Note: This story isn't historically accurate. The author made great use of historical license in writing it. The inaccuracy is designed to add to the dramatic aspects of the plot. The Huns' invasions and the first Japanese incursion into Chinese territory are at least two centuries apart. The military apparatuses used in the story are out of their respective Eras, as well. That being said, the cultural aspects of Chinese society were extensively studied and are, mostly, accurate, though. Enjoy the reading!

Flower of China

By Kath Klein

Translated by Yoruki Hiiragizawa

Chapter IX

'What… what did you say?' The raven-haired concubine just stared at Sakura, as if she had suddenly grown a second head.

'I'm a woman, Miss Daidouji,' she repeated after clearing her voice; it seemed that even her normal voice was coming out a bit hoarse by the exertion of roughening it for so long.

Daidouji blinked a couple of times. 'Is that a joke?' she forced a smile, dressing her hanfu and closing it securely.

'No, I'm afraid not…' Sakura sagged her shoulder a bit and opened the top of her uniform, allowing the concubine to see the rim of the sash she used to compress her breasts. 'I'm a woman, pretending to… living as a man.'

'Dear me! I've never heard of something like this,' Daidouji covered her mouth, trying to wrap her head around that new development. She took a few hesitant steps toward Sakura, looking her closely; then, she looked at the tight cloth around the soldier's chest. 'How… how can you endure this?'

'It was that or becoming a… a…' Sakura averted her eyes, unable to finish the sentence without it sounding insulting.

'A concubine?'

'Yes,' the green-eyed girl nodded, closing her garment again, avoiding to face the concubine.

They remained in silence for quite a long time. Sakura stepped away and went to the window where she stood, watching the movement on the streets. Her next step would depend entirely on what Daidouji decided to do. She hated that her future was, once again, in the hands of a total stranger.

If the concubine decided to reveal her secret to the General, Sakura would have little time to try and escape The Forbidden City. She regretted now not taking steps to secure her possessions somewhere at hand if the need to flee ever arose but knew that she couldn't risk going back to her quarters to get them.

If she failed to escape, her sentence would be severe. The penalty for her crimes was, ultimately, death. She'd be lucky if her only punishment were beheading. That'd be fast, at least. Now, if they deemed it necessary to torture her first… she shivered at the thought. Regardless of what they decided, she was certain of one thing: General Li would, undoubtedly, personally volunteer to carry out the sentence. She could even see him with that sadistic grin on his face in her mind's eyes.

Daidouji stopped beside her, delicately holding her hand with a fixed gaze. 'You're so brave!' she said, gently resting her hand on Sakura's cheek. 'And you became a Captain!' She couldn't help but laugh.

Sakura released the breath she hadn't even noticed to be holding. 'Please, don't tell the General about it. He would…'

'Oh, don't you worry! Your secret's safe with me,' the concubine giggled, with a dismissive hand-waving. 'So, tell me… what's your real name, Captain-ness Kinomoto?'

The Captain chuckled at the little jest. 'My name's Sakura.'

'Sakura? That's a beautiful name! Are you Japanese? That's how Yinghua - the cherry flower - is called in Japan.'

Sakura shook her head, in denial. 'My father was a Japanese officer. I received this name because that's how my mother told the caretakers at the orphanage to call me.'

The concubine nodded in understanding. It wasn't hard to guess how the girl's life had been, growing up.

'And what's your name?' Sakura inquired, changing the subject.

'I'm Tomoyo. I'm Japanese, but I haven't been to my birthplace since childhood,' she explained with a tight-lipped smile.

'Is it true what the General said? That you've been to the West…'

'It is… And, oh, the things I've seen and done…' Tomoyo hummed, with a smile.

Sakura seemed to glow with excitement as she started to ask question after question. In no time, they were chatting like old friends. It had been so long since Sakura could relax and just be herself. She really missed that: laughing so openly and talking with her own voice.

Tomoyo revealed herself a pleasant company. She was a bright and educated lady who had been thrown in that life when her husband left her in Bordeaux, selling her to pay his own gambling debts. She became a courtesan in Europe - an exotic beauty from the East - and made the best of it, buying her own way around many kingdoms - "d'un cabaret à l'autre" - until she ended up in The Forbidden City.

