Chapter 2: Heart of a Nation
Okay, where do I even start?
So I guess I should say my name is Hannah, and my cousin is one of the biggest morons in all of existence.
Okay, I guess there's no way he could have known, but what was he doing buying swords off the internet anyway? And when the blades were drawn, zap, we're not in our apartment anymore, but in a thunderstorm, and a very identifiable event going on nearby.
To be honest, I'm surprised I'm not more panicked by the situation. I just watched Oda Nobunaga, the warlord that almost single-handedly changed the course of Japanese history kill Imagawa Yoshimoto.
I know enough about the history to know this was the point where Nobunaga essentially stood up and gave the middle finger to Japan, and it took notice. So the first thought is these stupid swords somehow transported us back in time.
But there's so much that doesn't fit. Like the fact everyone is speaking English for some reason, the fact they seem to ignore the extremely strict protocols of actual Japan of the era, and most important, I saw Nobunaga shoot a beam from his fingers that punched a six-inch hole in Yoshimoto's chest.
I guess the reason I'm holding it together as well as I am is because panicking wouldn't accomplish anything. I just have to deal with the fact Jack and I are now prisoners of one of the most ruthless men of the time. I'd been hoping that just drawing the swords again might send us back, but they gave us no reaction, so at the very least we're stuck here for now.
Though by this point, Jack seemed to be regretting it more than I was. We were forced to march with the soldiers that were also our guards back to Owari for several days. And Jack was beside me, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath just from a marching pace.
"I've told you that you need to exercise more," I said, "I power walk harder than this."
"Good for you," he muttered.
But in the middle of all this, in spite of what was happening in front of me, I still somehow kept thinking about the classes I was missing, though I guess there was no reason to worry about that, considering I had no idea if we would ever get home.
And then there was the question of what was going to happen next. I remembered enough of Japanese history to grasp what was happening at this point, but like I said, something was very wrong, starting with what I can still only call magic, and the fact the lack of surprise displayed by the residents of this place, it must be common.
And the real burning question, what was going to happen next?
I suppose the first clue should have been when city came into view. Kiyosu, the capital of Owari. I remembered enough of history that I knew Nobunaga had taken it from his own relatives when he united the Oda clan by force, and then uprooted and moved literally everyone, the warriors, the merchants, and even the peasants, from the old capital of Nagoya and moved them here. In terms of military defenses, it wasn't as strong as Nagoya had been, but the location made it a prime stop for traveling traders, and it was a powerful center of commerce as a result.
And this was clear as we were ushered into the city proper. Open markets, merchants hawking their wares. Admittedly it was the stalls with fresh food that most caught my eyes. The vegetables, bright and healthy, all the way to steaming meats and breads, and the countless people buying their meals for the day. Many turned toward the soldiers as we marched up the streets, and cheers began to rise even before Nobunaga drew his sword, holding it high and declaring victory over the Imagawa.
As for Jack and I, we were steadily herded toward the castle, an impressive three-story tenshu that rose in the center of the city. We didn't see much of it, and were pushed into a room on the first floor and told to wait until someone came to speak to us, and guards posted outside the door.
As far as I could tell, it was some kind of waiting room, with a few pads on the floor as seats, but little else. There was a small fire pit near the center, probably for making tea, though nothing impressive. You certainly wouldn't be cooking on something that small.
Jack sank to the floor, laying on his back with a groan of relief. "God, I'm used to spending all day on my feet, but my legs are killing me," he muttered.
"Well, enjoy it, because I don't think we're going to be alive much longer," I said, "Where the hell did those swords you bought come from?"
He thought for a moment. "I think it was from a Hong Kong dealer," he said, "I didn't pay that much attention."
"Oh, yes, because Hong Kong is the place where you find all the magic swords that send you back in time," I said.
"I don't know, you seem pretty calm about it," he said.
I glared at him. "And what should I do?" I asked, "Throw my hands up in the air, scream that this is impossible, break down and cry about never going home? Maybe I'm not doing that because it's blatantly obvious what has happened, and doing so would accomplish nothing. In fact, you're the one I'd expect to panic about this."
"Are you kidding?" he asked, leaning up on his elbows and looking at me, "Yeah, my legs hurt. But the past few days, just marching around with these guys, have already been better than back home. I didn't have to go to work that shitty, belittling job, which I was likely to be fired from in the near future anyway. And when we stopped for the night, I know you were sitting there so quietly, but I was listening to what the soldiers were talking about.
"That battle earlier, do you even realize that this Nobunaga guy sent forty thousand men fleeing in terror from his mere three thousand? That's freaking amazing."
