This is the next installment of Mai-chan's adventure. Enjoy!
It was always strange, the relationship between historical development, ancient mythology, population growth, and foreign influence. How they all interacted with the way people were living now, or develop into what they believed today.
It's especially so when one was travelling through a nation not their own, as Mai was finding out.
As a kunoichi, it's her job to gather as much information as possible regarding everything, up to and including researching international data… just in case they were necessary. From the most basic such as the language and culture, to the specifics such as philosophy and religion. Of course, her young age meant she couldn't delve deep enough into those topics to hold a meaningful conversation with an intellectual from that particular nation, but it's enough to recognize and join a casual streetside conversation.
Now, at the very least, she could understand what the people at the marketplace, guard posts, forest loggers, and rice paddies were saying. Mostly simple, daily stuff – where the next day's meal would come from was the most discussed, annoyingly among high-pitched and -volumed housewives – but there were several interesting snippets: threads she could follow… if she could just translate specific locations and nicknames. Those two were always the trickiest ones to get right with minimal preparation, because even a child could see through an outsider's disguise if they didn't know what was 'trendy' at the time.
She's learning, but far from quickly enough to her satisfaction. Seeing how Lian and Kīchi shift so seamlessly into Ming mannerisms and dialects was equally awe-inspiring and frustrating. Senjū-dōji's not bothering due to her own personality – and the fact Magecraft usually solved something so trivial as 'behaviour' – but Mai, loathe as she was to admit it, was a perfectionist at heart. Only because it'd mean delving far too deep into her sibling rivalry did she not seriously and outwardly pursue this part of her. When she and Ai started competing over every little thing, it wouldn't end until both of them outright hated each other childishly, requiring their uncle to separate and scold them before they concluded their 'duels'.
…to be frank, the twins still were those two mischievous and overly competitive kids from a decade ago, even now in their marriageable ages.
"O-Oof… I-It's spicy…" she complained through tears, sweat and snot, her off-hand too busy fanning herself to grab a wipe, while the other was blindly reaching for that thick, bitter cheap tea this roadside shack solely had on offer. "H-How… L-Lian-sama, you grew up eating these poisons?!"
Capsaicin was poison… technically speaking.
After their surprisingly smooth landing and exfiltration, they had exchanged horses several times during their trip, mimicking the old Mongolian tactic now trivialized by Ming's infrastructure. Several centuries ago, in the Heian Period, having several stables professionally maintained and lined up to facilitate rapid steed change was so novel it took the Mongol's enemies decades to copy in large scale. Now, with the increasing ease of horse care, available breeds, and smoother roads, a normal inn could afford to provide this service on the side, offering rushing customers 'instant care packages' where they could grab a quick meal – perhaps an outright takeaway – some additional supplies from a nearby general store, and a fresh horse all in one hour.
Nihon never really saw the need to adopt this method because… well, it's a small empire, no matter how internationally strong its position and prestige was. Ming, however, could have several Nihons placed horizontally in its borders end-to-end, not to mention the need to connect and supply the now-declining Silk Road with and from the eastern coastal plains. It was a tricky engineering project, discounting the countless slaves and labourers who were buried right underneath these paths, due to the incessant civil wars stretching across Ming's tumultuous history, and only when one dynasty predominantly held power could projects of this size be properly realized.
That said, the ladies weren't using that particular service, and were taking a proper break from their travel. Mai was slightly confused of their itinerary, because it didn't seem to visit spots VIPs like the Ashikagas would hide in, but she trusted her seniors' judgement.
…a poor decision, especially when she let them order food. Or, as they called it, the 'local delicacies'.
As a rule of thumb, Nihon citizens could not stand heavy spices. It partially had to do with their more animistic initial culture, always respecting nature's gifts more because of their diverse and rich landscape, trying to avoid 'polluting' the flavour too much. Appreciate the cleanliness, the purity, the clarity of well-executed, artistically simple dishes. The outcome of the Heian Period resulted in an empire so abundant and naturally wealthy they had no need for anything which would mask any off-flavour and -odour… because there usually weren't any.
The mainland, on the other hand, had great expanses of literal hell on earth; places where occupancy was considered a miracle as opposed to the natural order. While Nihon endured great weather-related disasters, the people there actually welcomed and worshipped these destroyers because they saw the benefit brought in at the cost of a few months' honest work of rebuilding. In contrast, Ming and Goryeo rarely had the luxury to do this because any natural disaster would take more than a generation to bear its gifts.
It's obvious when one charted nation population density and movement across history. These large, uninhabited areas would always be claimed last, and solely because there was no other empire willing to bother developing those places. The two empires had no choice because of their burgeoning population in the smaller, but far richer areas, requiring the rulers to transmigrate them gradually away from the first settlements. Then, once criminals, slaves, and political prisoners were added in due time, they finally had enough manpower to properly cultivate the arid and unfruitful lands… so to speak. Even today, these places only gave off the bare minimum for a society to function, and far from enabling them some semblance of luxury.
