Jack poured the sake into his companion's cup and the latter returned the gesture. They sat in an isolated corner, a moldy screen separating them away from the rest of the customers passing time with a drink and song. The smell of smoke billowed inside the room, mingling with the sourness of perspiration and cheap alcohol. Jack threw back his drink in one gulp, letting it burn down his throat. It tasted horrible as expected and he broke into a coughing fit, almost doubling over. His companion, a much older man with graying temples and speckled beard, took one polite sip and set his cup aside, making it clear it would also be the final one.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Little Shinnō."
It was what they had called Jack upon his birth, Shinnō or prince, before his real name had been chosen. Jack, as a child, would frequent the training grounds of his father's men, following their practice from afar with a wooden sword. Back then, the Chief Warrior would try and scare Jack away, calling him a manner of names, from Monkey Spy to Pumpkin Brat. However, the one that peeved the young boy the most, who thought quite himself mature at that time, was his infantile name. Naturally, the Chief Warrior stuck with that one.
"Please, Mr. Sato." Jack sniffed with childish effect. "I've grown."
"Yes, yes, I recall you always whimpering on with that one." remarked Sato as he let out a booming laugh that echoed like cannon fire. Jack was immediately reminded of his old Scots friend in the future, whose cackle could travel lengths, and the memory cheered him greatly.
"So what brings us here to this meeting?" The former Chief Warrior asked, propping a leg up as he leaned sideways against the wall to get comfortable. "Surely not for the sake here." He rubbed at his exposed knee, where a massive red scar glared at Jack like an angry eye. Jack averted his gaze, and it fell on the walking stick at Sato's side where a sword should have been and felt a rush of sympathy. Though, he knew better than to show it. A warrior's pride was everything.
Jack laced his fingers on the table. "I wanted somewhere nondescript as I have something to ask of you. A favor."
"Yes, the hefty gift basket you sent me told me as much." Sato smirked. "Well, what it is? I have to be back home before the rain hits again or my wife won't be happy."
"Mr. Sato, I'm sure you've heard of the recent attacks."
"Have I? That's no longer my affair since I've..." he gestured at his leg, "...retired."
"I hardly think that matters since you would know either way. You're a man who likes to stay informed. That hasn't changed, I'm sure. Not even after Aku."
Sato had not only been a masterful swordsman during his time, but he had also developed his own network of intelligence. He had a number of agents that reported to him from various regions of the country. This system had been crucial after Aku's revival, situating refugees and strategizing to overcome Aku's growing reach. Jack may have gotten the glory of defeating Aku, but the people living now owed their lives to Sato whether they knew it or not.
Sato had fallen silent, reaching for his cup in contemplation. The tight line of his mouth said it all, the memories, the anguish, the regret—all of it swirled inside his head like the sake in his cup.
"I lost a lot of men." He finally said, setting the cup back down. "Good men, struck down by Aku's minions. We were fighting a losing battle, but we couldn't stop. Your parents counted on us to hold that demon back as best as we could until your return." He raised his eyes up to Jack, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile. "You did good, Little Shinnō".
Jack bowed his head. "So did you."
"Bah!" Sato suddenly injected, startling Jack. "Enough with the sentiments! It'll only turn me senile. So, what did you want to know?"
"Yes, well…" Jack cleared his throat, finally getting to the matter. "The slain bandits had to come from somewhere. They were recruited. I need to know where, and most importantly, by whom."
"And I suppose you want me to recover the stolen items as well?"
"I can't verify for the first temple, it's still being looked into. But the most recent one…it was one of the three sacred treasures."
Sato drew out his breath like a whistle, wincing as he did. "I had suspected as much."
The sacred treasures or imperial regalia had existed since time immemorial and were vital to the enthronement ceremony. These items were shrouded in mystery and guarded with great secrecy. Jack knew very little, his father only giving him the gist of what to expect when it would be his time to ascend. He would be presented two of the treasures, a sword and a necklace of magatama. The mirror, however, considered the embodiment of the goddess Amaterasu herself, would remain enshrined.
"Which one did they take?"
"The mirror."
"Well…" Sato shrugged, "...that's bad."
"My father is distressed," Jack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He tries to hide it, of course. We'd been able to protect the treasures from Aku's clutches but now"—
Sato cut him off with a raised hand.
"Little Shinnō. I'll do my best to find us a lead. But until then, make sure your old man doesn't worry himself to death. From what I know, you only become emperor when he bites it, so please, gods above, don't shorten my deadline."
Jack could not argue that point.
"Anyway," Sato went on, "I'd like to talk about a less pressing but very important matter."
Jack did not like the glint in his eye.
"I already know, but I still have to ask. Are the talks true?" He asked, grinning like a fox. "About a certain geisha?"
