This is good!" He continued eating the food off the tray and Asuma was left speechless. In between bites, Hideyoshi exclaimed, "It's just like home! Just like mama used to make! Come on, Ieyasu, get in here!" The man next to him grabbed a bite, examining it, and exclaimed, "So it's safe, I see." He grabbed one of the plates on the tray and left for the dining room.
A wave of fury rushed through Asuma. What kind of man could smile so sweetly as he asked her, an innocent stranger, to potentially be poisoned by testing his food?! It shouldn't have mattered that these were two of the most powerful men in Japan; commoners were humans too. The angry thought made her ears burn. Asuma forced herself to follow Hideyoshi and Ieyasu into the room and began serving plates.
Asuma overheard Hideyoshi say, "What the hell did you think you were doing?! You can't just charm a woman you don't know into tasting for poison! This isn't a game you know!" Asuma tried her best to ignore them, but the anger of knowing she could've potentially died if the food had been poisoned made her unable to not eavesdrop.
Once the last plates were all delivered, she quickly walked back to the kitchen, trying to compose herself. The food had all been served and the hostess thanked Asuma many times over with many bows and the young woman hurried back to her own restaurant. Helping with the banquet had taken longer than expected and the girl practically jogged through the streets to get back to work at Absolute Victory.
As she drew closer to the restaurant, Asuma's stomach began to churn. Waiting outside Absolute Victory was the village magistrate, Takimo, tugging on his black mustache. His double chin billowed out from his gaudy gold and silver robes as he stood with an air of entitlement. Asuma frowned. Many times, she had been the victim of the magistrate's advances, but lately his offers of marriage had become more frequent and adamant.
Asuma looked towards the ground, trying to rush by in order to enter the restaurant, but her pursuer stood in front of her with a big smile as he smoothed down the black hair on either side of his shaved head and adjusted his ponytail in back. "Oh, my sweet, how long are you going to make me wait before you become my bride?" He asked in a saddened tone. "You'll live a life of luxury. You could be the most pampered wife in the village!"
Asuma looked at him disgustedly, "I'm perfectly fine with where I am. I refuse to marry for any other reason than love." She tried to continue forwards, hoping her reply would end his advances, but Takimo only took it as a challenge and stopped her again. "If you marry a great man like me, little girl, I'll turn your pathetic roadside shack into a real restaurant!"
Asuma stared furiously at the magistrate. Roadside shack?! How dare he insult her family's restaurant! Her mind boiled at his words. Asuma's father had been a great chef, serving the Shogun himself, before going into business, and this man had the audacity to criticize that?! Trying to keep her composure, Asuma looked him straight in the eye and exclaimed, "I concede that our restaurant isn't as grand as others may be, but the heart and soul behind my father's Absolute Victory menu calls great men here from across the country! I will not stand here and listen to a pathetic man like you belittle what he has built!" Her voice had risen to a yell, and several villagers peaked out of their windows to see what the commotion was about.
Takimo stared at Asuma, stunned at her outburst. But it was replaced with laughter as he chuckled, "Oooooh, you're even cuter when you're angry, you know that?" He grabbed Asuma by the arm with a smirk and she struggled to pull away. Suddenly, the magistrate fell into the dirt, face first, and a boy of about twelve years old stood over him with a scowl on his face. "Go back to Hell where you belong, you dirty old pervert," the young boy yelled. "You won't lay another hand on my sister as long as I'm around!" A few of the villagers cheered as Asuma's younger brother, Yahiko, stood victoriously over Takimo.
The magistrate's face twisted in anger and he scurried to his feet, brushing dirt from his ostentatious robes. "Filthy brat," he spat at Yahiko, readying his hand to strike the boy, when someone grabbed his wrist from behind.
"Inuchiyo!" Asuma called out graciously to the rescuer as he flipped the magistrate back onto the ground. Inuchiyo's pink robes and black hair waved with his quick movements as he immobilized the enemy. Takimo began to tremble, knowing he was outmatched. Once he surrendered, Inuchiyo let the magistrate up from the ground and the pervert began to run out of town, dirt kicked up from each hard footstep of his retreat.