This was why the Mongols were so impressive. Having come from practically a life of hardship, no continental power disturbed their way of life because of the aforementioned reason: There's simply nothing to gain in conquering the vast steppes of Central Asia. No natural resource, no mine deposits, and a lot of fierce locals. What's there to take?
Conversely, for those early Mongols, the question became: Why not take?
…but that's neither here nor there. At the very least, Mai wasn't being served fermented blood cake, horse sausages, or preserved camel fat. Little did she know Lian and Kīchi actually knew some delicious local eateries which her narrow-minded should accept well, but deliberately pushed her close to the edge to see what she's made of.
For a girl who trained by consuming poisonous plants and venomous insects as part of her daily life, she was surprisingly innocent against foreign foods.
"Is the flavour good? I'll order some sheep's milk if it's too much for you," the redheaded Lian kindly offered, though the glint in her eyes Mai had just missed due to her struggles indicated she had no intention of holding back on this prank. Knowing the girl was somewhat infatuated with her, Lian expected Mai to play tough until her actual demise came. "Lǎobǎn, come."
Mai frantically waved off Lian's own summoning handwave, predictably trying to fake her condition in front of the handsome woman. "N-No, it's f-fine…! I'm just… n-not used to it, t-that's all!" She grinned unconvincingly, with tears freely flowing from her eyes, but at the very least, Lian found the childish smile rather cute. "I mean… I-I eat poison every day! T-This much is n-nothing!"
- Pft!
The young kunoichi tried to ignore Kīchi's and Senjū-dōji's snort, though the latter wasn't faring any better. The all-white small yōkai… was literally red now. It seemed the capsaicin was able to affect both her physical body and appearance… or was the latter merely a mirror of the former? Anyway, Senjū-dōji now sported bright red hair, kimono, and skin – more Acala now than the Guan Yin persona she generally tried to give off. Still, her expression remained as mockingly calm as ever, and not even a bead of sweat made itself apparent on her smooth skin. In contrast, though, Mai could feel the radiant heat emanating from the smaller girl's body… almost like a bonfire.
Through her giggling, the older Tengu consoled, "Don't be so shy, Mai-chan… Even I'm not fully used to consuming heavily-spiced things like this, and I visit Ming quite often! Let it all go and bawl!"
"In front of you all? No, thank you," Mai politely declined, the few seconds their conversation took being enough for her to catch a breather. Fortunately, she had tied her long hair back in her usual 'work' ponytail, or it'd be tremendously difficult and gross to wick away the sweat from that black curtain of hers. Lian and Kīchi had no trouble with this, since their hair was cut shorter than hers, but Senjū-dōji seemed to use this comical way of dyeing her entire self to cope with it.
- Thwack!
Yoshimoto abruptly dropped the tray she was holding in her hands at one corner of their table, before immediately wincing and complaining by gesturing with her wrists left-to-right quickly. "Oweee… Just how much are you guys going to eat? Geez…"
This time, Senjū-dōji was the one who replied, "As much as we can to exploit your sudden kindness, Yoshimoto-sama."
"I'm not your pack mule!" The shogun whined, her bountiful breasts now visibly shaking under her more casual clothes, more impactful because of her rather short stature. "Just… J-Just a kind gesture… Uuu… M-My body's getting exploited…"
Ordinarily, Mai would've instantly corrected Yoshimoto by lowering herself and reminding the shogun of her position gently, but the trip here had taught her precisely why the Ashikaga Princess General was elected shogun by the renowned difficult-to-work-with Nobunaga: She was… different.
Whether that's in a good or bad way… the kunoichi couldn't judge.
Yoshimoto was casual to the extreme, as if she found ordinary and typical things a challenge, and not the norm. From the way she spoke to behave to fight… the sense of a personal space didn't seem to register in her mind, frequently inciting jealousy in Mai for burying her and Senjū-dōji's face into her enormous breasts seemingly by unconscious habit, as well as settling with linking arms with her taller escorts… which inadvertently slipped Lian's and Kīchi's longer limbs into her crevices. Again, she was doing this all without a care in the world, as if her body's sanctity and purity were a joke to laugh at and play with.
Mai wasn't some innocent village maiden unaccustomed to the darker aspects of sex, but she herself was still a virgin. It's mostly because her uncle previously couldn't find a suitable employment for her or Ai's sexual services, since those past targets wouldn't prefer their young bodies… then this request from Himiko came before that fact could change. All she received was the education and basic training when the time came. On the other hand, preserving her maidenhood could be advantageous in certain situations – for instance, when the prospective target or situation demanded it – so there wasn't really a good choice for her to simply throw it away in a hurry.