Unfortunately, China wasn't as receptive to that kind of independence in a woman. And yet, she had been able to buy the brothel, using Feng Shan - an illiterate vagrant she found on the streets - as a middleman. She was known as a favourite among many high-ranking Imperial officers, General Xue Liang being one of the most prominent.

In exchange, Sakura told her about her own life, her childhood and her adventures as a soldier.

'Amazing! It's really unbelievable!' Tomoyo watched the Captain-girl, feeling slack-jawed. 'I imagine that even simple things as taking a bath must be dangerous, right?'

'Yes, it is. Since we were relocated to The Forbidden City, I got my own quarters as a Captain and I can lock my door, at least. But even then, the General still got into a habit of getting in uninvited, somehow.'

Tomoyo rested her chin on a hand. 'Can you imagine what would happen if he ever found out?'

Sakura took a deep breath, feeling a shiver up her spine. She sat straight in the chair. 'He'll certainly make a point of executing me himself,' she mentioned, tittering nervously.

The concubine fidgeted on her bed, playing with her long hair. 'That's so risky, Sakura. I'd be scared to death all the time.'

'That's exactly how I feel. Scared to death,' Sakura leant back, looking up for a few moments. Then, a satisfied grin appeared on her face. 'But it's so wonderful to read and write,' She sighed, dreamily. 'I'm studying about arithmetics, science, engineering and strategy. I could never do that as a woman! Nor could I get away with speaking my mind,' she shook her head, remembering the argument she had with Li before he dragged her there. He had dismissed her opinion, but she was still able to say some of her thoughts.

Tomoyo remained in silence for a while, just watching the girl sitting across from her in the room. Now that she knew the truth, it was hard to think of Sakura as the heroic Captain Kinomoto.

'The General really cares about you, you know...' she saw as the girl's demeanour suddenly changed: she crossed her arms and the green eyes kept shifting around the room as Sakura seemed to be looking for something to say.

At last, her eyes fixed on the woman in the bed. 'Why… why do you say that?'

'He never brought anyone here before. He's always come alone, always introverted and reserved in public,' she explained, regarding Sakura's reaction. 'But with you, he was all chatty and couldn't stop picking on you. But mostly, because he said you were a friend. I've never heard of him calling anyone a friend before.'

Sakura heaved a sigh and stood up, turning her back on Tomoyo. 'I'd be just another bitch if I were a woman,' she turned to face the concubine again and shook her head, wearing a derisive smile like a mask.

Tomoyo narrowed her eyes, noticing the glittering green eyes. 'You are the green-eyed girl from Shanghai.'

It wasn't a question, Sakura noticed. She hadn't gotten into many details when telling Tomoyo about being sold to a brothel and running away to enlist in the Army. It wasn't an easy topic to talk about.

'You really did a number on him,' Tomoyo said, taking her silence for an affirmative answer. 'Both as a woman and as a man.'

'What?' Sakura blinked, dumbfounded.

'Well, didn't you hear what he said?' she opened a slow smile. 'He was smitten by you, said you were beautiful!'

Sakura shook her head again and started pacing around the room with her hands in her pockets. 'That's not enough reason for me to stop hating him, nor is the fact that he seemed concerned about what he would do to me if I hadn't resisted.'

It was clear to Tomoyo that she had mixed feelings about the subject. Sakura respected Li; admired him, even, to some extent, even though he hurt her before.

'He seemed to really regret whatever had happened between you,' she approached Sakura, stopping in front of her to halt her pacing. 'Or what would've happened if you weren't so headstrong,' she shook her head with a smile. 'I don't think he can begin to imagine just how headstrong you are.'

Sakura leant over the back of the chair she had been sitting and faced the concubine. 'Hopefully, he'll never know. It's actually better that he keeps believing the girl died or that she's living as an indigent in Shanghai.'

Tomoyo tilted her head, chewing on her bottom lip. 'It wouldn't surprise me, in the case you ever found yourselves near Shanghai again, if he decided to search for her.'

'What makes you say that?' she increased the pitch in her voice.

The concubine's purplish-blue eyes gleamed gently as she looked at Sakura. Tomoyo sat on her bed again, crossing her legs. 'One of the advantages of working for so long seducing and pleasuring men is that we learn a lot about them.'