It was suddenly unbearably warm, causing Jack to push up his sleeves. He rarely had anyone to talk to regarding Ashi or personal matters, really. "Her name is Ashi…" He found himself saying anyway, reaching for his hat beside him, "and I…well, she..."
His heart beat wildly in excitement as he blurted out his next words.
"She will by my wife."
Ashi had turned down the prince's marriage proposal.
And Oka-san had not stopped wailing ever since. The matriarch locked herself inside her room, refusing to speak to anyone, only accepting the tray of meals punctually left outside. The entire household was thrown into chaos. Appointments were cancelled, lessons forgotten, and nobody but the servants had stepped foot outside the townhouse in days.
"Ashi! How could you!" came another round of sobs, heard by all. "How could you be so ungrateful! Turning down the prince! The priiiince!"
"Can we just lace her tea with opium?" grumbled Fumiko as she and Chiyo passed the source of everyone's misery. After how many days, the pity had worn off. "I haven't been able to have a quiet moment for myself!"
"Just go take a bath like Satomi," said Chiyo, stifling a yawn, "she says you don't hear Oka-san in there as much."
"I would if she didn't hog it! She's in there right now!"
The girls settled outside the gardens, where they could still hear faint cries, which somehow was more irritating.
"Why do you think Big Sister turned down his proposal?" Fumiko asked for about the thousandth time, as she pulled a blade of grass between her teeth.
"Big sister already told us," Chiyo answered for about the thousandth time as well, "she says she won't make a suitable bride for the prince."
"Why not?"
Chiyo sighed.
"Can't we talk about something else?"
"Oh come on!" Fumiko whined, kicking a pebble with her bare feet. "What else is there to talk about? How often do princes propose marriage to commoners?!"
"Fine!" Chiyo conceded, throwing her sleeves up in the air as they returned once more to the same tiresome topic. "You just said it yourself. It's because Big Sister isn't a court lady. He's in a station above hers, above all of us for that matter."
"The prince doesn't care! Everyone knows that!" Fumiko argued. "That's such a stupid excuse and that's what it is! An excuse! You want to know what I think?" The young girl puffed up her chest, her hands balled at her sides, the blade of grass still sticking out from her mouth. "I think Big Sister is just being chicken!"
"Stop that!" chastised Chiyo, "Big Sister explained it to us clearly. She knows what she's doing!"
Ashi did not know what to do.
It had been days and she still had not received a reply from her aunt. She had sent out ravens, carrying coded messages. But none had returned. She sat down at her desk, grinding ink, trying her best to contain the panic that had been bubbling inside her for days, threatening to spill forth like over boiled rice. Her hands and sleeves were completely covered in ink and she transferred some of it on the sheet of rice paper for her latest missive.
They all read the same as the previous ones. A brief report and a request for assistance. Ashi could not keep her composure, the bristles of her brush leaving unsightly blots from her erratic brushstrokes. Her focus was waning these past days, she could barely even tune out Oka-san's incessant wailing.
All because of the prince.
The prince had asked her to be his wife.
That was not part of the plan.
The Order had assured her a straightforward mission that, all throughout, she would be guided in all her actions. Ashi had not realized she had balled up her ink stained hand until she opened it to reveal the crushed up paper resembling a lump of coal. Though her words were no longer legible, she still lit a spark over her brazier and watched as the flames consumed the black wad into ashes. It had been unfit to send anyway, announcing more of her own uncertainty than anything else.
Perhaps that was why no was answering her. Her lack of faith seen as an affront.
Or maybe it was something else. Had someone intercepted their correspondence? Deciphered their code?
She suddenly couldn't breathe, her mind staggering at the possibility.
Ashi had convinced herself not to report directly to her aunt so soon after the last time, but now, what if that had been a mistake?
What if she had compromised everything?
She felt her body grow cold, as though she were back in the winter mountains, the snow melting on her skin as the sharp winds delivered their lashes. With a furious shake of her head, she removed the image from her mind. But the panic was still there, biting into her spine like prickly nettles. She folded her legs to her chest, hoping to abate the cold pit in her stomach as she rested her forehead on the top of her knees, suddenly feeling faint. The room seemed to close in on her, suffocating her with walls of thick air that made her feel as though she were submerged in water. She closed her eyes, as familiar sensations trickled in.
Balling herself up was all she could do back then, in the darkness, where she had no one but herself. How she had begged for the cane, to be flogged for her insolence. If they desired, she would have knelt on rice grains until her skin bled.
But it was always the darkness. She would watch, mute and helpless, as they sealed the cave, until there was only a faint crescent of light and then, nothing at all. Nothing but the darkness and the bitter words of her mother that seemed to echo all around her.
"Aku has no use for failures."
"I'm not a failure." Ashi found herself answering, though she is unsure if she really said them aloud.