In fact, both Mai and Ai assumed their firsts was going to someone internal – Tokimaru, for instance, whose crush at times felt rather confusing – due to natural libido and curiosity overwhelming their sense of duty. The time's passed when kunoichis obeyed the clan's laws and orders to the letter, and romantic relationship was much freer than it was in the old days. These factors combined to lead to her current state, where some flashes of skin or sensation of soft flesh were enough to incite her arousal, irrespective of gender and identity.
They were all beautiful girls – and the guys she caught glimpses of among the Hyakki Yakō were all good-looking, too. In a sense, it'd be a sin to waste this opportunity and not, at least, start a meaningful relationship, now that her medium-term future and prosperity were guaranteed. Now that was imperial privilege. Spicy!
Speaking of spice… Mai concluded because one particular Khan had so many descendants populating Ming nowadays, they brought with them their resistance to overwhelming flavours and spices. Thus, spreading the usage and actual need of chillies and peppers and other 'poisons' for paying customers.
Holding back the urge to shove the boss-man's ass with an exploding kunai when he arrived with a small pitcher of milk nonetheless, Mai pulled Yoshimoto from her latest antic to sit beside her. They're all on stretch benches anyway – the most economical choice to order from a carpenter for a humble restaurant like this – so all it took was some shuffling around. Mai's side sat the shorties, opposite the much taller and bulkier Lian and Kīchi, though the kunoichi internally grimaced when Yoshimoto's plump asscheek pinched a part of her thigh's flesh.
Debating with herself whether this was true pain or actually a masked pleasure, she finally asked, "Er… Can you grant me some sense of the route, Lian-sama? I know we're on a bit of a detour, but… are the Ashikagas that easy to corner and catch? I'm concerned we're wasting time trying to prank me with too-spicy food."
While there still was some stuttering there, Mai resolutely met Lian's querying gaze, emphasizing her seriousness.
However, Lian simply replied with a cryptic smile, turning their lunch into an unfair staring contest, since after a few seconds, Mai couldn't hold back her blush and quickly shifted her gaze aside. The tall redhead nudged the now-smirking Kīchi to her side, shaking her head in disappointment at their protégé's weakness.
- Jab!
"Ahem." The white-haired tengu needed to clear her throat before she began, "Well, like always, your observation's pretty much spot-on. I guess we can stop testing you… or, should it be 'just as expected'? You're someone Himiko-chan poached, and the Chrysanthemum Throne rarely gets things wrong regarding this. After all, with a 0% assassination or betrayal record, I guess we've been doing a pretty good job, huh?!"
- JAB!
"OI! T-That's some serious elbow strike…!" Kīchi yelled at Lian, who deadpanned and glared at her to go back to the main topic. "Ahem, sorry; I went off a tangent there. Now, regarding our targets, they're actually already apprehended. All we have to do is wash their necks and slice them off."
"…just like that?" Mai asked after a short pause, rather shocked at how things seemingly simply fell into their laps. "I thought… we have to do some background work or something to gain some steps…"
"Kakaka! Do you think us as brigands with no backing? This is what 'power abuse' truly means!" Kīchi guffawed, mildly slapping the table – all the utensils jumped in unison about a foot in the air – before she added, "Himiko-chan's been planning on removing them from power for quite some time. Do you think their escape route to here, in Ming, was an oversight?"
Realization dawned on Mai's face. "Corner a rat, and it'll fight…"
Lian finished for her. "Give a rat one path to run, and it'll blindly sprint to follow it."
"Do you understand now? If you do, then finish your meal. It's unsightly," Senjū-dōji queried with an evil smile spread across her face.
Mai looked down at the remaining food still spread on the table – Kīchi's errant slap was still skilful enough not to spill even the super-spicy tofu soup and milk – and gulped in fear at the amount of crimson angrily glaring back at her, like boiling lava awaiting her suicide.
"C-Can I not…"
"Hooohhh… So that is the famed Kunlun… Compared to Mt. Hua…" Yoshimoto, impressed, gawked at the image formed on the makeshift mercury mirror. She'd been playing with this new toy ever since Lian decided she grew tired of listening to the hyperactive shogun chirping around. Her eyes darted back and forth between the artifact and the scenery outside the window, comparing the two mountain ranges respectively displayed. "What a tool! I can even see things thousands of miles away!"
The group was rapidly approaching Ming's central region, right at the heart of the Five Great Mountains. Lian claimed they're here to visit an old friend – the same individual who had, apparently, captured their targets easily. While the redhead was predictably mysterious with the introduction, it soon became apparent the only reason this 'luck' had befallen them was because the Ashikagas thought of the same thing.