Sakura twisted her mouth, unbelieving.

'They can be very complex, you know? Hiding their frailties under a layer of violence and arrogance.'

Sakura had found them to be simpletons. 'Men are cowards. Egocentric. Fearful. Insecure.'

Tomoyo laughed. 'Yes, having a rapport with such a man has made you understand him quite well, too.'

'Rapport with… What are you talking about?'

The concubine giggled. 'You're General Li's only friend. How much time a day do you spend together? Eight? Ten?' She leant forward, sitting up with a raised eyebrow. 'More than that?'

Sakura's hands gripped tightly onto the back of the chair. 'I'm his pupil. We work together. It's different.'

Tomoyo covered her mouth to suppress a snigger and shrugged. 'If you really prefer to face it like this, be my guest. I won't be the one to open your eyes.'

Sakura rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. 'The General is a conceited and arrogant man. Big-headed, that's what he is. He just must be feeling bad about a girl who probably died after he tried to break her.'

'Mark my words, Sakura, he'll look for her - for you. Avoid Shanghai at any cost, because if he goes there, he'll try to find the girl to make up for what he's done.'

'How can you be so sure?' she asked, defiantly.

Tomoyo flashed her another gentle smile. 'Because he's big-headed, like you said, and would never admit to making a mistake unless he was serious about it. Besides, the General is painfully honest. He says exactly what he thinks and doesn't waste his breath with half-truths.'

Sakura widened her eyes and straightened herself, releasing the chair. She turned over to the window once more, avoiding to face the concubine. They remained in silence for several minutes and Sakura started massaging her temples, slouching against the wall.

'Why don't you relax for a while?' Tomoyo suggested with a deep sigh.

Sakura looked at her over her shoulder. 'Relax?'

'The General will only get out of the room by the morning,' Tomoyo explained. 'He always has a lot of steam to blow off when he comes to see us.'

Sakura crossed her arms, gritting her teeth. 'And what should I do till then? Go back to the palace by myself?'

The concubine jumped to her feet, a smile lighting up her face. 'How long has it been since you took a bath without any worries?'

Sakura furrowed her brows. 'Huh?'

'Take a long and relaxing bath. Let's pretend that we spent the night together. That way, no one would suspect you. Tomorrow, when the General leaves, you can go with him.'

'Could I really do that?' Sakura tilted her head back, longing for a lengthy, soothing bath.

'Of course, you can, sweetie. I'll help you as much as I can. I can't let your bravery go unrewarded.'

'Oh, thank you!' Sakura stepped closer to Tomoyo, hands on her heart.

'You don't need to thank me,' she crinkled her eyes and nose. 'We're friends now.'

Sakura nodded, eagerly. It would be heavenly to find a friend in Tomoyo. Maybe, that way, she could actually keep her sanity.

Sakura was in one of the training rooms with the General during their daily hand-to-hand practice section. Her body was starting to go numb by the many hits she had received.

'So?' he asked suddenly, watching the breathless soldier in front of him.

'I know! My form's sloppy and my left side is open,' she muttered, going back into position.

Xiao Lang smirked and dropped his hands to relax. 'I'm not talking about the drill. How was your night with the French?'

'She's not French. She's Japanese,' Sakura replied, annoyed that he was actually breaching the subject.

'Whatever!' He disregarded her comment and grinned, knowingly. 'What else?'

Sakura thanked the fact that her face was, probably, already pink by the exercises. 'She's pretty.'

'Pretty? Is that all you have to say, Kinomoto?' The General opened his shirt to refresh himself.

Sakura averted her eyes from his exposed torso, drying her own sweat with a towel. 'And what else should I say, Sir?' She said through a hot and dry throat and reached for her waterskin to find some refreshment.

The General broke into laughter. 'She isn't just "pretty". I know she can drive a man crazy in bed.'

'So you've slept with her…' she voiced, regretting it immediately. She didn't want to imagine him with her new friend.

'What high-ranking officer had not?' he smirked.

'Daidouji's a wonderful and kind woman,' She shrugged with one shoulder.