"Actually, historians think the Imagawa only had about twenty-five thousand," I said, "Yoshimoto claimed it was forty to try to intimidate Nobunaga. But yes, Nobunaga's surprise attack in the storm sent them into a panic and he drove them off with far fewer men than you'd think he'd need."
"And you see, you know this stuff!" Jack said, "You effectively know the future! Think of what we could do with that!"
"Sorry," I said, "But I wouldn't hold onto that too much. The fact these people are throwing fire and light from their hands makes me think this is not so much the past as maybe a different world. You know, the old trope of being sent to a fantasy world."
"I guess so…" Jack said, "So why is it so much like ancient Japan."
"Four hundred years ago is not ancient," I said, "But I don't know. But if it does hold to history, Nobunaga is the last man we want to be around. He is a vicious killer, his tactics are utterly ruthless and brutal. He's the only daimyo to ever have a city surrender to him, then line up all their leaders and execute them with a firing squad. In fact, if actual history says anything about what's coming next, his next invasion from here will be into his father-in-law's kingdom…"
I stopped when I heard voices outside the door. Jack looked over as well.
"…as if I don't have enough to do already!" said a man's voice, though that might have been generous, as it was a fairly high-pitched and nasal sounding voice. And it was angry about something, "Not even a word, just taking off and all of us having to chase after him. And I think we've gone off on a suicide mission, attacking the Imagawa head on. Now we get back and he's got to throw a couple of green heroes in my lap because none of the samurai are willing to train them… You two can go!"
There were footsteps as the guards stepped away from the door.
There was a second voice, it sounded like a young girl, much softer though still audible through the thin door. "Well, that means he trusts you, right?" she asked, "That's a good thing! And more work will keep you out of trouble. You still only have one bodyguard, you know."
"And what am I being guarded from, exactly?" said the man, "No one wants to kill me! I was a sandal bearer until just a year ago, and now I'm Lord Nobunaga's pet monkey!"
"Let's just forget that you were a thief before that, and a mercenary before that…" said the girl.
"And now I'm supposed to train new heroes. Even Lord Katsuie flat out said I'm not combat ready myself yet, hero powers or not."
"Well, think of it as having sparring partners, then," said the girl, "But the sooner you get this over with, the sooner you can get back to your other things."
The door slid open. The man that stepped in certainly fit the voice. He was thin and lanky, his arms and legs seeming almost too long for his body. I'd had my suspicions from the "monkey" comments, but the man fit the bill even harder than I'd have though. A thick brown head of hair, and large sideburns running clear to his jaw line, though he was clean-shaven otherwise. The thing was the hair was smooth and kempt, not just allowed to grow wild, meaning he actually went for the look.
His clothing was more of what I expected, being distinctly Japanese and of the era, with loose fitting sleeves and leggings, and open sandals. He was fairly young as well, looking like older teens. If he was eighteen, it was by a hair's breadth.
The girl with him was much younger, maybe fourteen or fifteen, with darker brown hair, and big brown eyes that sparkled with intelligence, and a friendly smile that contrasted with the boy's scowl. She was dressed in a fairly normal garb, loose-fitting, hiding much of her figure.
I realized I should probably kneel, and started to do so, but was stopped. "Don't even bother bowing, I'm not in the mood," the boy said, and Jack got to his feet when I motioned him up, and the boy went on, "Look, I'll be straight with you, I'm not happy about this. My lord has informed me that the two of you are unaffiliated heroes, and that I'm to get you into fighting shape as soon as possible. And looking at you," he glanced at Jack's pot belly, "that might take more time than I'd hoped. Though I guess that means for the first few weeks I can dump you in the drill camp and go on with my life.
"First thing's first, my name is Hideyoshi Kinoshita, and I'm very busy right now, but I have to deal with you anyway, so my first real question is do you have any combat experience whatsoever?"
"Well, no," was all I managed, so overwhelmed by this assault.
"Has anyone ever taught you anything about being a hero before?"
"Uh, definitely no," I said.
"Well, that's why you need training then, certainly," Hideyoshi said, "Without it, you're as much a danger to yourselves as others. Sit down, get comfortable, we're going to be here a minute. Oh, one more thing, I've heard you can only use your magic with your weapons. Is that true?"
"I actually don't know," I said as Jack and I sat down on two of the pads on the floor, and Hideyoshi seated himself in front of us, "I've never seen anything like it before."
"Nene, do you know where their weapons ended up?" Hideyoshi asked, looking at the girl.
"I'm sure I can step on some toes and find them," the girl said.