'A powerful person in Ming whom even the traitors sook…'
Mai constantly racked her brains since earlier, crossing a mental list filled with people fulfilling that criteria one-by-one… until she came across one category she couldn't, purely because it's 'people whose names were struck from history', deliberately or not. There was no way any of the current public figures would brave Nihon's wrath and shelter its current greatest political dissident, which, of course, would lead to them supporting the Ashikaga and internationally denouncing Himiko's rule. Perhaps there would be after the first step was established… and that was clearly to seduce the backing of a powerful underground figure.
The kunoichi had decided not to share her thoughts this time for fear of getting bullied in front of her crush. And her current deduction skills were good enough, as her current teammates and client often remarked, so there's no need to constantly open her mouth just for the sake of praises.
…maybe if that'd get Lian to rub her head lovingly, then she'd be more motivated to act childish as so. But that's a private imagination, and certainly not something which she could either show or tell others.
In front her, Yoshimoto furiously swiped the mercury mirror numerous times, seemingly at random, 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing each time she paused. Giggling and lifting the tool above her head childishly, she didn't care if her arms or legs ended up nudging Mai's stomach, shoulder, or knees – there was one surprise shot to the face, but she dodged it smoothly – so the kunoichi supposed she could take this as a blessing rather than an annoyance. Much like the shogun, Mai'd rather enjoy the scenery right now instead of getting involved in verbal bouts – those of which felt endless against this buxom Princess General.
"Oh! Oh! You can zoom in with this thing?!" Yoshimoto's volume unusually rose, jolting and inadvertently pressing her soft behind onto Mai's front. Because they were on a horse together – it's Mai's 'shift' to take care of the shogun – the slight difference in elevation meant the friction point happened right around where her clitoris was, nearly eliciting a shriek from the kunoichi. "Hey, hey, Mai, look at this!"
It was rather painful and in no way pleasurable, since the sudden contact occurred when her crotch was bone dry. Still, Mai held back her grimace to query what'd actually made her so excited… but she then shouted right in Yoshimoto's ears, "What the-?! Shogun-sama, turn it off this instant!"
It was a live stream of nuns in a faraway Taoist temple bathing. Because their beliefs demanded they live in modesty, there was no hot water inside their complex – this fact was widely known and accepted – thus the young girls were required to either bathe in the cold river regardless of the weather, or – for those under punishment – were ordered to go back-and-forth between the river or well to fill up a rudimentary tub made of dug-up hole in the ground lined with rocks and wood.
Naturally, the scene which made Mai blush furiously was the former.
It technically was still summertime, but the temple in view was located quite high up in the mountains. Thus, the cold water ran down the pure nuns' unblemished skin in big droplets, rolling off their hardened nipples and trembling pussy lips in great sensuousness. This detail was made worse by Mai's excellent eyesight and observational skills, taking in every information she could get instinctively before her brain could consciously told her eyes to shut down. The nuns were all girls around her age, young and nubile, chatting and frolicking about without a care in the world – because unlike what most adult novels tried to popularize, it was impossible for any male living being to sneak through the temple's border simply to peep at the girls; such was its security and strength of staff – splashing cold water every now and then at one particularly funny joke.
'T-They're bushier t-than me…'
Yoshimoto's hands were surprisingly fast when Mai attempted to wrestle the makeshift toy from her, before quickly sliding it underneath her clothes and covering it with her ample bosom. "Nope! Not going to happen! Ahahaha!"
The shogun even deliberately twisted her body so it's her face now sitting uncomfortably close to Mai's own, positioning her breasts right up against the kunoichi's modest ones and squishing them together. "Hah! Try and take it this way!" Yoshimoto declared, wrapping her arms around Mai's back before the latter could counter in any intelligent way. "Rub! Rub! Rub!"
"S-Stop doing t-thaaaaaaaaatttttttt!"
Further ahead, Kīchi chuckled. "You're right about the potential comedic value of that pairing."
Senjū-dōji, sitting on Lian's lap much the same way as Yoshimoto did earlier with Mai, sneered. "How cruel of you to do that to an admirer of yours."
"Many have courted me," Lian coldly smiled, not even looking back to enjoy the show like her two colleagues. "Very few manage to capture my attention, and even less interest me."
"Tch! Cold-hearted bitch," Kīchi spat, though the way she clicked her tongue indicated she was somewhat amused. Her expression, too, was nowhere near the antagonistic façade she wore in front of others when interacting with Lian. "I'm sure Jofuku-dono would've been happy for you if you choose to settle down a few times…"
The redhead, too, sported a serene sageness about her, knowing her face was obscured by the back of her head from Yoshimoto's and Mai's gaze. The kunoichi had great potential, and might've picked up on her change in demeanour even from her current position, but the youthfulness in her interfered by activating the horny parts of her adolescent brain. "Then I'll repeat my wedding oaths to her until she's sick of it. A fling is fine… and Mai's certainly a fine girl, but I don't think I can even go so far as having a serious fling like Shuten-dono."
