2047 A.D.
" Hiro, you got it all wrong. It is the Fujiwara family that Shino admired most." Calypso argued in half spirit. " He used to talk of how the chancellor managed to be ensnared with the royal family for at least eight individuals. Four of them son-in-laws, four of them grandsons," She pointed at Hiro with a half smile, noting the baleful way Tanis stared at a journal he recently started recording.
The Japanese male chuckled as he considered the merits of the position. " Perhaps, and perhaps it is the women he feared more for no one's wrath is worse than a woman scorned. You've proved that, even to me," He turned his eye on to Tanis. " Was it not Sonja's death that inspired Lucian? A woman pushed him into action, and a child with that woman would've prevented the war that devastated vampires before,"
If the European male considered the conversation dull, he did not find anything more interesting to pull him away from it. He traced the oval impression on the dark blue leather bound journal almost lovingly in memory of the volumes of history he left behind at the monastery. At least there no one would take the books. He hoped. The steady turn of wheels and the occasional speed bump kept him from settling in comfortably for the long ride. He detested modern travel methods at times. In such company, he detested it more.
" Is it not always a woman behind a man?" Tanis agreed only slightly. " Does he not fear Viktor? Viktor is dead, but in his time, Viktor commanded the fear of many, used it as a weapon,"
" But why Viktor? Is not Lady Amelia powerful?" Calypso challenged him. In truth she knew so little of the woman that she actually wanted to spend a day in the woman's company. The war hadn't killed Lady Amelia yet, the eldest female turned by Marcus. " She commands many loyal vassals," She bowed her head to Hiro, " As Shino and Kyosuke do. Indeed the clans swore by that loyalty and still do,"
Hiro nodded. " What inspires the loyalty though? Fear? Honor? Duty? Admiration?"
Calypso leaned into HIro, clutching his arm in a familiar friendly manner. " If it soothes you, while I admire Shino for his ability to handle bullshit day in and day out without killing all the aristocrats, I find my loyalty comes from the fact that he still holds me close. Even when he couldn't openly acknowledge me during those dark years. He said that Makoto saved him a great burden of having to watch me leave. I hated him when he said that, and now…I still hate him, but a role is a role," She released her hand off his arm now and nodded to Tanis. " Are you always so grim? You're alive and free, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in,"
Tanis raised the slim journal. " This is all I have left-"
She leaned forward toward him. Her eyes narrowed on him. " All you have left? You've always had rights. When I was born, I had none, and only when taken under Shino's care did I ever get any consideration. My home and family is harmed and gone. My memories stolen by grave robbers. And you complain 06+ a single fucken journal as your sole possession – You who sold ultraviolet ammunition to the lycans through a middle man?!" A harsh laugh ripped from her throat. How could he dare believe himself a great victim in this? So many died, and yet he claimed a single journal to be of his greatest regrets?
Tanis tossed it at her. " You think you're the only person that is harmed by this war-"
" No!"
" You act like you're the center of the world, as if having the ear of two daimyo and one hybrid qualifies you for it,"
" Oh yes, the historian who lied to an entire coven before you were cast out and then you betrayed your own kind!"
Hiro pressed his palm into her shoulder and pushed her back into the seat and pointed at Tanis with his other hand. " Enough. We are all cast out from our homes. If we want to gain back what they took-"
" We can never go back to Kyoto, Hiro," She snapped at him, mourning the fact more than she wanted to admit. " All of our possessions gone. They've stolen our identities, our pasts,"
The pain reflected in his eyes as well. " I know," He whispered, emotion plaguing his voice. " But we move forward. The waystations will be the future, and we will reform the clans, Murakami and Reizei clan will live whole once more, this I promise you," His voice lowered.
" How do you suggest we move forward? No funds,-"
" Finances are provided for," Hiro declared with absolute finality. If Tanis broached the subject again she might witness him knock the historian unconscious. " We move forward as clans, as covens, as people who support each other aside from our idealogical differences. We will not allow the humans to divide us," He held Tanis's stare. " It is who we are. We survived changes in leadership, the fading of the influence of the courts as warriors took control of Japan. We survived natural disasters, and we will survive this. If you aren't strong enough, then you are welcome to depart our company. For better or worse,"
Tanis's jaw worked as Calypso considered decking him herself. Hiro fell back against the seat exhausted from being on the run and protecting the memory of Shino, a man he admired more than any other. In a way she represented everything a proper student should, the sign of a good student. If the daimyo didn't survive this, she'd pass along his teachings faithfully. Tanis understood that unquestionable loyalty too well. Selene exiled him, the same person that exhibited similar till death part loyalty.