"If you'd be so kind," Hideyoshi said, and with a smile and nod, the girl left the room, closing the door behind her, then he turned back t us, "Before we go any further, though, I have to ask about that clothing…"
Jack sighed. "It's the kind of thing we wear back where we came from," I said before he could comment.
"Where are you from, anyway?" Hideyoshi asked, "I couldn't get a clear answer from anyone else."
"Well, very far away," I said, "We were actually somehow transported here by the swords…"
"Really?" Hideyoshi's eyes went wide and for the first time he seemed genuinely interested, "Teleportation… That would be quite a magic to have. The things I could do with that…"
The door slid open, Nene stepping back in, holding the two swords under her arm. "Remember, their powers are fire and ice," she said, and laid the swords down on the floor, "And remember, Lord Nobunaga got quite a shock when he touched the hilt of one of these."
"Yes, yes," Hideyoshi said, "Just imagining a samurai that could jump behind walls and such. That would be so amazing."
"There are some of us who can do that without teleporting," Nene said.
"Not the point, Nene," Hideyoshi said, "Anyway, let's just start with the basics for these two.
"All right, what we call heroes are essentially people born with the gift of magic. This gift can come in any number of forms, and while many such powers can be similar, it is extremely rare that two people will have the exact same ability. There are people who can throw great balls of fire and incinerate large numbers of enemy troops, or freeze battalions in ice, or maybe you saw it, but Lord Nobunaga can create beams of light that cut as sharply as any blade.
"The vast majority of samurai are heroes, though there are rare exceptions to that. And while they're powerful, there are times that some forget one important fact: Heroes are just as frail as normal people. All it takes is one stab, one arrow, one cut throat and they go down as fast as anyone else. No matter how powerful they are, no matter how many hundreds of men they can fight thanks to their magic, one mistake and it's all over.
"And that's why Lord Nobunaga wants you trained. He intends for you to be useful, and getting yourself killed won't be that."
"Now hang on," I said, "What if we don't want to be soldiers?"
"Then you're no use," Nene said, and from somewhere produced a knife, "and we've been instructed to make sure you can't be used against our clan."
It was far more disconcerting that her voice remained completely friendly, and that smile never disappeared as she said this, or as she returned the knife to wherever it had come from.
Jack looked at me. "I don't really see a choice here," he said.
"We'll have to go along," I said, "Though I do wonder how far Nobunaga think's he'll get if he holds all his samurai under threat of death."
"None of them are," Hideyoshi said, "None but you. But that will change, you'll see. Lord Nobunaga sees far more than any of us. But before we can do anything with you, we need to get you into shape."
"That means exercise, doesn't it?" Jack moaned.
"You could use it, tubby," I said.
I thought I was in decent shape, but four hours of running and calisthenics in Japan's heat and humidity had reduced me to an exhausted mess. And I knew there was going to be even more tomorrow when they had a full day to throw at us.
Though seeing Jack on his hands and knees throwing up his lunch only a half-hour in proved my point about the shape he was in. And at least as bad as I felt, I hadn't thrown up or collapsed. We would both be sore in the morning, though.
And then the best news all day came, when a member of the castle staff asked me if I'd like a hot bath. And now I was looking at a pool big enough for twenty people, filled to the brim with steaming water.
It was hot enough I had to get in slowly, but when I sank in up to my neck, I let out a long sigh, leaning my head back on the edge and closing my eyes. It seemed unreal that they were intent on turning me into one of these heroes of theirs. The sword I had held had shot flame from the blade, but that hadn't had anything to do with me, did it? I was sure it was just the sword.
I was startled by the sound of bare feet on the floor behind me. I spun, looking up. "Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Nene said.
"Oh," I sank in the water, trying to cover myself with my arms, "I didn't know there'd be anyone else here or I'd have kept the towel…"
"Oh, don't worry about it, I'm fine," Nene said, dropping her towel to the floor and stepping into the pool.
I felt my face growing hot and looked away, though she made no effort to cover herself as she sighed much like I did.
"Don't worry, no one else will be coming in," she said.
"I'm just not used to bathing with someone else," I said.
"Be glad No isn't here," Nene said, "She gets a little forceful about having someone else wash her hair and back. Her hands also tend to wander…"
No… As in the Lady No… I knew that name. It was one of the names Nobunaga's wife went by, depending on the version of the story. It was a shortened version of Nohime, though her proper name was Kicho, after marrying Nobunaga, she was most often referred to as Lady No. In face, the meaning of Nohime was "Lady of Mino," her homeland. Other than that, though, there was so little about her in our history, I genuinely had no idea what kind of personality she'd have. And Nene's comment had me wondering, did No's hands "wander" to those other than herself, and I shivered in revulsion at the thought.