Asuma turned to Inuchiyo and bowed repeatedly as she said, "Thank-you so much! I cannot thank you enough for looking out for me!" The two had grown up in Kyoto and were childhood friends, akin to brother and sister. Inuchiyo scowled and retorted, "Stop being so stubborn and find yourself a husband who can protect you already." Asuma crossed her arms and growled back, "I could… but you know damn well I swore I wouldn't until Yahiko could take over the restaurant."
"I know, I know."
"You think I'm just trying to avoid marriage altogether, don't you? I'll have you know that I really-"
But Asuma cut herself short. She had finally looked Inuchiyo over, realizing he was covered with various bags of gear. Too many just to travel through town with. He was obviously headed for battle and Asuma frowned. When battle arose, all of the men in the village were beckoned to the front lines. Though tragic, there was nothing to be done about it.
"How long until you return this time?" Asuma asked, her gaze full of concern as she looked at her long time friend. "Worry about yourself and your family, Asuma. I'll be back before you know it," he said with a gentle smile. Inuchiyo looked down at Yahiko and rustled his hair before continuing down the road towards his destination.
Yahiko grumbled about war being stupid, balling up his fists until he burst out, "I wish I could be big and strong like him. I wanna be the kind of man who can protect you!" Asuma giggled and she hugged her brother tightly. "Oh, Yahiko, I'm sorry. Thank you for protecting your big sister from that nasty old Tamiko. You were very brave and strong!"
"I… didn't really…" he murmured with a blush, looking away shyly. Asuma pinched his nose, trying to assure him that she loved him more than ever.
Mr. Mushimi, the neighbor on the other side of the restaurant shook his head and spoke to his daughter in front of their store, "Sounds like this is going to be the worst battle yet our men are headed for!" Asuma and Yahiko both turned to where Inuchiyo had just headed moments before. But he was nowhere to be seen amongst the throngs of people moving through the city.
Asuma said a quiet prayer for her friend and Yahiko stared up at her, studying her face intently, before he joked, "Someone misses Inuchiyo already, huh?" Asuma playfully punched his arm, as a giggle erupted from Yahiko's mischievous smile, and the two hurried inside of Absolute Victory. Asuma instinctively touched her hairpin to make sure it was secure. It had become her good luck charm, and she subconsciously hoped it would keep her and those she cared about safe.
The closed shoji windows let a soft light into the small restaurant, making it seem as if the wooden tables and pillowed stools were in the shade of a tall tree. From the kitchen a woman called out to Yahiko and Asuma, "Hurry up, hurry up! You two are going to work your mother to death with your playing around." Yahiko went back to his duties and Asuma gave her mother a short kiss on the cheek. "What on Earth took you so long!?" Asuma's mother asked, her gray hair pulled into a low bun as frustration played behind her brown eyes. Asuma tied an apron around her waist, pushed the sleeves of her kimono back and quickly said, "I am so sorry, mama. It's a… long story."
"You can tell me later. Get this order to the gentlemen in the back." Asuma nodded her head and took the tray of steaming food as her mother shooed her away.
As she headed to the private rooms in the back, out of the corner of her eye Asuma saw a man sitting in a quiet spot, sipping a cup of sake. He was a regular, a traveller most likely as evidenced by his periods of absence, but whenever he was in town, he would eat at Absolute Victory for all of his meals. Something about the man intrigued Asuma. He had a mysterious commanding air about him that made him seem deserving of respect. One of his eyes was hidden under a patch, but he had the face of the most handsome man in the world in the young woman's opinion. His short black hair fell in such a way that it covered the patch, but left his other eye, the color of bright green grass, unhindered to see.
Asuma hurried the tray to the back of the restaurant to a table of male customers and came back through, fetching a pitcher of sake from the bar. She had never openly made advances upon the traveller, much preferring him to take the first step, but she still wanted him to know she was a friendly presence open to talking. "Thank you so much for stopping in," she said softly while smiling sweetly and refilled his cup. When she received no reply, Asuma worried she may have bothered him and backed away with a bow making sure to keep quiet.
