It took Yamaguchi two days of nonstop work to finally crack into the box. Two days of sitting hunched over a tiny little table in the cramped space of Hinata's room, which they had deemed safer than the Firefly suite. Yamaguchi worked through the night, refusing to eat and taking breaks only for water and to relieve himself. Every rattle of the car and turn on the tracks sent a spike of anxiety through Yamaguchi's body; if ever he needed a steady hand, it was now. He could afford no mistakes, not when they could cost him his fingers. The process was too long and grueling, too boring to be frank, for the others to stick around and watch. Instead, they took shifts. One would stay behind to guard Yamaguchi and the box while the other two tried to gather as much information as possible or just generally make themselves useful.
Kageyama and Hinata went rather rapidly from hating each other's guts to being the best of chums. Their only arguments were ones of friendly competition and well-natured debate, not brawls. Mundane bickerings were still common, but lacked their previous bite, instead taking on a tone of fondness. Yachi, of course, knew no difference, only familiar with this companionable pair, but whenever Yamaguchi questioned them, each grew red in the face and denied the change, insisting upon their rivalry. Not that this new closeness drove them apart. Now that his suspicions were confirmed and realized, Hinata was infinitely more friendly, eager to lend a hand wherever needed, and ever so chatty. Kageyama was still Kageyama, quiet, grumpy, and unable to joke or smile, but he was considerably kinder to his three companions. Yachi, outside of life or death combat situations, was skittery and shy, quick to backtrack her words out of fear of offense. She was also brilliant, an excellent strategist, and an even better researcher. Yamaguchi was as he always was, kind and gentle, but with a new edge of confidence, no longer so eager to please those around him at his own expense; there was no room for pushovers in this strange set of circumstances.
Ever vigilant in his patrols, Hinata collected plenty of useful tidbits. He usually went through the train in the night, his eyes better suited to the dark than Bokuto's on account of being a Kamelion. He found no great attempts at the train's safety, but he did gather some information. When given the description of the not-Tick, Hinata confirmed that the man was no longer aboard. That morning at Tauveriin, when Kageyama and Yamaguchi left, the not-Tick and his men had followed and not reboarded. They had either been with the slavers or otherwise held up so that they never made their way back to the Nekarasi. With his excellent nose, Hinata also eased everyone's minds in stating that none of the slavers had made their way onto the train either; he would have smelled them and thrown them out if they had. As far as Hinata could tell from his night patrols, no one was following the course of the train; for the time being, they were off Scott-free.
During Kageyama's time gathering information, he returned to the gambling car. Yachi had taught him how to identify the Firefly accent, and so Kageyama mimicked it and soundly stuck himself in their groups. There, gambling with former emissaries and wealthy elite, he heard much more useful gossip. For starters, books weren't the only things missing information on the youngest prince. No one in the empire knew anything about him. It was general consensus that there must be something wrong with him, either in appearance or in mind, to make the royal family go to such great lengths to hide him. Was the youngest prince a target, maybe not, but he was certainly a weakness for the royal family. Kageyama also found that there had been a recent uptick in manufacturing demands. Never for full products, but simply parts to machines. It could just be a coincidence, but they might also be secretly preparing for war. Not only that, but the Firefly Empire was slowly lessening iron and bronze trades with everyone, even the Kingdom of the Iron Wall. Tensions weren't high yet, it seemed, but the empire was preparing for something big.
Yachi found herself enamored with Akaashi's library car, and if Yamaguchi thought he was studious, he was nothing compared to her. Over the span of the two days, she systematically went through every bit of textual information containing politics and the empire, searching for new information. She wrote down a comprehensive, and very aesthetically pleasing, set of notes on any and all possible enemies of the empire, from the scrapper towns to the monastic settlements. The Kingdom of the Iron Wall was an instant write-off, the two rulers were on incredibly friendly terms, and while their sons seemed to have a habit of bickering, none of it was hostile. Besides, the Iron Wall would never send sensitive information to the scrap lands. The Nation of Eagles was a solid maybe. They had retained their militaristic tendencies from the Great War forty years prior, but they had fought against Inari and Itachi, not the Firefly Empire. The same went for Inari and Itachi; they had the means but no real motive, although it was rumored that the Miyas had once tried to incite a revolt in Inari before fleeing to Tauveriin. Fukoni, as previously learned by Yamaguchi, spent most of their resources quashing rebellions and insurgencies from the political unrest of their own missing prince; they had neither the time nor money for international war. Kar and Koma-Nek would not fight unless attacked first and lived in far enough isolation that they had nothing to gain from war. Besides, if Kuroo and Kenma were to be trusted, the countries didn't have many weapons to fight a war with anyways. Which left the scrapper towns.