"Kill the samurai." Her mother's crimson mask thrust into her face, the shade matching the rouge on Ashi's lips.
Her aunt had painted her face that day. "Beauty is a dangerous thing." She said, laughing behind her silk sleeve.
Ashi had sworn her fealty, bowing before the great statue of their lord in preparation of her mission.
"By Aku's name, I will take down the samurai and his imperial tyranny…"
"I intend to take you as my wife." Jack's voice poured into her thoughts, like the gentle spill of a bamboo fountain. "...I wish to spend my life with you."
With me?
She could feel the warmth of his hand dancing on her skin, like sunlight peeking through the dawn. She recalled his eyes, hopeful and sparkling with promise. No, she corrected herself. It was only well-hidden malice. He only wanted to use her. Mother had said so. Her aunt even warned there was no pleasure to be found for a woman.
But then, why did her pulse leap beneath his touch? Her lips tingling with the heat of his? She could taste the salt of his upper lip on her tongue and it had been strangely sweet, reminding her of persimmons.
"Ashi." Ami's words filtered in. "Don't be weak."
The pleasure was now gone. She was back in the cave, engulfed in darkness. There was nothing she could do except extend an arm she could not see, groping for an escape. But there was nothing, and she found herself stumbling, falling headlong into that nothingness.
"What happened to you?" Sato asked in lieu of a greeting as he took in Jack's face. The prince looked as though he had spent one sleepless night too many. "It can't be because of a woman, otherwise you'd be smiling."
Jack glared at him irately from underneath his hat.
"Ah," Sato nodded sagely, clicking his tongue. "It is because of a woman."
"Let's not pursue useless matters." Jack said, his words tight. A warning the older man did not take to heart.
"I saw some beautiful hair combs for sale on my way here. Perhaps you can gift one to your geisha? To smooth over your lovers' quarrel?"
Jack's scowl only deepened. "I will not entertain your ideas."
"Hmm, I suppose my suggestion is a bit lackluster. She'll probably get over it anyway, after all, you're a prince. You'll get your way."
"Will that be all? Are you done?" Jack grumbled as he set himself down on the wooden bench beside the irritating man. They overlooked a dirt road from an open stall that provided a place to sit and rest and have a cup of tea. A straw thatched roof provided shade, with men taking the whole length of a bench for themselves or leaning against one another's shoulder. They were mostly runners or errand boys taking a quick afternoon nap.
Sato pulled out a string of copper coins from his robe and gave one of the attendants a couple of zeni for some tea, which was shortly brought to them. The taste was much more agreeable to Jack than the sake from last time.
"I received word," Sato said, his words no higher than a whisper, "from one of my informants. They followed all the possible directions the bandits came from during the attacks."
Jack glanced over his shoulder, making sure no one was paying them mind. "And?"
"They found a small settlement."
"A village?"
Sato pressed his lips into a tight line. "Sort of. It's run by the hinin."
Jack's eyes widened. "Hinin?" Non-humans. Unlike the demons and monsters Jack had fought, these were human beings, outcasts, belonging to the lowest rungs of humanity. His father had told him the story when he was young, of the time long before he was conceived, when the lands were poisoned by the black waters and leafless trees, of how the people thought the gods were punishing them for their sins. They blamed the undesirables for their ills and cut them off from society.
"I don't understand." Jack said, his eyebrows furrowed down. "My grandfather...during his time, he put an end to such an outdated"—
"Little Shinnō. It's difficult to undo what has been passed down for centuries. These people continue to isolate themselves because they refuse to forget what has been dealt to them."
Jack felt his blood run cold and the taste of tea on his tongue turned bitter. He had seen the power of ignorance in Aku's future, how it harmed the innocent and fanned the flames of hatred. It disgusted him to know that he had spent most of his early life travelling the world and learning its ways, only to realize how little he knew of his own homeland.
Sato seemed to sense the storm clouds in his head. He gave Jack a hearty whack on the back, trying to dispel his mood. "But after all that's happened, I'm sure things will look up now!"
Jack was not easily moved. "I need to go there."
"To the hinin?" Sato barely caught himself from outwardly yelling, "Are you insane? My men are more than capable. You forget, Little Shinnō. These people were willing to help rob one of the sacred treasures. That says a lot of what they think of the crown."
Jack gave him a menacing glare. "You expect me to ignore their plight?"
"I expect you to be smart. Your benevolence won't do anyone good for now." Sato held his gaze with a silent challenge. "We need to gather more information before we can act appropriately. Charging in blindly will only jeopardize lives. And trust me, Little Shinnō. I learned that the hard way."
His words had the desired effect, Jack breaking away first and nursing his pride with the rest of his tea. Sato chuckled at this. "You're always so brash. Don't you know a warrior has to stay still sometimes?"