Her attempts at peace were foiled when a commotion arose from the private rooms where the food had just been served. A stout man in purple robes appeared and shouted, "Hey girl! There's bugs in our food. What are you gonna do about it?!" A look of confusion crossed Asuma's face. She had just served the food, sure of there being no insects in the bowls and on the plates. As she hurried to the man, two more men appeared, one a tall beanpole of a man in gray and the other a muscular fellow in yellow. The beanpole growled, "Look at this garbage on my rice!" and he shoved his bowl in Asuma's face. The man in yellow pushed his cup forward and scowled, "There's flies in the sake, too! What the hell are you trying to pull?"
Asuma knew there was no way the bugs had been there before, sensing the men planted the creatures in their food to create a stir. The words caught in Asuma's throat and she tried to listen to them and formulate a response, but Yahiko stepped between her and the thugs, stoically saying, "We don't serve bug-ridden food and never have! Stop spouting out crap!" The stout man lumbered towards Yahiko and grunted, "Oh, what's this? You think you can play with the big boys, now do ya, kid?" He picked the boy up by his blue collar and tossed him into the wooden wall. Yahiko hit with a thud and rubbed the back of his head from the pain.
"Let's tear this dump to the ground!" The beanpole said after guffawing at Yahiko's pain. He picked up one of the stools, ready to smash it into the floor. "Please, stop!" Asuma cried out, rushing to stop him. The yellow dressed thug kicked her in the side, and she slammed into the wall. The pain was sharp and Asuma tried to shake it off, but tears began to well up in her eyes as she experienced something even more painful. Upon the floor was her beloved hairpin, broken into pieces. Her heart sank immediately, and the breath that left her lips was shallow and ragged.
The man that had kicked Asuma looked down at the hairpin and stammered, "The hell is this?" He shifted his weight to one leg, lifting the other, meaning to crush the rest of the hairpin into the shop floor when Asuma yelled out, "No! Don't!" She leapt for his leg, but as she did so, the man grabbed her by the collar and readied himself to punch her.
Asuma grimaced instinctively, waiting for the pain to hit, but it never did. The beanpole and stout thug had been knocked to their knees, and the yellow one turned around, frightened. Standing tall amongst them was the traveller, taller than before and more menacing with his thick green robes. He sheathed his sword, his eye glinting with satisfaction. "Keep it down," He said calmly. The two thugs groaned in pain but there was no blood on the flooring. The traveller had subdued them both with the blunt of his sword, using the technique of Mine-uchi, a skill that not many, if any, commoners knew.
A weary silence laid upon the room like a heavy blanket as the one-eyed man turned towards Asuma's attacker. The thug shook with fear and the sword on his hip rattled with his nervousness. Upon the realization that he couldn't win against the traveller, the yellow man turned to run out of the restaurant, but Asuma stood in time to hinder his escape. He drew his sword, meaning to strike her down as he yelled, "Outta my way!"
Before he could strike, the man yelped in pain as his wrist was yanked out by a hand reaching from behind Asuma, the sword clanging to the ground. A silver haired, blue eyed, and red robed young warrior stepped further into the shop, giving the thug's wrist one last twist before dropping it. The warrior's face held no expression as he looked upon the traveller, his intent not having been to pursue the thugs at all, but the man with the eye patch. His blue eyes twinkled with recognition and contempt as he bellowed out, "I thought someone would take it upon themselves to make a scene. Who would have thought it would be the One-Eyed Dragon?"
A customer hiding behind one of the tables whispered to themselves, "Wait… the One-Eyed Dragon? That means… that's Date Masamune of the Oshu clan?" Asuma looked at the customer, mouth wide with surprise, and then back to the traveller, known as Masamune. She had been serving Lord Date this whole time without even realizing, let alone having taken an interest in him.
Masamune squinted at the silver-haired man and asked, "What do you want, Sanada?" The red robed man shoved the thug towards Masamune, trying to knock him off his feet, and called out, "Let's end this!" He unsheathed his sword and started for Masamune. The One-Eyed Dragon parried him, and backhanded the yellow man out of the way. Absolute Victory had turned into a battleground itself, all three thugs now groaning while they scurry away, as Sanada the samurai and Masamune the daimyo faced off.
Asuma saw the only outcome for the restaurant being that of a rubble heap and she pleaded, "My lords, please! Stop this!" She reached for Sanada's arm, him being the closer of the two rivals and he looked down at her in shock, "W-what are you doing?"
"You'd have to kill me before I let you fight in my family's restaurant!"