They had motive, a strong one, but not the means. The scrapper towns had been, of course, mistreated and generally ignored by all the other nations. Most empires seemed to forget that people actually lived there full time, and each decade trade routes to the area diminished, killing their resources and sending them even further into poverty. Not only that, but many scrappers were resentful of the wealthy elites from further south, angry that they only cared for the artifacts and paid scant prices to boot. The scrapping towns didn't really suffer from war, being too unimportant to fight over, and moreover might gain from it. In wartime, military outreach to the scrapping towns increased, providing aid from nearly every nation and driving up the price of mechanical artifacts. Yes, the scrapping towns had motive, but they had no organization. No one knew anyone from other towns, and they competed with each other too often for prime meteor spots. Much like Fukoni, the scrap town residents were far more concerned with simply surviving and fighting each other to start an international conflict. Yachi's best guess was that multiple kingdoms were working in tandem, although she couldn't find a reason why; trade and the economy had been in relative growth since the Great War.
It was around dinnertime when Yamaguchi finally unlocked the box. Instantly he sent Hinata, who had been keeping watch at the time, to retrieve the other two from the dining car. It had been a month since Yamaguchi and Kageyama gained possession of the Firefly box, and now they got to see what was inside. Hinata, Kageyama, and Yachi crowded around Yamaguchi's table as he slowly lifted the enameled lid. The inside was fairly simple, pure untarnished silver and powder blue silk lining. Laying in the box, neatly folded and tied up with golden cording, was a thick, leather-bound book with parchment pages. Engraved on the inside of the box lid, opposite to where the firefly was on the outside, was the name of the youngest prince, Tsukishima Kei. The box and its contents belonged to, and had been stolen from, the Firefly Empire's secret prince.
With shaking hands, Yamaguchi untied the cording and opened the book to the first page. Clearing his throat, he read it aloud for the others to hear.
I have long had my suspicions about this new advisor father has hired and now believe I have evidence against him. He is always watching, that man, and writing far more often than what his employ would imply. He sends out letters on the weekly, every Friday at noon, but there is never a return. One afternoon, overcome with curiosity and suspicion, I snuck into his room whilst he was handing off his mail. In it, I found a journal, simple in binding and rustic in decoration. It was horribly out of place in his otherwise extravagant room, so I knew instantly that it must be important. Well, I was right. That innocuous little journal is full of extensive records on the goings on of the empire. Every detail of our lives, every trade deal, every new ruling, every court case, everything of importance from the last three years is written in there. Perhaps unconcerning for one of the king's advisors, but there is more.
He has written about our military proceedings, our strengths, and weaknesses, what weapons we favour and what materials we use to build them. He has marked our alliances; which ones are strong and which ones may be convinced to turn on us. There are, in his accursed journal, strategies for war. War against our country. He tracks the personal lives of our generals, our lords, our best medics. He knows who they trust, who they don't, and how best to dispose of them. His words, not mine. Most concerningly, he tracks our every movement. Every step taken, every word said, every meal eaten, and hobby enjoyed. He has plans to do away with father and mother, a step-by-step process for framing Akiteru with their murder. He seems to think me a friend, or perhaps a pawn. In his mind, I am power hungry and eager to take the throne, though I cannot think of where he conceived such a notion. He believes I trust him, that I view of him as a knowledgeable equal. He means to kill my family and place me on the throne as a puppet king. If he thinks I am easily controlled and fooled, he is wrong. I can only assume the letters he sends go back to his home country, to his king and military. I believe they are preparing for war.
The sections were marked by day, the first entry dating back a year. The next one came a month after the first.
I have taken to following him when I can. If he can spy and write in his journal of espionage, then so can I. No one else believes me, though I try to tell them, they think this is just another one of my dreams, that I'm having another paranoid episode. I would steal his journal, but fear that he will notice too soon. I must not have put it back correctly the first time I flipped through it, for he now carries it on his person at all times. I am no pickpocket; nor am I a skilled thief. I do not move near silently enough to sneak in at night, nor can I ask a guard to take it for me. I must act as if I think highly of him, that I truly do believe him to be my equal and that I wish for the power my brother will inherit. When he thinks I am not looking, when he thinks he is alone, he writes in his journal. He documents his "success" with me, foolish to believe our companionry is anything but false. Never have I hated a man more than I do now; every inch of my being screams at me that he is trouble, that he will bring about our end if left unchecked, but I must ignore that for now. I spend much of my time with him, too much for my taste, but I digress.
My parents have thankfully forgotten my accusations, and have, even better, not mentioned them to him. As an unfortunate result, my family now seems to believe I have found fancy in this man. I suppose I can see why they think so, with my newfound habit of going out of my way to spend time with him, but I loathe the idea regardless. They have never found issue with my inclinations towards men, for which I am ever grateful, and have even sanctioned such unions with the intention of allowing me to publicly wed should I choose to, but they are too encouraging now. They usher him and I together at every turn, overenthusiastic with their poorly veiled innuendos. He himself also seems to be taken with the notion, attempting halfhearted flirtations which I must not react to for sake of face. He seems to think me besotted with him and intends to marry into the throne when he does away with my family. I would sooner die by my own hand than marry a snake such as him.