"Hesitation can be unwise." Jack said, Aku's trickery flashed in his mind, when he had been unable to destroy the demon and was instead sent to the future.
"Well, of course that's true. But you need to understand you're not alone anymore."
"Yes...I suppose so..." Jack sighed, straightening his posture with a more relaxed expression on his face.
"Now then!" Sato clapped his hands. "I'm going to toss a few dices. Would you like to join me? Or do you have a rendezvous with that future wife of yours?"
Jack's shoulders slumped again.
"...She refused me."
"Yeah, I know."
"Will you stop looking into my personal affairs!" Jack shouted, causing people to stir from their sleep. Jack pulled his hat lower over his face in embarrassment and in a hushed tone added, "...I'm just giving her space for now."
Sato brought himself up to his feet with his walking stick. "Well, you know…" He shook his head down at Jack. "You can't always expect everything to go your way just because you're the prince."
"That's the opposite of what you told me earlier."
The older man only laughed again.
They soon parted ways in opposite directions, Jack heading to the palace. After everything he had learned, he just wanted to lay down and forget his problems, especially when there was nothing he could do but wait.
The grass was red from the dying light. On a hilltop were two figures, like ink blots against the crimson sky. They watched as the sun retreated over the horizon, sinking into the black mass of the barren land.
"The stream by the forest has been poisoned as well." The taller girl said. "We'll have to find a new place to fish."
The shorter girl squatted down onto the dirt, "Will we have enough food to last us the week?"
"I wouldn't worry. Some devotees from outside will come and offer food and wine. I heard if from the priest himself."
Her companion did not seem convinced, a small cry escaping her lips.
"Don't cry." The tall one knelt beside her, comforting her. "I promised you, didn't I? I'll take care of you no matter what."
Ashi's eyes fluttered open, the sharp colors of her dream dissolving away. Slowly, she lifted herself up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She must have been so exhausted for her mind to conjure up such nonsense. Though, she thought, she did not recall retiring to her bed.
She froze when she saw the sleeve dangling from her wrist. She found no ink stains and it was connected to a rose colored robe she had never worn before. The bed covers were different as well, made of brightly colored silks of unimaginable quality, layered together to create a soft cloud. Ashi whipped her head in all directions, eyes widening in confusion. This room was grand and unfamiliar, the screens washed with sceneries of blooming flowers hanging from vines of painted gold. The beauty reminded Ashi of her aunt's room but in a less ostentatious way.
One of the panels slid open, startling Ashi.
"Oh!" spoke the young girl kneeling at the door. She looked about the same age as Satomi. "You're finally awake, thank goodness." She wore a simple understated kimono meant for a servant but Ashi's trained eye could discern it was worth more than what you could buy on the market. After bowing, she closed the panels and made her way to Ashi.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, extending a hand to feel for her forehead.
Ashi backed away from her, pulling the covers over her chest.
"Where am I?" She demanded.
If the girl was offended, she did not show it. "Poor dear, you collapsed."
"Collapsed?"
"From fatigue. Your sisters said you hadn't eaten or slept well for days. There's only so much your body can endure. They found you sprawled inside your room unconscious."
Ashi looked away from the servant's pitying eyes in disbelief, trying to stomach her own outrage. Starving without sleep was nothing new to her. She was stronger than this! How could she be so weak? Had the months softened her?
"Anyway..." The girl carried on, "you should feel fine once you've had something to eat."
Ashi's stomach growled in agreement, much to her mortification.
The servant giggled. "I'll have them bring you your meal then."
Before she could rise, Ashi stopped her. "You still haven't told me where I am."
The girl blinked in surprise, realizing her own lapse as well. "Oh yes! You're in one of the guest rooms of the royal palace."
…
…
"Excuse...me?"
"Some stewards were sent out to your residence to request your presence but when they found you in your state, they decided to bring you over with the approval from your guardian."
Ashi's mouth hung open.
"After you've eaten, we'll draw you a warm bath and"—
"WHERE IS HE?!"
The poor girl's eyes rounded fearfully. "P-Pardon?"
"Ja—I mean, the prince! He has a lot of nerve thinking he can just transport me over here like some doll! Especially after I told him I needed time to think! In the end, he's just a selfish, self-serving, loathsome"—!
"My lady…" The servant cut through Ashi's tirade, her expression pale. "His royal highness did not send for you."
"Oh right, sure!" Ashi sneered. "Then who else could it be?"
The girl seemed hesitant to answer, but when she finally did, Ashi felt as though a giant tremor coursed beneath them.
"It was their imperial majesties themselves."
Thank you for your patience! If you spot any errors, feel free to let me know, your thoughts as well! I'll reread and edit at a later time as well.