Sanada stared down at Asuma's hand on his arm and felt his cheeks warming with embarrassment. She let go of his arm upon seeing his reaction and backed away from him, bowing apologetically. "Forgive me for being so rude, especially after you saved me from being hurt," Asuma frowned, looking at him and then around, but Masamune had left without a trace. Sanada gave an awkward cough as he straightened himself, avoiding Asuma's gaze. He replied "No, I am sorry for barging in here like that." He bowed in return and began straightening what had been moved in the scuffle.
Once everything had settled down, Asuma looked around, only seeing a few tables and chairs out of line along with food fallen to the floor. Her mother and brother had come out of the kitchen to clean the restaurant and Asuma apologized to the customers that still lingered. A few regulars helped straighten the room and she thanked them profusely.
Asuma walked heavily to her broken hairpin as the cleaning was almost finished. Kneeling down, she gathered the pieces into her apron with trembling hands. They were all there, except for one of the golden chains that hung from the clip. Sanada spoke up beside her, "Are you looking for this, perhaps?" He held out the missing chain and Asuma took it reverently, struggling to hold back tears as she thanked him through her smile. Sanada turned away shyly as he said, "I guess it's broken." A heavy sigh escaped his mouth, and seeing no way of remedying the situation, left the restaurant.
Asuma rearranged the pieces so that they looked like a whole hairpin again. The cherry blossom comb with a crane nestled in its petals had several golden chains that fell from it's arch. It had been a work of art, but when it broke, Asuma's heart had broken with it. She thought of when her father had given her the hairpin at the cherry blossom festival and she could no longer hold back the tears.
Before they could fully fall, Asuma rushed into the kitchen and through the hallway out of the restaurant. Yahiko called after her, but it was no use. His mother put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Leave her be, Yahiko." The boy frowned, but he understood Asuma needed her space.
Once outside, Asuma held back her tears no more, kneeling beside the creek that ran behind the shops. The drops of sadness fell into the water and Asuma choked through clenched teeth, "Papa…" Her knuckles turned white as she clenched the hairpin tightly, the delicately crafted blossoms threatening to break in her grip. The memory of receiving word of her father's death flooded her mind and Asuma wept, knowing her now broken good luck charm had not saved her father after all.
"Why did things have to turn out like this, papa?" she cried, the words coming out louder than she had intended. "I can hear you," came a calm deep voice from across the water. The reeds rustled as someone moved through them, mumbling, "Can't even nap for all this sniveling…" Asuma tried to swallow the lump in her throat, terribly embarrassed that someone had heard her outburst.
The young woman wiped the tears from her eyes and looked upon the stranger, her eyes widening in recognition. Lord Nobunaga was standing amongst the reeds, his hair rustled from sleep and his kimono open from the waist up. A scowl crossed his face and he growled, "You're crying like a child because that, of all things, broke? How utterly pathetic." He stretched out his arms while Asuma fumed from his words.
The Lord continued, "If you can find the strength in you to cry, you can find the strength in you to do something about it." His words bit into Asuma ruthlessly, but they made her straighten herself and wipe the last of her tears away. He spoke the truth and she acknowledged it.
"There you are!" called out Asuma's mother, standing on the stony back stairs of the restaurant and waving to her daughter. Asuma waved back, but turned to the samurai, needing to solidify what she already knew. "Are you Lord Oda Nobunaga?" she asked the man, and his face suddenly twisted into annoyance. He barked back, "What would make you think such a thing? Get out of here girl!"
Asuma leapt to her feet in frustration and rushed back to her mother after stowing the hairpin back into her apron. A tired look was written on Asuma's mother's face and the older woman let out a heavy sigh. "What is wrong, Mama?" Asuma asked, eyes still reddened from her tears.
"You won't believe this… Those filthy men from earlier are back, but they brought Tamiko with them!"
"They brought… the magistrate?!"
Her mother nodded, and Asuma rushed back inside the restaurant. With the widest grin on his chubby face, the magistrate beamed at Asuma as she entered, the thugs crowded behind him, beaten, but obviously not broken.
"I hear these men came to you with complaints of insects in their food and you commanded some acquaintances of yours to assault them? Such a disgrace!" The magistrate said, his smile quickly turning into a furious frown. Tamiko stepped forward and continued forcefully, "What kind of establishment treats their customers like this? Stopping at nothing to save a tiny amount of money by not serving fresh food?"