Perhaps that's why he feared it, Hiro considered. He'd have to ask Calypso what she'd have done if she had been banished. Would he feel the same now if she'd been banished and somehow survived to this point in history?
The car came to a stop in front of a large manor used as a private learning institution for Catholics. The vampires owned the Vatican, not in the monetary sense but in blackmail. If the Vatican didn't control its people on all continents, the vampires started to remove people from power. Someone died of a drug overdose. Someone's sexual preferences for children or men became public knowledge. As dirty the tactic was, it kept the church in line. Stepping out of the car first Hiro offered his hand to Calypso. " My Lady,"
Tanis started for the building, not even acknowledging the driver loyal to the Murakami clan. Calypso bowed to the driver and thanked him. " You will be repaid, your family taken care of handsomely," She promised the driver needlessly recognizing him as one of the former guards. " I told you once immortality was not so great. Do you see that now?"
He bowed his head. " Yet here you stand, and yet here I stand, not defined by age but actions,"
She took his hand in hers in great relief. " Thank you, for listening, for understanding," Turning on her heel, she took Hiro's arm and walked with him to the school. The students never noticed the new arrival of a new administrative personnel. Nor would they glimpse Hiro or Calypso beyond that point in time. Unlike the students, Hiro and Calypso needed to conduct guerilla warfare socially and economically. The only way to stop the governments was to draw public censure on government spending. If you wanted to hurt the government, target the finances.
And then the social opinion. Vampires and lycan held an advantage – time. They could afford the time to sway social opinions gradually in the right direction. Surviving to see the day they didn't have to look over their shoulder every second would prove to be another challenge entirely of its own tier of difficulty.
Entering the subterranean level through a series of tunnels forgotten about by the church and purposefully kept from church documents and old blueprints, Hiro lead the way using a map. Calypso attempted to commit it to memory using landmarks. Amazed at the complexity and the ability of people to construct such magnificent creations, she forgot about the desire to learn her way through it and instead focused on the fact she could appreciate it instead of watching the sun rise and burning to a crisp. Exiting through a rounded archway, they entered the first of a series of obstacles to prevent outsiders from reaching them so easily as in Kyoto.
The pin code system and vault door stayed as a surefire safety feature. Once Hiro input his code, he dictated her code to her as she put it into the system. As the vault door audibly unlocked and opened by machination, she stepped back expecting a barrage of fire. " Using students as shields almost feels like a dirty move,"
" Do you want a repeat of Kyoto?"
Shaking her head emphatically, she still hadn't forgotten about the sword, the candle, or the sandpaper used on her after Ayaki left her to the hands of his capable comrades. They learned nothing new, and made her pay for the lack of progress in incremental pain and humiliation. At least they didn't rape her, she consoled herself.
" What happened that put you in a dumpster?" He asked finally.
Tanis already had a headstart, escorted to his private quarters and informed of the policies the clan followed. He couldn't overhear. She looked to the floor, holding her hands tightly together as if it'd save her from the painful memory. " Tools of torture, Hiro. The drugs dulled only a little of the pain. I felt…I felt most of it though, and the worst part is I even considered killing the bastard and his comrades. You know me, I don't think that way,"
His brow rose.
" I'm serious, Hiro," She insisted, voice breaking. " I don't want to kill people to survive. I translated for a reason. It didn't feel like a sword and it didn't draw blood. I didn't kill anyone in that profession. They killed themselves by their own stupidity. I merely had to witness it. But they-they thought I was the monster because I was different," She pointed at her chest in emphasis. " I never asked to be different. I spent my entire life trying to be true to who I am-"
" To which you succeeded with great success," Hiro assured her in good spirit to uplift the anger and sadness in her voice.
Dropping her hands at her side, she leaned against the wall of the elevator. It dinged at their stop. The doors opened and a guard held ready a rifle. He lowered it upon seeing Hiro and Calypso. She barely recognized him as a new recruit back when the Covens War just barely started. " The other has been shown to his quarters, he is getting the briefing now," He shared immediately with Hiro.