Kīchi shrugged. "Well, I'm not somebody who can criticize that part of life choices."
Senjū-dōji perked up. "Come to think of it, why is it you choose to never have any descendant, Kīchi-san?"
"Eh… I just saw how painful it was for Shizuka when she gave birth and thought, 'Yeah, not for me!'. That's basically it," the white-haired tengu admitted jovially. "Then, seeing how the brats grew up… I'm just not interested. At least, not compared to the intangible goals we're chasing as Hyakki Yakō members."
"I don't think our group has anything to do with that," Lian commented. "We're simply bodyguards – a damned good one, but still as simple as that – who were provided save havens and life directions when we had none. To try and extrapolate that to your personal beliefs is a tad too much," she criticized, though again, with a neutral tone unlike their previous public interaction. "What about you, Senjū? Are you thinking of starting a relationship in the next few decades?"
The little girl chuckled. "Seeing you two, I think I have plenty of time left in the world. There is no need to rush."
"Finding a potential candidate is an issue as well," Kīchi chirped. "Do you think it's going to be a normal guy who'll impregnate Himiko-chan?"
"Why should it be 'a person'? We know it's possible to use artificial insemination to do so; no need for extra effort to be expended," Lian suggested. "Besides, if there even is a person in the next few years, don't you think there'll be nothing of him left once we're done with it? Shirō-kun, naturally, will have first go at it."
"Hmph. He's more of a siscon than he admitted," the tengu sarcastically grumbled. "I also think Himiko-chan's more interested in slipping into his bed and deal with the aftermath, than – like you said – expending unnecessary efforts to find a good match outside."
"Do not simply assume there is going to be a negative result," Senjū-dōji corrected. "Rulers past have consorted with their relatives with popular reception."
"Bah, how much do you know? You're still just a baby compared to us; don't talk about the past!" Kīchi refuted. "Say that to our descendants a millennium later!"
"Ahahaha… How long do you think we shall live?" Senjū-dōji cryptically and rhetorically asked. "The will to live… is far more important than our physical forms' endurance against the World's wishes. I am unsure if I can maintain focus for so long just for a sarcastic talkback."
Surprisingly, Lian shook her head. "At times, it's precisely the opposite. My contact is a being such."
"Ho? Someone who doesn't die if they're killed?" Kīchi reiterated Muramasa's favoured line, having heard it many times from Tatsumi – and on occasion when she sparred the redheaded blacksmith herself – which, admittedly, confused her at first. However, when she compared it with her life experience, the amount of people with such attribute made it a rather common occurrence. "Someone from the time of your actual birth?"
"Older, actually. Though she claimed she gained sentience alongside my natural growth, chronologically speaking, so you can say we're peers," Lian explained.
"A figure from our namesake Warring States Period…" Senjū-dōji muttered, highlighting the similarity by comparing that phrase in both Ming and Nihon languages. "She must be a great person."
"Ufufu… Not quite," Lian giggled femininely – quite a rare event – before continuing, "I quote, "My immortality is solely birthed by my cowardice." That is her mindset… was, when I last saw her."
"A complicated woman, then. Typical." Kīchi stretched her arms upwards, showcasing the suppleness of the triangular muscle going into and beside her breasts, as well as her well-groomed armpits. "Why can't it ever be as simple as it looks?"
"You'll have to ask Himiko-chan, then…"
"Unhand us! Hey! Do you hear me?! Untie us this instant!"
- Thud! Thud! Thud!
The annoying, high-pitched female voice rang repeatedly throughout the well-maintained and -furnished caverns, followed by the incessant dull echo of a small-bodied person repeatedly jumping up-and-down from a sitting position juvenilely, slapping the tender flesh against the surprisingly flat and smooth rock floor.
Whether by accident or not, the little girl was the only one whose mouth was uncovered. Thus, not only did she shout with fortitude to actually annoy and cause psychological damage to her captor, it was also to alert anyone close enough something was going on. She was certain this person had to be extremely skilled, and the fact they're most likely under and behind several hundred yards of bedrock, any individual who could pick up on her impromptu distress signal must also be of roughly the same calibre.
Tiny ray of hope, but that's all she and her family were relying on.
- Thud! Thud! Thud!
Her big brother eyed her worryingly, tears pooling on the corners of his eyes due to the effort he'd wasted trying to shout against his mouth gag. Partially to also join his younger sister in screaming for help, partially to tell her to stop making such an extreme fuss since her butt and thighs had started to turn bloody.
The two siblings had already spent hours straining themselves to the point of unconsciousness. When they woke up, they were already tied up to a metal post, limbs bound – just the two of them in an alien space.