'Talking like that, it looks like you want to marry her. Oh, don't tell me that you're in love with her, already! After just one night,' He shook with laughter at the sight of his pupil rolling his eyes, but then he stared at Kinomoto with a concerned look. 'I know that you've been talking to Princess Mei Ling, Boy. I thought I said you shouldn't get close to Imperial Dames.'

Sakura creased her brow, staring back at the man. 'The Princess is a smart, sensible kid and I respect her, Sir.'

The General frowned, making her uncomfortable. 'The Princess is in love with you. It wouldn't be difficult for you to seduce her, but don't be an idiot,' he warned, narrowing his eyes. 'The Emperor is intent on marrying her to a Mongolian prince to avoid a war with them. That's a diplomatic matter, Kinomoto. If you're in love with her, forget it!'

Sakura straightened herself up. 'I'm not in love with her; neither is she with me. We talk. Sometimes we share a table at the Library while reading,' she snorted and shook her head. 'Honestly, you see wickedness everywhere, Sir.' Hearing that kind of warning from him was ironical. She wasn't the one who walked around undressing women with her eyes.

'Are you in love with Princess Mei Ling or with the pretty Japanese concubine, Kinomoto?' He waggled his eyebrows, playfully. 'Or both?'

'Do you even know what it means to be in love, General?' She couldn't help asking.

'I'm never falling in love, kid. And let me teach you something else, while at it: this love thing is just romantic crap invented to fill women's heads,' he clarified with an enigmatic smile.

'My parents fell in love with each other. My mother defied tradition because of my father,' she stirred him up.

He raised an eyebrow. 'And where are your parents now?'

Sakura kept quiet, not knowing what to answer to that.

'Your father ran away with the rest of the Japanese Army, and your mother was probably sent to a Buddhist temple to hide the fact that she was defiled before marriage,' he continued, mercilessly. 'Or might have become a concubine, or was killed by her parents to hide the shame and dishonour.'

She felt every cell in her body burst in fury. Not at the General, exactly. She knew that he didn't hold his punches when entering into an argument, being too competitive to easily accept defeat. She was the same, actually, and was thankful most of the time that he didn't punish her for speaking her own mind.

No, her rage was directed at the fact that he was probably right about her mother's destiny.

Her lack of response usually would indicate that the General had won that round, but he didn't open his customary grin. Looking at the green flames coming out of his pupil's eyes, Xiao Lang recognised that his harsh words might've gone a bit too far, this time.

Sakura took a step ahead, glaring at him. 'What you said about my mother's probable destiny, General, while correct, just shows how backwards, unjust and cowardly our society is. A society where parents prefer to see their child dead than respecting her choice for a companion,' she lashed out.

He straightened up, getting tired of Kinomoto's tirade about women. The sooner the boy learnt how things worked, the better. 'That's what happens when women lose their minds thinking that love is real,' he sneered, mockingly. 'They forget their place.'

'I'm getting tired of you and your arrogance!' Sakura finally snapped, letting out what had been stuck in her throat for months.

He scoffed at her. 'Well, and what are you waiting for? Go ahead and leave. Go back to your old life as a women-protecting love-believing coward!'

'And you can keep hiding behind this mask of pride and spite when in truth you're nothing but a women-despising idiot, whose closest relationship is the one you keep with your subordinates because it's the only way you can feel in control of something!' She was seething, her face flushed and eyes squinting. 'Boo-hoo, look at me! The great General Li; I can't step out of my father's shadow!'

Xiao Lang widened his eyes and bared his teeth – now it was getting personal. 'Careful with the insubordination, Captain! I am your Commanding Officer.'

'That's what happens when boys try to overcome their father's absence and indifference,' she jeered at him, parroting his earlier remark. 'They loose their minds.'

'That's enough, Kinomoto!' he thundered, springing at Sakura to punch her.

Sakura dodged his first attacks, escaping the General's ferocious blows. There was a particular clarity that took over her during fights and, after a few minutes of fighting the General, she was entirely under control, again.

She noticed that he seemed strangely hazy-minded, a sudden frenzy flaring in his eyes that covered deeper darkness. She had unwittingly hit him too close to home for comfort.

They fought to exhaustion, even if Sakura felt the brunt of it after focusing on defending herself.