With a dramatic flourish, the magistrate stepped aside and presented the sad faced beanpole. Asuma's brows knitted together as her assumptions became truth. These men purposefully planted the bugs in their food, but on top of that had surely been the magistrate's goons the whole time and were sent by him to create a scandal in the Absolute Victory eaterie.
She shouted out, "They're lying!" But part of her already knew her protests were falling on deaf ears. The magistrate shoved the beanpole back behind him and stepped towards Asuma, his cheeks red with anger and his double chin puffed out even more. "I have been appointed by the Lord Hideyoshi to protect his land and his people, and I am tasked with seeing that is done properly," He straightened his robe and continued, "I believe it would be the best course of action if this restaurant was shut down. It has obviously become a battleground for the samurai visiting the city, and I cannot stand for this out of fear citizens could be hurt, evidenced by the three men behind me."
Asuma could hear the blood rushing in her ears with each heartbeat and pleaded, "No, please! You can't do this!" The magistrate softened his face and said, "However, as a favor to your family since these men made their own mess of things, I won't say a word if the boy shoulders the debt." He evilly smirked, looking at Yahiko who had moved to Asuma's side. "What are you going to do with him?" Asuma asked, dreading the answer to come.
"Oh, he'll be the most pampered boy in all of the Tohoku lands, sitting at the daimyo's right hand, eating all of his delicious food, of course," Tamiko chuckled. Asuma thought back to her experience back at Ming's with Ieyasu and Hideyoshi. Surely he couldn't be implying Yahiko was to become a poison tester? She burst out, "I won't stand by and let you put my brother in such a dangerous position!"
"Oh? Then you will stand in front of a closed restaurant until you do."
Yahiko stood proudly in front of Asuma and said, "I'll do it. Don't worry about me sissy, at least this way the restaurant will stay open, right?" Asuma softly and solemnly said, "Yahiko…" as if it were a whisper taken on the wind.
"Now that Inuchiyo is gone, it's up to me to protect you and Mama along with the restaurant Papa started."
The boy gave a weak smile and walked towards the magistrate as the man unfolded a contract that would be signing Yahiko away as a poison taster. With a quick prick of Yahiko's finger by the magistrate's knife, Tamiko squeezed the boy's finger until a drop of blood formed, and pressed the finger onto the bottom of two contracts, copies of one another.
Their mother cried, "Oh, my sweet Yahiko!" She covered her face with trembling hands and cried in shuddering sobs. Yahiko rushed to her, wrapping his arms around his mother, trying to reassure her, "It's ok mama, I'm not going to be gone forever! This way you'll be able to keep the restaurant going, and I can earn prestige with a Lord!" The scene was breaking Asuma's heart. She knew Yahiko didn't realize the severity of what he was being forced into, but even so, she could see his knees ever so slightly shaking with fear.
Asuma reflexively moved her hand to touch her hairpin for comfort, forgetting it had broken. The words Lord Nobunaga had spoken resonated in her mind. She couldn't standby by and wait for tragedy to befall Yahiko. Asuma knew she had to take action. She would take Yahiko's place.
Through the night, Asuma didn't sleep a wink, spending the night praying for strength and guidance. On the bed next to her, Yahiko slept fitfully on his pillow, the fabric damp from his tears. As dawn approached, Asuma tucked her brother back in with the blankets he had kicked off in his slumber.
She stood in front of the bedroom mirror and stared at her figure. Asuma knew she had thick hips and an ample bosom, but she prayed that perhaps with thick male robes she'd be able to conceal it somewhat. She tightly bound her chest in bandages, flattening her breasts as much as she could. Her curls were gathered into a tightly gathered bun at the top of her head in the traditional fashion men wore it. Quietly Asuma dressed in a set of her father's old robes, looking back in the mirror. She was still a far cry from looking like a full grown man, but she prayed she could pull off an effeminate teenager.
Asuma took a deep breath, grabbing her shattered hairpin and the blood bound contract, leaving behind a letter that explained where she had gone. With one last look at Absolute Victory Restaurant, Asuma left Kyoto in the back of a wagon, headed for the castle listed on the contract.