Hiro pointed to Calypso. " She's the second in command. Calypso, if you need anything, he knows where to find it. I'll make sure you have a personal guard soon enough. We need to rally up the spirits and we need to find out who knows what and how they're using it," His feet carried him off in a different direction as he followed the map.
The soldier bowed his head. " Forgive me, I am…"
" Surprised? So am I. Tell me how to find my quarters. Guard this elevator until a replacement guard is found. Then find me. We have much to discuss and so little time to put it into action," Actually cooperate with Hiro? If anyone dared say she'd be doing this now when she was so young she might have laughed them off. Now, it hardly seemed a stretch at all. Quite natural, almost.
Quick instructions brief in nature and description lead her getting lost, something she welcomed as she oriented herself with the multi-leveled facility. The many staircases, two elevators, three separate exits to the surface, and state of art security and living systems allowed the vampires ease of movement and easier escapes. It lacked the usual display of history, a heartfelt ache she couldn't dismiss, but that didn't mean they couldn't fill it with history. She could let herself be brow beaten or she could fight back. The greatest enemy of destruction was rebuilding regardless of the damage done.
1905 A.D.
A slender blonde haired woman emerged from the coffin in the underground facility. Accepting the strong hand offered to her, a ready smile curved her lips. " Shino," She whispered gazing around at the many curious faces peering back at her. Helping her from the coffin, the elder and clan leader held her within arm reach. He pointed to the first man to his left, dressed similar to him. " This is Lord Kyosuke, and my Regent Hiro. If you need anything, they are the ones to speak to,"
She bowed her head readily to each, a slowed heartbeat speeding up considerably.
" Come, child, exercise your legs freely. No sun here to threaten you," Shino guided her along the corridor from his personal chambers. As blood flowed through her veins, and she re-accustomed herself to being on land again, Calypso Abers started to relax.
The slender floor length skirt and petticoats peeking from beneath the skirt swayed. She ran her hand over a chiffon creamy pink dress. The Gibson Girl hairstyle minus the pad boosting her large bun sharply contrasted that of the more traditional Japanese hairstyles surrounding her. She pulled away from Shino only for a moment. Spreading her arms out at shoulder level, she spun as fast as she could and danced across the corridor, smiling ear to ear as joy overcame her. The fur line laced boots easily gripped the stone preventing her from falling.
A pair of arms caught her. She gazed upon the most angelic face graced with such kindness she could not imagine cruelty twisting its handsome features. " I'm Calypso," She introduced herself, hastily pulling herself from his arms. She grabbed a hold of her skirt and curtsied.
He bowed respectfully. " Makoto at your service," He dropped to one knee before Shino. " Daimyo,"
She turned to face Shino now in confusion. He offered no immediate answer. Instead he offered his arm once more. " You are too new to be dancing about the halls. And your clothing is filthy from the sea water. It needs cleaned," He insisted with utmost charm.
" But you promised-"
" I know, and you will see more of your new home. Would your father approve? Is it too rich for his blood?" He asked her in good spirit, grateful to be home himself. Too long he'd been gone.
Admiring the tapestries and paintings, she clung to Shino like a schoolgirl to her books in a world determined to keep her from being educated. Suffragettes currently fought for female rights. She fled that fight after falling to it, and didn't regret a moment of fleeing. Stopping to admire a traditional kimono on display, she withheld her touch. " I believe my father would bow to you, insist I marry you right away, and wouldn't let me out of his sight until you either turned me away or took me to your bed,"
The eyes of the man called Hiro never left her. Disapproval colored his seeming neutral expression. She glanced over her shoulder directly at him. Shino redirected her attention to the history adorning the walls, alcoves, and still sported by clan members. " I believe your father forgets the power of a woman,"
" More like my mother forgot the power she can wield…" She left the comment at that, knowing they most likely shared the same views as her father. " Can we talk of something else? My family believes I'm dead and I'm happy to have it that way," She forced a fake smile and leaned in to her creator like a daughter would a father she related to.
Shino nodded. " Whatever you like," One warning glance in Hiro's direction kept the Regent at a distance from the vulnerable foreigner. Nobody would harm his child lest they suffer his wrath.
***In the early 1900s, women like Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, and Alva Belmont just to name a few are part of the reason women in the U.S. have the rights they do today. Their sacrifices must never be forgotten or undermined, and more women should be like them, because we can't depend on men to defend our rights, no matter how much Calypso depends on Shino.***