The Ashikaga siblings, just as Himiko predicted, went the extra step and avoided rushing into the closest Ming official and demanding to be escorted to the capital to see the Emperor. That choice was so typical because it granted any refugee publicity and the resulting protection coming with it. The same advantage, though, became its greatest weakness because it's equivalent of announcing to the world where exactly to attack. And against an empire with resources like Nihon, whose minuscule land area when compared to Ming was easily surmounted by its level of Mystery and available manpower, that'd literally be suicide.
Any of Himiko's would-be captors and assassins would not hesitate to execute them right in front of the Ming Emperor, at his palace's main square, and in plain view of everyone. They had enough skill and power to do so without any tricks, and even better political backing to ensure no one would be able to retaliate immediately. Knowing this all too well, Yoshiteru chose to slip away from metropolitan areas and head to the mountains, where he'd heard of a sage who'd be willing to listen to them.
Ming's size and population density meant large cities were a cinch to blend in, and leaving it meant abandoning the easy disguise they'd donned since they left their smuggler's boat. He was already grateful Yoshiaki didn't kick up a fuss about the accommodation, since the little girl, while politically talented, was physically every bit as normal as a girl her age. With no military training whatsoever unlike the Princess Generals now rampaging across Nihon, it could be said she was a burden to him, as he was still above her in inheritance terms. In fact, leaving her in Nihon was probably the best, leaving others to overhaul their clan's standing so she could live peacefully and safely as a political hostage.
To start replacing the Ashikaga Clan, the first thing Himiko needed was his head, not Yoshiaki's.
But when faced with her figure holding a tanto to her neck, tears streaming down her cheeks, throat sore from screaming about how stupid her brother had been… he relented and took her with him to Ming. And, to be fair to Yoshiaki, her presence perhaps aided in their ease of passage, because they could play off a normal guard's pity at a pair of homeless brother and sister, eager to find better luck in foreign lands. If it was Yoshiteru alone, he might be able to infiltrate by working harsher jobs, disguising himself as a worker, but it'd be a long and arduous trip with little reward. A lone newcomer who didn't belong stuck out like a sore thumb just as much as tattooing his own name on his forehead.
The trouble was hiding her beauty, because it'd just attract more troublesome people than their worth. Yoshiaki herself was prepared to sell her own body so their mission was successful, but he was adamantly against it. There was no need to debase oneself when there's still a way out… and even if there wasn't any, he'd present his own head to Himiko first than witness his sister whoring herself for his sake.
However, what's most frightening about that suggestion was how realistic and practical it was. Yoshiaki would likely fetch a great price – not just monetarily, but also exchangeable for powerful favours – and there's a good market for barely-ripe girls like her out there, not matter if it's Nihon, Ming, Goryeo, or even Nanban. Simply march her into one of the highest-classed brothels, arrange for a deflowering transaction with a powerful official – or perhaps even the Emperor himself! – and he could simply watch with legs raised on the table as his new backer fought against Nihon.
Of course, that kind of thing was beneath him! Beneath what a shogun family should do when they're knocked down!
For people of Nihon, the word 'sage' instantly brought to mind Xu Fu and his convoy in the Yayoi period, not because of whom she came as, but whom she had eventually become – immortality, mastery of Thaumaturgy, stepping into the Divine Spirits' realm, etc. As a noble, the Ashikaga siblings were brought up in her story closer than anyone, with enough knowledge and circumstantial proof not al of those myths were true. At least, not all of them could be directly attributed to Xu Fu herself – perhaps her assistants, partners, disciples, or fortunate slaves – but Yoshiteru knew for a fact sages existed. Perhaps Xu Fu wasn't a sage, but she certainly witnessed one in her last expedition to Nihon.
Thus, he and his sister began on what people termed a fool's chase, knowing deep down there was truth at the end of the road.
Hopefully, this truth could also bring him back to one of Nihon's top seats.
Yet, still, they found themselves in a situation not too dissimilar to how Yoshiteru thought the 'easy option' would've resulted for them. The only difference was how lavish their 'jail' was – at the very least, he didn't have to worry about defending his sister from unsavoury inmates who're always up for sticking their dicks into all-too-small holes… including his own.
He couldn't even shudder at that thought because he was awoken from his unconsciousness by her sister's scream, finding out his mouth was classically gagged with a wet cloth stuffed into his throat. Any attempt to call out to her sister to convey anything complex resulted in shuffling the fabric further down, triggering his gag reflex, moistening it with acidic fluid, and pushing it back up again to start the cycle anew. Most onlookers would've thought such method as too simple to be effective, but there's a reason why it's so popular.
"Brother, don't worry; I'll get us out of here soon!" She forced a smile out, impressing and touching him she didn't even let a sliver of pained expression leak out. "Hey, jerk! BASTARD! MOTHERFU-!"
Yoshiteru was shocked his sister knew of such crass words, beyond his surprise when her voice suddenly… stopped, even when her mouth finished her string of curse words far too uncouth for the general public. 'A spell…!'