As sudden as his outburst began, it ended and the General let himself fall to the ground, winded. He laid flat on the floor, resting his hand on his forehead while staring at the ceiling.

Sakura kept watching him from a distance, till she was certain he had calmed down.

Xiao Lang heaved a sigh. 'You're right. I can't escape my father's shadow,' he said not looking at his pupil. 'And I did have issues with him while growing up.'

She remained in silence, watching that strong man lying down as if he had been defeated. It was inevitable to sympathise with that broken warrior. Which was only made worse by the fact that such a man would hate knowing she felt that way.

She got closer to him, sitting on the floor. 'That's why having children shouldn't be about them honouring us. That should be a natural consequence,' she told him with a quiet voice. 'You say that love is unreasonable, Sir, but what is it that bonds parents and children together, then?'

Xiao Lang shifted her way, his mask of haughtiness nowhere in sight, just a deep-rooted sorrow in his amber eyes. 'My father was a busy man, he couldn't lose his time with me. The Empire has to come first.'

'In that case, it's not much different than being raised as an orphan, is it? Why getting married and having children, at all?' she inquired, breathing out heavily. 'You joined the Imperial Army to be close to him, didn't you? You were only eleven; you were still a kid.'

'You're right…' he saw no reason to lie. 'It didn't work, though. Even living in the palace, I hardly saw him.'

'That's why you worked so hard to stand out. To make him proud, to be worthy of his praise,' she deduced, leaning back on her elbows and closing her eyes. She thought of Mr Yang's kind words at every little accomplishment she ever had and could understand how he must have felt.

Xiao Lang didn't immediately answer. Instead, he just watched his pupil with rapt attention, wondering how that dainty kid – still away from being a man – got him to open up like that. It was an odd sensation, the way he just felt compelled to talk about things he wanted to forget.

The General shook his head, looking away from the skinny boy. 'I guess that would be the natural development of events, wouldn't it? But not to my father. No, Sir; just that wasn't enough for General Li Shang.'

That got Sakura's attention and she opened her eyes, turning to face him. 'It wasn't?

He shook his head in denial. 'No matter how much I was noteworthy, he still treated me with the same lack of interest,' he shrugged. 'At least, when he died, I stopped doing things to prove myself to him and began doing things for myself.'

Sakura averted her eyes. 'With all respect to your father's memory, General, but it doesn't make sense. A military man, especially one from a military family, would always be honoured with a child who's standing out in following his ancestors' footsteps.'

Xiao Lang sat up, cleaning his forehead with his shirt's sleeve. 'Yeah, I couldn't understand either. His attitude toward me never made much sense, especially when I was his only son. My mother had no other children, and his consorts only had girls. Anyway, this is in the past. He's dead, and there's nothing else for me to prove.'

She straightened herself, still not looking at him. 'You're an excellent officer, Sir. The Emperor acknowledges it, and is very honoured to have you in his ranks.'

The General gazed at his pupil, trying not to smile. 'Are you sweet-talking me out of pity, Kinomoto?'

She glanced him sideways. 'I'm speaking the truth. You're an arrogant man, bordering on tyrannical, in possession of a huge list of faults that would certainly make you mad if I began to recite here,' she said honestly, making him shake with laughter. 'But you are an exceptional warrior. Your actions saved the Emperor's life countless times. So, no, I'm not sweet-talking you, General. I'm just reminding you of the facts.'

He accepted those words at face value and stood up. 'This talk never happened Kinomoto.'

'What talk, Sir?' She didn't even blink.

The man slapped her on the shoulder, in camaraderie. 'If you were my child, I'd be proud of you, Kinomoto. I'm proud to be your instructor.'

She widened her eyes, feeling a lump in her throat. 'Thank you, Sir. I hope never to disappoint you.'

'I'm sure you won't,' he assured, walking away.

Sakura kept an eye on his retreating back, till he crossed the threshold leaving her alone. She opened a brief smile, feeling a warmth surge in her chest at what he had said.

She sighed, feeling gloomy. Deep down, she'd like him to respect her for who she really was. It was unfortunate to know that he'd change his tone if he ever found out the truth.

To be continued.

Edited on November 29th, 2019.