"He sounds awful stuck up, doesn't he?" Kageyama griped, and then mimicking a Firefly accent, "He seems to think me besotted, what a jackass."
Yachi huffed, "He's a prince, that's how they are trained to write. You're not focusing on the important things here. I find this news of military profiling very concerning."
"Nah, I'm with Grouchy-yama; this guy sounds like a right jerk. It's his personal diary, why would he ever need to write like that?" Hinata said as he waved his hands around.
"Why, indeed. Maybe, he planned to make his personal journal less than personal." Mumbled Yamaguchi, more to himself than anyone else. Upon seeing everyone else's eyes turn to him, he continued, "Think about it. If he's so dead set that this guy is a traitor, then making his first-ever public appearance to publish his recordings would bring a lot of attention to it. At least for the sake of show, the Tsukishimas would have to arrest their advisor and search his stuff and find the traitor's journal!"
"Yes!" Yachi exclaimed, looking around sheepishly before lowering her voice to a conspiratory whisper, "Look further into the journal, at the end pages. I'll wager that nasty advisor found out about Prince Tsukishima's writings!"
Yamaguchi nodded and flipped to the last, short entry.
He has grown paranoid. Akiteru believes me, now that I managed to filch a letter, but mother and father simply scold him for encouraging me. They mean the best, but I wish they would listen at more instances than just when they consult me. That traitorous man has taken to calling me Kei, and I must call him by his given name for the sake of courtesy. But his empty affections are just that, empty. He has grown to understand that I care neither for him nor his attempts to set me upon the throne. In solitude, he treats me with coldness and disdain, but I act as I always have. Even if he refuses to trust me anymore, I keep my façade. Still, I have little time left. It has been almost a year since my discovery and consequent recordings. I fear they will attack soon, having had enough time to prepare. The other night I found my room torn up and stripped. That sure drew father's attention, but instead of proper action, he has trusted that wretched man to guard me. He is swift with a sword, but so am I. I will lock my journals in my box meant for government papers and send them to the Kingdom of the Iron Wall. I once gave Prince Futakuchi a key that would unlock the box; he ought to trust me.
Futakuchi, if this journal has reached you, then my kingdom, and perhaps yours as well, are in grave danger. Please, I beg of you, you know the things I have seen and why I see them. We have had our differences, but our kingdoms are stronger as a union, and one of us needs to be pragmatic about this whole mess. I remind you, no matter how traitorous I seem, know that I act only to keep an eye on the inside. Even if you just raise defense, my parents will come to your aid, assuming they're alive. He is a snake among men, my father's financial advisor; do not forget where he is from or where the enemies of our countries have long hidden away like rats in sewers.
I pass my thanks to you and your new general, Aone. Even as the times are dire, I would congratulate you on your union. Staving off a war is surely not how you wish to spend your honeymoon, but I implore you to take immediate action; we haven't the time to spare for well-earned frivolities.
Yachi gasped at the afterward directed to prince Futakuchi, "The financial advisor? That's Daishou, why, he's nothing more than a kiss-up!"
"Where did they find this finance guy, and what does the land of snakes even mean?" questioned Hinata, looking between both Yamaguchi and Yachi.
"The kingdom of the Slithering Isles, that's the land of the snakes, right Yachi?" Yamaguchi supplied, less familiar with the islands than he'd like.
"Yes, exactly. They're an archipelago to the far south, about a hundred kilometers of the Fukoni coast. Historically they wait until the last minute to side with the winning side and reap the political benefits. The only people on the mainland they used to trade with were Fukoni, but they're in civil war now. I bet they're hurting for resources." Yachi explained further, "I wrote them off before just on proximity and their general cowardice in war, but usurping the throne is pretty underhanded."
"The Firefly Empire is the richest kingdom there is. If they denied the snakes a trade route, then there's your reason for war." Kageyama reasoned.
"Yeah, but the Slithering Isles never sent any trade requests. And that bit about rats is also strange," Yachi confusedly mumbled.
"Tauveriin! They've had problems with the Iron Wall and Firefly kingdom for ages! I bet they're the rats, working with the snakes!" It was all making sense to Yamaguchi; where else on the mainland would have grief with the Fireflies?
"You know," Hinata started, "If I was planning a coup and some no-good prince was onto me, I'd try to get rid of his evidence. But if that evidence got taken from my guys, by some scrappers headed straight back to the empire, I'd take out the witness." All three others turned to Hinata. "What? I am the second head of security for a reason, you know."
Yachi winced, "I can use my rank to send that journal to prince Futakuchi of the Iron Wall; we'll have to hope that it's enough."
"You know, if that stupid prince's family won't save him, we'll have to do it ourselves." The solemn statement from Kageyama brought to light just how deep the rabbit hole went. Yamaguchi did not sign up for an espionage rescue of a royal, but it was sure what he was getting.