"Looks like you forgot your soap," Nene commented, moving closer to me and sliding a tray beside her with a yellow bar and a wash cloth within reach.
"Oh, yes," I said, scooting a bit further away, "I just wanted to get in the water."
"Look, dear, there's no need to be nervous," Nene said, "Even if I did like you, I'm married, and not nearly as relaxed about it as No."
"You're married?" I said reflexively, but as soon as I said it was ready to slap myself. That wasn't surprising at all, given the setting.
"Yep, I'm Hideyoshi's girl," she said, "So hands off him, too."
"Oh, don't worry, I've got no intentions of that," I said.
"You know, I love your hair," Nene said.
"Huh?" I looked at her, surprised by the sudden subject change.
She stood up and moved closer to me. "Do you use something to get it so light?" she asked.
"Oh," I self-consciously reached up to my hair, "No, it's just this color. We call it sandy-blonde where I'm from."
"So there's a lot of people with light hair where you're from?"
"Well, yes," I said, "There's plenty of dark-haired people too, I guess we've actually got a lot of everything."
She sank down in the water again by side. "You must feel like you're a long way from home," she said.
I think that was the straw on the camel's back, so to speak. I suddenly teared up, the realization hitting me like a baseball bat to the face. I wasn't just a long way from home, I was in a completely different time, if not a completely different world. My parents, my friends, all of them so far away now, and I might never see any of them again.
I sniffed, trying to keep myself from crying, and failing as I felt the tears rolling down my face. Oh, god, I was completely lost with no idea where I was or where to go, and was being drug along by the current.
And off all things, I found Nene's arms around me as I sobbed into her shoulder. "It's okay," she whispered, "Everything will be all right."
A few hours ago she had pulled a knife and threatened my life, and now this girl years younger than me was trying to comfort me. And for some reason, it was working. There was something about how friendly and warm her personality was. I probably wouldn't be able to stay mad at her about anything either.
"Can I tell you something?" I asked.
"Anything you want," she said.
I doubted she'd believe me if I claimed I might know the future, but I need to say something about it. "Nobunaga… Oh, sorry, Lord Nobunaga, he terrifies me. I'm afraid of what might happen if my cousin and I stay here."
"Oh, I know," Nene said, "It's easy to be intimidated by a man with such a powerful presence as our lord. But when you're around him enough, you start to realize something about him. You know he is called the Fool of Owari, right?"
"I had heard of it," I said.
"Well, I fully know that the name is only believed by those who do not understand him," Nene said, "He is only called a fool because his mind is so far beyond the comprehension of rest of us. After all, my husband was a sandal bearer, but Lord Nobunaga gave him a position as the overseer of Kyosu's development, a position he has astonished many by excelling at.
"Lord Nobunaga has an eye for talent beyond anything I've heard of, and that's why you're here. I think he sees something in you that even you do not."
"I've never been in a fight in my life," I said, "And he wants to make me a soldier."
"Not a soldier, a hero," Nene said, "Give it a few weeks. You might find you like it. After all, there are only a few of us with the Oda right now, and we need more."
"Us?" I asked, "You mean you are also a hero?"
"That's right," Nene said, "We might end up fighting alongside each other in the future. Lord Nobunaga is, of course. The others we have are Ranmaru Mori, who is Lord Nobunaga's personal guard, Katsuie Shibata, whom you've already met, and Ranmaru's father, Yoshinari. And of course, the Lady No as well.
"Though everyone was surprised to find Oichi, Lord Nobunaga's sister, is not a hero. Sometimes the magic skips a generation. Our number of heroes is actually relatively small compared to clans like the Takeda, Uesugi, or the Hojo, so finding two more, even untrained, is very important to our clan's future."
"I still have a hard time believing Jack and I are supposed to compare to names like that," I said.
"Just give it a little time," Nene said, "If Lord Nobunaga didn't see potential in you, I don't think he'd be bothering with you at all."
"Wait a minute," I said, "You didn't mention Hideyoshi in that list."
"Well, that's because he's not a hero," Nene said, "He's got a brain and talent, but not magic. Now, I think we've talked enough," she turned and got the soap from the tray, "We sit here much longer and we'll turn into prunes.
This really was something else, I thought as Nene helped me lather my hair with the soap. I was still not convinced about Nobunaga. That man did a lot to deserve his vilification in movies and video games of my time, but I guessed she was right. If he was going to kill us for no reason, he'd have already done it.
We'd just have to wait and see what happened.