As nobles, the siblings received rudimentary training in Thaumaturgy. Yet, their teachers soon discovered much like their parents and predecessors, the Ashikagas had little aptitude beyond the rudimentary spells, so they went the traditional route and chose to surround themselves with capable bodyguards, unlike Himiko who sent her Hyakki Yakō away as much as possible for beneficial missions because… well, she was there, in her room. That made it the most secure place in Nihon, removing the need for more security.
Unbeknownst to them, the clan teachers were in fact provided by the Minamoto Clan, ensuring their students would never achieve their potential by cutting the bud short. Overexercising the exact opposite aptitude to a particular [Origin] and [Element], arranging the wrong internal pathway to train and follow, atrophying their Magic Circuits by informing new ones must be made and destroyed with each spell, and so on. There were so many logical things which were crammed down the nobles' children's throats they and their parents followed them blindly, thinking it's the same education the Minamoto Clan children received. Their desire for vengeance and superiority simply hastened their consumption of this 'poison', belittling their chance with every generation.
Was it evil, if tyranny was used to ensure harmony? Was it bad, if oppression was used to birth freedom? Was it cruel, if vengeance was used to fuel long-lasting peace?
The Minamoto Clan certainly thought so. They, too, were single-mindedly driven to annihilate their rival… and when the bloody dust settled, they looked around and saw good. Hence, they took it for granted, as a reward for their centuries of hardship and inequality. Yoshitsune, in her blood-craze, slowly phased out of her youthful recklessness as her respect for her fallen enemies grew, swearing to cherish and maintain the new Nihon built atop the corpses of the Taira.
Now, that, ironically as it was, was the Minamoto Clan's deepest secret and greatest strength. They used the prosperity and happiness generated by their deeds to overcome and drown out the sins their opponents constantly pointed out. A hard thing to do for certain – there was a reason Himiko had to make some concessions and allowed an unfavourable clan to sit as shogun for several generations, after all – but they managed it.
Currently, there wouldn't be a single soul shedding tears if Yoshiteru's head was paraded as a criminal across Nihon's streets, and Yoshiaki's naked, tortured body to be dragged along with her brother's corpse for all to play and enjoy with.
- Step. Step. Step.
The siblings perked up when they heard a single person approaching their position.
Their loss of memory prior to their capture was jarring. Was it Magecraft, drugs, or simple head injury? Neither felt any lingering pain around their cranium, but the latter couldn't be discounted. The caverns they're in didn't hold any further clues, either, because apart from its astonishingly well-kept appearance, there was no personal effects littering their surroundings, leading Yoshiteru to think this was a specialized holding facility used by the sages.
Was it the sage they're looking for? The last thing he remembered was climbing along a picturesque mountain side-trail, keeping ahold of his sister because said path was almost the exact opposite of this place in terms of comfort: perilous, crumbling footing, uneven platforms, slippery gravel and limestone dust, howling winds pelting rubble into their faces and joints, and the constant mental burden of avalanche threat emphasized by erratic showers of rock from above. The way here was designed to put a human through the most rigorous mind challenge possible, because it's certainly scalable by even someone of Yoshiaki's physical condition, but there's only so long someone could keep a steady headspace and footwork before they eventually fell.
Or was that what truly happened? Did they fall, lose consciousness, and were carted off here as prisoners? Or…
"You're so goddamned noisy…" a tired female voice audibly spoke, interrupted herself with a yawn, in rhythm with the footsteps. Yoshiteru perked at the revelation which just hit him: This woman was wearing fashionable footwear – the Nanban patten one of Nobunaga's retainers was fond of wearing – noticeable from its trademark click-clack different from a traditional geta. "I know you can't wait to be killed, but can you do so in front of your would-be executioners and not an old lady like me?"
Girl. Young adult. Ancient Han dialect. Overly-light footsteps and body weight.
The mismatch between her words and how young she sounded indicated this was likely a sage – they were on the way of meeting one, after all… but was she the right one? – but… well, hermits weren't known to be fashionable people, after all. The fact they could hear her footsteps indicated she wasn't… normal, per se, since her people were fond of flaunting off their martial skills by moving as silently as possible while barefooted. This was an observational skill key to any politician, whose primary duty was finding the other party's likes and dislikes in order to smoothly kiss their asses.
Her tone and yawn indicated she just woke up, but the appearance of the woman who showed up clearly wasn't.
- …!
Frankly speaking, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Long, lustrous jet-black hair singularly and thickly braided, with thin opaque cloths covering her privates – also pitch black in colour. Only her brilliant red eyes provided great contrast to what otherwise was a shining monochromatic colour scheme, because her skin was as pale, if not paler, than the most well-guarded and -secluded princesses. Her figure, clearly, was unrestrained by the modesty her scraps of fabric provided, bursting out in all the right places and allowing peeks at the flesh and skin hidden underneath.
Strands of her hair stuck out messily, reinforcing her sleepy state, yet there was nothing else indicating she had just rolled around in her bed until just now. In fact, the rather unkempt style only emphasized her gorgeousness, making him wonder if it's intentionally done.
"You! D-Do you know w-who we are…?!" Similarly stunned, Yoshiaki stuttered through her growl, barking standard Ming dialect like a little dog. "State your name, lowly cur!"
"Why should I introduce myself to would-be corpses?" Appearing uninterested and un-insulted by Yoshiaki's rude words, she waved the little girl's demand off. "And please stop smearing your bleeding butthole on my floor. It's… difficult to maintain."
Neither siblings paid close attention to the shift in speech mannerism by the end of her riposte, because they had more pressing concerns to deal with – namely, staying alive. "Mmfff! Mph! Mmmnnn!" Yoshiteru mumbled loudly against his gag, trying his best to be delicate and avoid choking on the fabric. "MMMMNNNNGGGGGHHH!"
"D-Don't worry, Aniue! I-I'll take care of it!" Yoshiaki, misunderstanding her brother's attempt, declared proudly with tears streaking down her cheeks. "Wench! We are Nihon's esteemed, noble Ashikaga Clan! The 12th Shogun is in front of you-"
Because of her tumultuous emotions, her delivery was far from perfect, since it required a charismatic, overbearing persona to achieve. Obviously, being tied up, snivelling, sporting an intense brocon gaze in her eyes, and combined with her petite stature meant she utterly failed in doing so.
However, what interrupted her soliloquy was the macabre sight of this scantily-clad black-themed beauty shoving her fingers into Yoshiaki's mouth… and pulling out roughly.
- RRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPP!
"MMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Yoshiteru shouted, nearly tearing his own body into pieces by reflexively jumping forwards against his bindings, before the seemingly-indestructible pole and chains yanked him back. Still, even after this failure, he tried again and again, banging and rearing and struggling against the metal fixtures, all to approach the person who'd just ripped his little sister's tongue out.
"What is it? Don't worry; she's not going to bleed to death," she declared apathetically, viewing what she did as simply the natural response to a bratty string of curses. "I'm good with flames – see?"
The bloody, still-twitching piece of deep pink muscle displayed atop of her palm, held tenderly like one would to a large jewel… before it spontaneously combusted with a deep orange-red flame, its scorched scent disgustingly whetting Yoshiteru's own appetite, reminding him cruelly he hadn't eaten any provision since a few hours before they lost consciousness.
The flame hypnotically sucked in all his attention, momentarily placing Yoshiaki's well-being out of his mind, though if his eyes wandered aside slightly, he'd see a similar lick of embers bursting out of her mouth, sealing her wounds almost instantly. The little girl trembled uncontrollably, a mix of fear, shock, anger, sadness, regret, and other quaking emotions ripping through her body. Her eyes, wide open, twitched in horror at her own state – she was fortunate there was no mirror in front of her displaying her current self, or she'd instantly pass out – as no sound escaped her soot-filled mouth. A distinct scent of urine cut through the smell of burnt flesh and blood, emanating from the large puddle now forming underneath Yoshiaki's lap, lightly tinged red from her previous injury when she was wantonly rebelling against her own restrains.
"Oh, you've started already."
Through his own agonizingly futile yells and screams, another woman's voice cut through the faux-prison's cacophony easily. However, it came from behind him, indicating the black-haired woman's place of entry wasn't the only one. This detail missed him because he was so used to determining paths inside underground structures via the wind's directional noise when it passed through, forgetting this wasn't a natural cavern by any means.
"Now, Mai-chan, your final test is here," the same voice declared, apparently not speaking to the black-haired woman, because she scrunched her face in annoyance, placing one hand on her shapely hips. "As easy as that."
"You called in a favour just for this? Isn't that a waste, Lian?" Yoshiaki's torturer spoke, tossing the girl's burnt tongue to the side like garbage. "Especially because these idiots announced their arrival… and walked in here by themselves. I was planning an elaborate chase-and-cornering scene, and it's all for nothing."
"Ah, that's why you're so grumpy. I know you're not a morning person, but…" A chuckle. "Fufufu… You seem to be having fun."
"Nah, this brat's just annoying. Do you need their corpses to be pristine?"
"No, just the head. It the bodies are shrivelled up or mauled, that's excusable."
"Get on with it, then."
Before Yoshiteru could interrupt and protest, the tell-tale sound of iaidō rang from behind, slicing through the invincible pole holding the siblings in place effortlessly.
His vision swam, tumbled, bounced, and blackened for good, though not before a glimpse of his own headless body, powerless to prevent his sister from experiencing the same fate.